Three locals take their marks at New Balance

Tamara Clark (center), a High Point Central High School runner, has qualified to compete in the 100m at the New Balance Invitational in Greensboro.

Three local athletes will compete in the 2016 New Balance Outdoor Nationals (NBON) this weekend at N.C. A&T’s Irwin Belk track complex.

During the NCHSAA 4-A State Championships, Tamera Clark, a High Point Central junior sprinter qualified for the NBON with the fifth fastest time in the nation in the 100m. Clark didn’t qualify for the NBON 100m last year. Clark finished fifth in the girl’s 200m championship last year with a time of 24.12 seconds and won the 4-A state title with a time of 23.99 seconds. Also challenging for a medal this weekend will be Ragsdale senior distance runner Sara Platek who finished sixth in the two-mile run with a time of 10:30.12. Grimsley’s Blair Ramsey will compete in the Emerging Elite Girl’s 1,600m run. Ramsey finished fourth last year with a time of four minutes and 59 seconds.

This June 17-19 will mark the 25th anniversary of the outdoor nationals, the last six in concert with New Balance. As for the 2015 New Balance Outdoor Nationals, there were nearly 5,400 student-athletes who enjoyed the meet – from 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces – the first time NBON has had more than 5,000 athletes at one of the indoor or door championships.

And then there are the records: Five national records, three class marks, and 33 meet records. The majority of those records came in the Emerging Elite, Freshmen and Junior High divisions.