Here are 20 Upstate girls and boys to watch at SCHSL track and field championships

Here are the 20 Upstate high school boys and girls track athletes to watch at the state championships in Columbia.

Class A finals will be Thursday at Spring Valley. Friday will be the Class AAA finals at Lower Richland and the Class AAAAA finals at Spring Valley. Saturday's schedule is Class AA at Lower Richland and Class AAAA at Spring Valley.

Boys

Avery Billings, Easley: Billings has the state's best shot put this season, 19.52 meters at the Class AAA Pickens County Championships. Last year, Greenville’s Luke Schuller of Greenville won at 17.72.

Shamon Black, Jr., Chapman: Black at the Class AAA Upper State meet turned in the best 110-meter hurdles time (13.96) in the state this season. His was nearly a full second ahead of the next hurdler.

Jaxson Jerabek, So., Wren: Jerabek has the state’s best mark this year in the pole vault with 4.9 meters, which was set last month at the Bob Jenkins Coaches Classic. Jerabek broke his previous school record of 4.82.

Ian Johnson, Jr., Southside: Johnson won the Upper State championship in the 100 (10.73) and owns the fastest time in the state this year (10.41). He also won the 200 (21.59) at Upper State.

Jalen Johnson, Jr., Southside: If Ian Johnson doesn’t win the 100 and/or 200, it will likely be twin brother, Jalen Johnson, who is the defending state champion in both events. Maybe they’ll split it.

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Grayson Gibbons, Jr., Southside Christian: Gibbons is the Class A defending state champion in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. He won all those events again at Upper State.

Alex Smith, Jr., Fountain Inn: Smith is defending state champion in the 400 (49.85) and was even faster (49.39) in Upper State this season. He’ll go up against Spring Valley’s Devin Crumpton (South Carolina).

Dwayne Weiters, Sr., T.L. Hanna: Weiters won the Class AAAAA triple jump with a leap of 47-02.93. Something similar might win state. Last year, Spencer Eison of Boiling Springs won at 47-07.

Jackson Wyatt, Jr., Eastside: Wyatt owns the state’s best times in the 800 (1:53.42) at the Upper State meet) and the 1,600 (4:11.54). At Upper State, he won the 800 (4:13.07) and did not race in the 3,200.

Knox Young, Sr., Greenville: Young is the defending state champion in the 800 and 1,600 so it should be quite a battle against Wyatt. Young won the 1600 at Upper State (4:15.57) and did not run in the 800.

Girls

Ayiana Chalmers, Sr., Hillcrest: Chalmers won the Class AAAAA Upper State championship in the triple jump (39-09.50), tied for first in the high jump (4-11.05) and finished second in the long jump (18-06.44).

Saddler Fox, Fr., Christ Church: Fox won Class A Upper State championships in the long jump (15-02.00) and the triple jump (32-09.00). Her mark in the triple jump is among the state’s top three for this season.

Ayanna Hunt, Jr., Westside: Hunt won the Class AAAA state title last year in discus (144-01.0) and was second in the shot put by an inch (39-04.0). This year, she’s improved those marks to state-leading to 154-9 and 40.48, respectively.

Emma Mills, Jr., Eastside: Mills won the Class AAAA Upper State championship in the 100 (12.16) and was second in the 200 by .04 seconds with 25.39. The winning time in the Lower State in the 100 was 12.39.

Molly Page Morris, Sr., Powdersville: Morris is defending Class AAA state champion in the 100 hurdles. She won the Upper State title (14.49) and was second to freshman teammate Amari Rambert in the 400 hurdles (106.82).

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Rebecca Okebe, So., Dorman: Okebe won last year's Class AAAAA state championship in the 400 hurdles with 1:03.24. She was runner-up at Upper State with 1:03.53, which was still three seconds faster than the winning time in Lower State.

Abrianna Parks, So., Byrnes: Parks is defending state champion in the shot put and the discus in Class AAAAA. She won both of those again at Upper State (shot at 39-06.50, discus at 122.06.75), but also added a gold medal in javelin (113-00.25).

Acie Vincent, So., Easley: Vincent won the Class AAAA Upper State championship in the 3,200 (11:29.11) and was second in the 1,600. Her 3200 time was 32 seconds faster than the winning time in Lower State.

Shamya Wilkins, Jr., Broome: Wilkins is Class AAA defending champion in the triple jump and a heavy favorite to win it again. Her leap of 36-08.16 to win the Upper State title was a foot better than anybody in the Lower State.

Syndee Wilson, Jr., Westside: Wilson held off Mills to win the 200 (25.35) for the Class AAAA Upper State championship. That’s only .18 from the best time in the state this season.

Todd Shanesy is a former award-winning writer who now covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at todd.shanesy@shj.com. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ.