Noah Lyles is the USATF Jr. Nationals defending champion in the 100m and 200m.
Sprints/Hurdles
100m
Who: Noah Lyles, Darryl Haraway, Josephus Lyles, Hakim Montgomery
When: Friday, 5:30 p.m. PT [First Round]; Friday, 8:10 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: We haven't seen the Lyles brothers compete in awhile -- Noah last ran the 100m prelims at the state meet during the first weekend of June and Josephus has not competed since pulling his quadricep in early May -- but the future Florida Gators always peak for the biggest moment of the year. Noah ran 10.14 here last year; Josephus is more well-known for his quarter-mile exploits, but he did show a new side of speed this winter in winning the 60m national indoor title. His wind-legal best is 10.51 (-0.2). Montgomery of Troy ran 10.30 this year and Haraway, the 2014 New Balance Nationals Outdoor champion in 10.20 (+1.4), ran 10.32 (+1.2) this year for Florida State.
110m Hurdles
Who: Marcus Krah, Trey Cunningham, Joseph Anderson, Amere Lattin, Grant Holloway
When: Friday, 4:40 p.m. PT [First Round]; Friday, 7:50 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: No. 1 ranked Krah now has the New Balance Nationals Outdoor 110m hurdles title under his belt, along wth two sub-13.40 clockings. His 13.32 (+1.1) season-best mark makes him the only competitor here to run under 13.40 this year. High school junior Cunningham of Winfield, Ala. ranks U.S. No. 2 this year at 13.42 (+1.0), while California state champion Anderson has run U.S. No. 6, 13.59 (+1.2). Houston Cougar Lattin placed fifth for All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships; his all-time best mark of 13.53 (-0.3) dates back to 2014.
200m
When: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. PT [First Round]; Sunday, 7:32 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: This event was the marquee race last year, as Norman raced Noah Lyles to the the No. 3 and No. 5 all-time marks of 20.18 and 20.24. Norman, the two-time CIF State Finals 200m champion, has since improved his mark to 20.23 and hopes to break the national record here before racing the Olympic Trials in two weeks.
400m
When: Saturday, 5:45 p.m. PT [First Round]; Sunday, 6:55 p.m. PT
Why: Just how fit is Lyles? The IAAF World Youth Championships runner-up owns a PR of 45.46, but he hasn't raced since May due to injury. He must race tough to hang with London, the Big 12 Conference champion for Baylor with a 45.36 PR, and Montgomery, the SEC Conference champion for Missouri with a 45.13 PR. Both London and Montgomery are entered in the Olympic Trials.
400m Hurdles
When: Saturday, 6:10 p.m. PT [First Round]; Sunday, 6:35 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: McLaughlin is the older brother of newly minted national high school record holder Sydney and is a stellar athlete himself even without that high-profile asterisk. As a true freshman at Michigan, the New Jersey native set a PR of 49.73 and placed fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. Grimes won the IAAF World Youth title last summer but has raced on a limited basis this spring due to injury. Grimes' 36.33 winning time from the Texas Relays 300m hurdles has held up as the nation's second-fastest time this spring, behind only fellow Texan Baldridge's No. 1 mark of 36.32. Baldridge is also entered here, as is Houston freshman Lattin, who lowered his 400m hurdles PR to 50.71 this year.