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The 2012 DeKalb County Track and Field Championships set for Saturday and Monday at Panthersville Stadium will showcase some of the best athletes in the state and also the nation according to times reported on GA.milesplit.com

Twenty-one athletes, including three in two or more events and 11 relay teams are ranked in the Top 10 in the state in their respective events. The championships get started with the field event finals beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 24 and track prelims and boys’ 3200 meter run finals beginning at 3 p.m. The track finals start with the 4x100 relays at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 26.

The girls’ competition features defending state champions Martin Luther King Jr. (Class AAAAA), Southwest DeKalb (Class AAAA) and Decatur (Class AA) along with several of the state’s individual top 10 performers from Redan, Dunwoody and Miller Grove.

The Lady Lions recently clocked the fastest time in the state in the 400 meter relay as the team of Felicia Brown, Tiffany Camper, Jada Martin and Alexis Smith combined for a time of 47 seconds in the Gary Townsend Invitational to tie for the sixth fastest time in the nation this spring.

Brown (400), Martin (200) and Chelsea Caldwell (200) were recently named to the USA Track and Field All-State Indoor Team. Crystal Gray is No. 22 the nation in the 400 with a time of 57.32. The Lady Lions’ 4x400 relay team is sixth in the state with a time of 3:56.39.

Southwest DeKalb which has won four of the last five Class AAAA girls’ state championships features Greciana Cooper, who was just named to the indoor all-state team in the 800 and 1,600, has the third-fastest time in the state in the 800 at 2:19.06 to rank 27th nationally.

Lady Panthers’ throwing specialist Demetria Dickens is No. 7 in the state in the shot put at 39-11 and No. 9 in the discus with a toss of 120-6. The shot put ranks her No. 36 in the nation. The Southwest DeKalb 4x400 relay is No. 5 in the state at 3:55.77.

Another Lady Panther, Shunika Jarrells, the 2011 Class AA state champion at Avondale in the 100 and 200, is ranked No. 17 in the nation in the 200 with a time of 24.74 and No. 2 in the state. She is joined in the nation’s Top 50 by teammate Charlotte Williams at No. 24 with a time of 24.94 in the event.

Redan enters the meet led by India Hammond in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. Hammond has the fifth best time in the state in the 100 hurdles at 14.36 and is ranked No. 8 in the country in the event. She comes in at No. 42 in the 300 hurdles with a time of 45.47. Nikkia Jefferson is No. 10 in the state in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.79.

The Redan 4x100 relay team is No. 6 in the state with a time of 47.94 and No. 18 in the nation as the Lady Raiders look to challenge for the county title following a third place finish a year ago behind winner Southwest DeKalb and runner-up Martin Luther King.

Dunwoody brings a strong lineup to the girls’ meet led by Alex Cameron, who is in the top 10 in the state in three events including the 800 (No. 4, 2:19.93), 1,600 (No. 6, 5:09.97) and the 3,200 (No. 2, 11:19.67). She is No. 35 in the nation in the 1,600 and No. 43 in the 800.

The Dunwoody 4x400 relay team tops the state list at No. 1 with a time of 3:49.51 to rank sixth in the nation while Sadia Yansaneh is No. 15 in the nation in the 400 with a time of 57.14. The Lady Wildcats’ 4x100 meter relay team is No. 43 in the nation with a time of 48.73.

The long jump event will pit three of the top 10 jumpers in the state, including last year’s champion Tiffany Flynn of Miller Grove and runner-up Alyssa Felton of Chamblee, who come into the competition tied at No. 3 with leaps of 18-2 while Southwest DeKalb’s Ariel Walker is No. 9 at 17-8.

The triple jump brings together three of the top 10 in the state—No. 6 Amber Townsend (37-2) of Cedar Grove, indoor all-state selection Leah Chisholm (36-10) of Lakeside and Nesha Defoe (36-9.25) of Towers. Chisholm is ranked No. 38 in the country and Defoe is No. 43.

Venessa Providence of Arabia Mountain, an indoor all-state selection joins Redan’s Brown, Dunwoody’s Yansaneh and No. 4 in the state Dominique Sullivan of Druid Hills in the 400 field.

Miller Grove’s Tatiyana Caffey, ranked No. 6 in the state in the 800 (2:21.05) and an indoor all-state pick, joins Southwest DeKalb’s Cooper and Dunwoody’s Cameron in a strong field.

Cedar Grove’s 4x400 relay team, No. 4 in the state with a time of 3:55.69 and No. 24 in the nation, make the fourth top 10 entry in the event.

Dunwoody is the defending boys’ champion in what could be a tight fight for the title, which could be determined by a strong field of five-top ranked relay teams.

The 4x100 relay features No. 5 Stone Mountain (41.55) and No. 9 Cedar Grove (42.26) while the 4x400 pits No. 5 Cedar Grove (3:20.89), No. 6 Miller Grove (3:21.13) and No. 7 Stone Mountain (3:21.28).

The 110 hurdles will match top-ranked Jordan Moore of Martin Luther King Jr. with a state-best time of 13.65 against No. 7 Troy Howard of Redan (14.64).

The 100 looks to be a battle between Cedar Grove’s Marlon Coley, who is No. 10 in the state with a time of 10.79, and defending champion Dazel Claytor of Dunwoody who is 15th with a time of 10.89.

Claytor and Moore also will face off in the 200. Moore is No. 8 in the state with a time of 21.70 and was named to the indoor all-state team. Claytor is the defending county champion in the both the 100 and 200.

The field events feature a battle of three of the best long jumpers in the county—indoor all-state selections Jamar Sims of Redan and Kareem Nicholas of Cedar Grove, along Yusef Minor of Tucker (ranked No. 10 in the state with a leap of 22.7.75). Nicholas leads the way in the triple jump at 45-06.