Denver East star gains inspiration from Texas Relays performances by fellow Georgia commit Boling in preparation to race several elite national competitors in 100 and 200 meters

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The greatest motivation Arria Minor received during preparation for the first big track test of her senior year at the 52nd Arcadia Invitational didn’t come from any of her Colorado peers or fellow female sprinters throughout the country.

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Instead, the Denver East standout gained plenty of inspiration from the performances turned in March 29 and 30 by fellow Georgia signee Matthew Boling of Houston Strake Jesuit at the 92nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.

Boling, who boasts personal bests of 20.58 seconds in the 200 meters and 46.15 in the 400, gained notoriety for different reasons by running a wind-aided 10.20 in the 100, anchoring his team to a 4x100 victory in 40.86 and producing a wind-legal long jump of 26 feet, 3.50 inches (8.01m).

Minor, who is scheduled to run Saturday in the invitational 100 and 200 in her Arcadia debut, spoke with Boling following his memorable efforts in Austin to gain reassurance as she awaits early challenges in her outdoor season.

“It was definitely really motivating. We talked about running the 100, especially because we’re both primarily 400 runners and how coming down can sometimes be a little bit difficult,” said Minor, who clocked 11.78 in the 100 in her outdoor opener March 21 in Denver.

“But just hearing him talk about how much fun he had with it and how carefree it was for him to run like that, even though he ran 10.2, it’s motivating for me knowing that when I come down in my events, that it’s not something abnormal or it’s not going to be as hard as you make it sometimes in your head.

“It’s nice having those kind of people around who can kind of guide you through different struggles you might have throughout the season.”

Minor is no stranger to competing in big meets against elite competition throughout her career.

The eight-time Colorado state champion ran the 200 at the Prefontaine Classic as a sophomore, won a New Balance Nationals Indoor 400 title as a junior and has a pair of 4x400 relay gold medals competing for the U.S. the past two summers, first in 2017 at the Pan American U-20 Championships in Peru and again in July at the IAAF World U-20 Championships in Finland.

But Minor wanted an opportunity to compete at Arcadia before she graduated, facing several of the country’s elite sprinters as a measuring stick before the Colorado state meet May 16-18.

Scheduled to square off against Minor in both the 100 and 200 are fellow seniors De’Anna Nowling of Calabasas CA, a Miami (Florida) signee, USC-bound Jazmyne Frost of Serra CA, Oregon signee Chinyere Okoro of Amador Valley CA, Kentucky commit Aliya Wilson of Tahoma WA and North Carolina State-bound Alexis Patterson of Parkland NC, in addition to North Canyon AZ junior Jadyn Mays.

“I heard it’s one of the best meets in the country and I’m really excited to be there,” Minor said. “The fact that I’ve never been, I don’t know what to expect, it’s just something fresh and new. I’m excited to experience new things my senior season and just be able to have more fun than I’ve had the previous seasons and just go to meets like this.”

Minor has also appreciated not only having her college choice finalized during the early signing period in November, but just like Boling did at Texas Relays, being able to represent one of the nation’s top recruiting classes at meets across the country.

“It feels really good and it took a big weight off my shoulders. I’m looking forward to the next step and looking forward to the fall, being on UGA’s campus, and that’s allowed me to enjoy what I’m doing now and cherish it a lot more because I know I can’t go back to high school and enjoy high school track,” Minor said. “While I’m excited for the next step, I’m also cherishing the competition and the meets that I’m in now and that helps a lot. It’s not as stressful having to worry about being recruited and competing, you’re just worried about what you’re doing. And it’s really fun watching all of (my future teammates) compete and thrive in all of their different events.”

Fellow Georgia signee Anna Hall of Valor Christian CO is also scheduled to compete at Arcadia in the 4x100 shuttle hurdles relay, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and high jump.

“We are excited to represent the ‘Dogs out there,” Hall said. “I’m hoping for PRs and/or season bests for both of us.”

Although Hall took on a much heavier winter competition schedule than her friend, including pentathlons at both the USATF Indoor Championships and New Balance Nationals Indoor, Minor didn’t encounter any setbacks in training or competition despite not racing for more than a month.

“I was taking a different approach in terms of not running as much and just overall with my meet schedule, so I was definitely a lot lighter with indoor and probably am going to be pretty light this outdoor season going into summer to get ready for school next year,” Minor said. “It was all about just being patient and staying with the plan and making sure I understand what’s going on. But this year especially, I wanted to be able to push myself in different events that aren’t just the 400.

“I’m excited to be able to challenge myself in different aspects, rather than just doing the same thing I always do. It’s going to be different this season, but I’m excited for it.”

Minor said that less time spent traveling to meets, including only one event outside of Colorado during the indoor season versus several competitions in years past, allowed her to focus more on emotional growth and improving her mental approach.

“I think the mental aspect for me has definitely improved. Just being able to go into big competitions without smaller competitions under my belt and not be stressed or concerned or worried about it. That’s not something I would have been able to do my freshman year,” Minor said. “I’ve worked a lot on being focused and not being nervous, just things like that. As a freshman, I don’t think I was as strong mentally as I am right now. I’m more trusting in the process and what is going on than needing reassurance this year.”

That maturity has allowed Minor to provide a lot more input in not only her training, but constructing her competition schedule, which will include a return to the 400 once she feels like the necessary building blocks have been established in other races.

“They’re definitely letting me take a lot more direction this year with what I want to run,” Minor said. “I’m working on different phases of my race through different races. I’m definitely going to be running a lot of 400s, I just have to work on different phases of my race first, like really being explosive out of the blocks in the 100 because I know that will help me with my start in the 400.

“There are new things I’ve incorporated this year that I haven’t done before. I’m working more on the strength aspect, rather than just being able to run for a long period of time. I’m focusing on getting stronger, rather than just building endurance, which I knew I already had.”

Before she gets on the line Saturday, Minor will take the experience and perspective gained from her conversation with Boling, along with the wisdom shared by longtime mentor and adidas professional Josephus Lyles – who placed second in the 400 in 45.94 in 2016 representing T.C. Williams VA in his lone Arcadia appearance – as she attempts to leave her own lasting impression at one of the most prestigious meets in the country.

“It helps a lot because they know what goes through your head. They’ve been there and they’ve experienced both sides, the victory and the defeat of it, so it’s beneficial to have somebody like that who can talk you through things sometimes because they can get into a place in your head that most people can’t tap into,” Minor said. “I think it’s good to always have that competition aspect to be able to exercise your mental toughness in high-pressure situations. Being able to be outside the state and just being with people who are all phenomenal athletes is a really humbling experience and it’s really fun.”