On the first day of SPARQ Testing at the NIKE Nationals in North Augusta, South Carolina, Lorin Dixon from defending FAB 50 National Champion Christ the King in New York recorded the top SPARQ Basketball Rating* among over 100 girls who tested on the first day. Dixon's 74.47 SPARQ Rating narrowly edged the 74.43 SPARQ Rating posted by Michigan's China Threat.

The 5-foot-5 Dixon was able to record the top SPARQ Basketball Rating on the first day of testing by running a 3.17 20-meter dash and recording the top one-step vertical jump at 33.7 inches. Dixon also finished in the top five in the 30-second endurance jump test, as her score of 65 was No. 2 among the competitors. Although some of her individual marks were surpassed by other athletes, Dixon's overall performance at her height gave the junior-to-be the highest rating since the SPARQ Basketball Rating is the only one SPARQ (an acronym for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness) has unveiled that incorporates an athlete's height as a variable in the calculation.

Last season, Dixon's team at Christ the King in Middle Village, New York finished 27-0 and ended the season ranked No. 1 in the Final Girls FAB 50 National Rankings conducted by the editors of StudentSportsBasketball.com. Tina Charles, who scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in last season's New York Federation State title game, also finished in the top five in the overall SPARQ Rating with a 72.86, the fourth best mark on the day.

Sandwiched in between Dixon, Threat, and Charles was the 74.05 SPARQ Rating turned in by Canada's Christine Hyde. The Brampton, Ontario, Canada resident easily turned in the fastest 20-meter dash time with and 2.77 timed electronically using SPARQ Timing. Hyde is in South Carolina this week with her Sultan Prospects of Canada AAU team and the ladies from the far north tested quite well on the first day, as teammate Brittany McDonald also finished in the top five in the 20-meter dash

Read below for the top overall SPARQ Basketball Ratings and the top five marks in each of the five testing categories and make sure to check bay tomorrow night for the top marks from day two of testing at the NIKE Nationals.

1) Lorin Dixon (Christ the King, New York/Liberty Belles) 5-5 Jr.--74.47

(3.17 20m, 5.95 compass drill, 40 power ball, 65 endurance jump, 33.7 VJ)

2) China Threat (Avondale, Auburn Hills, MI/Michigan Crossover) 5-9--74.43

(3.00 20m, 6.33 compass drill, 56 power ball, 60 endurance jump, 26.0 VJ)

3) Christine Hyde (St. Augustine, Maple, ON/Sultan Prospects) 5-11 Soph.--74.05

(2.77 20m, 6.11 compass drill, 55 power ball, 52 endurance jump, 23.6 VJ)

4) Tina Charles (Christ the King, New York/Liberty Belles) 6-3--72.86

(3.31 20m, 6.72 compass drill, 55 power ball, 50 endurance jump, 22.5 VJ)

5) Taja Wilson (Penn Hills, Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Rockers) 6-2 Jr.--72.40

(3.52 20m, 6.15 compass drill, 48 power ball, 68 endurance jump, 21.6 VJ)

1) Christine Hyde (St. Augustine, Maple, ON/Sultan Prospects) 5-11 Soph.--2.77

2) China Threat (Avondale, Auburn Hills, MI/Michigan Crossover) 5-9--3.00

3) Kayla Melson (Sidney Lanier, Montgomery, AL/Alabama Roadrunners) 5-6 Jr.--3.04

4) Angel Gray (Stone Mountain, GA/Lina Lady 76ers) 5-9--3.10

5) Brittany McDonald (N. Secondary, North York, ON/Sultan Prospects) 5-10 Jr.--3.12

1) China Threat (Avondale, Auburn Hills, MI/Michigan Crossover) 5-9--56

T2) Christine Hyde (St. Augustine, Maple, ON/Sultan Prospects) 5-11 Soph.--55

T2) Tina Charles (Christ the King, New York/Liberty Belles) 6-3--55

4) Leeanne Watson (Stone Mountain, GA/Lina Lady 76ers) 5-11--54

5) Jessica Roque (Father Michael Goetz, Miss., ON) 5-7--52

1) Lorin Dixon (Christ the King, New York/Liberty Belles) 5-5 Jr.--33.7

2) Brooke Thomas (Edgewater, Orlando, FL/Orlando Comets) 5-3 Soph.--29.3.

3) Jacquis Bullock (Lance Cruse, Chesterfield, MI/Michigan Crossover) 5-6 Jr.--29.0

4) Leeanne Watson (Stone Mountain, GA/Lina Lady 76ers) 5-11--27.4

5) Amy Johns (McKeesport, PA/Pittsburgh Rockers) 5-8--26.8

1) Kyara Weakes (Ridge & Latin, Cambridge, MA/N. E. Crusaders) 5-7 Jr.--5.47

T2) Nikitta Gartrell (Mays, Atlanta, GA/ Lina Lady 76ers) 5-10--5.58

T2) Ayla Brown (Nobles & Greenough, Wrentham, MA/ N. E. Crusaders) 6-0--5.58

4) Chakeitha Weldon (Tri-Cities, Lithia Springs, GA/ Lina Lady 76ers) 5-8 Jr.--5.66

T5) Amy Johns (McKeesport, PA/Pittsburgh Rockers) 5-8--5.67

T5) Nicole Presto (Jefferson, Jefferson Hills, PA/Pittsburgh Rockers) 5-7--5.67

1) Taja Wilson (Penn Hills, Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Rockers) 6-2 Jr.--68

2) Lorin Dixon (Christ the King, New York/Liberty Belles) 5-5 Jr.---65

3) Sthefany Thomas (Chapel, FL/Orlando Comtes) 5-9 Jr.--64

4) Joy McCorvey (T.R. Miller, Brewton, AL/Alabama Roadrunners) 6-0--63

5) Candice Belocchio (St. Peter's, Staten Island, NY/ Liberty Belles) 5-5 Jr.--63

*The goal of the SPARQ Basketball Rating is to give coaches, trainers and athletes the tools to assess the overall athleticism of a basketball player with tests that are designed to reflect the specific physical demands of the game. The SPARQ Rating is not designed or intended as a measure of basketball skills or an athlete's potential success on the court. SPARQ realizes that the intangibles of desire, hard work, teamwork and knowledge of the game all contribute to ultimate success in a complex skill sport like basketball. To learn more about the SPARQ Basketball Rating and compare SPARQ Ratings with teammates, training partners and competitors, go to www.sparqtraining.com.

**(Recorded using electronic SPARQ Timing)

***(Recorded in feet using 2 kilogram ball)

****(Average time of both clockwise and counterclockwise test in seconds)