A year ago, while sitting out her freshman track season following back surgery, Riverwood distance runner Bret McDaniel could only wonder.

At 8:35 p.m. today and 7:50 p.m. Friday, there will be no more dreaming what it's like to race against her chief rival, Chamblee's Emily Reese, in the Class AAA 1,600 and 3,200 meters at Albany's Hugh Mills Stadium.

As Region 5-AAA's second qualifier to Reese in both events, McDaniel will face her well-known counterpart in highly awaited state showdowns.

Yet the sophomore McDaniel shies away from any talk of showdowns with a senior legend.

McDaniel considers Reese virtually untouchable by anyone. After all, Reese owns four state championships in cross country and 1,600 and 3,200 crowns the past three years.

Then again, McDaniel realizes the top two qualifiers from all eight regions are formidable, too.

"It'd be a bit of a stretch, a far-fetched dream to beat [Reese]," said McDaniel, Northside's cross-country runner of the year last fall. "She's phenomenal. I'm just amazed by her."

McDaniel has only recent reference in track against Reese, having qualified second behind her in both distance races in this season's Region 5-AAA meet at Westminster. Otherwise, their rivalry has been on the 5K cross-country course, where McDaniel was third to Reese and Oconee County's Mackenzie Howe as a freshman and second to Reese last year.

Without Reese in the equation, McDaniel has been nothing short of dominant. Now fully recovered from surgery to correct abnormal curvature of the spine, McDaniel's personal-best 1,600 was her winning 5:12.04 at this season's Fulton County Championships, and her top 3,200 was 11:31.57 at region.

Around the Northside, McDaniel recalls having lost only to Chattahoochee's Sydney Marshall in the 3,200 at county. Statewide, McDaniel ranks fifth in the 1,600 and 12th in the 3,200.

McDaniel finished some eight seconds behind Reese in the region 1,600 and 55 seconds behind her in the 3,200. Those aren't extraordinary deficits, considering Reese set the state's all-time best marks in those events in the 2007 region meet.

This spring, Reese's 10:27.36 ranks first in the 3,200 in the state, and her 5:01.57 ranks second in the 1,600, behind Amanda Winslow (4:49.19) of Class AAAAA Collins Hill.

McDaniel expects to challenge Reese more in the 1,600 than in the 3,200. The Raiders' runner likes the faster pace and feels she closed the gap on Reese on the final lap of that race at region.

"It's shorter, so it'll be more exciting," McDaniel said. "My back's better. I don't have to worry about that anymore. At state, you really have the adrenaline running."

GIRLS STATE MEET

> When, where: Today through Saturday at Hugh Mills Stadium, Albany

> Schedule: Today —- qualifying for running events in A, AAA and AAAAA; finals in the 1,600 in AA and AAAA; finals in the 3,200 in A, AAA and AAAAA. Friday —- qualifying and finals for all field events in all classifications; qualifying for running events in AA and AAAA; finals in the 1,600 in A, AAA and AAAAA; finals in the 3,200 in AA and AAAA. Saturday —- other running event finals in all classifications

> 2007 champions: Collins Hill (AAAAA); S.W. DeKalb (AAAA); Therrell (AAA); Bleckley Co. (AA); Our Lady of Mercy (A)