SECOND WEEKEND OF NCHSAA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
SET FOR IRWIN BELK TRACK AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T
GREENSBORO — Top athletes from across the state of North Carolina will compete in a second consecutive weekend of track and field as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association holds additional state championships in the sport.
The weekend of competition features 2-A championships for both men and women on Friday, and then on Saturday the 4-A championships will be held, all at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University.
The 1-A and 3-A meets were last weekend.
Action in the field events will begin at 10 am and running events will start at 11 am. It will be the 93rd annual men’s championships and the 42nd annual renewal of the women’s event.
Carrboro is the two-time defending 2-A state champion in women’s competition and was very strong in Saturday’s Mideast Regional as the Jaguars rolled to a convincing victory. Three of the top four regional finishers in the 800, 1600 and 3200 all represented Carrboro. Other regional champions in 2-A women’s action were Swansboro, Waxhaw Cuthbertson and South Iredell.
Hillsborough Cedar Ridge captured the 2-A men’s crown last year and won the Mideast Regional last weekend. Other regional champs included North Brunswick, Cuthbertson and Shelby.
Lexington’s James Drummond was one of the top regional performers, winning both the 100 and 200 with excellent times in the Midwest.
Raleigh Wakefield has become a track and field power, winning the 4-A women’s team title for the last three years. Another Wake County school, Knightdale, has won the last two 4-A men’s championships.
Wakefield also won the Mideast Regional in women’s competition last weekend, and will be joined by regional champions Southeast Raleigh, Winston-Salem Parkland and Asheville T.C. Roberson in the state meet.
Wakefield’s Kristen Lee cleared 13 feet, five inches in the pole vault, which would break the all-time state championship record if she equals that performance on Saturday.
In men’s 4-A, defending state champ Knightdale won its regional, with Fayettevilel Terry Sanford in second, with other regional champions East Chapel Hill, Pfafftown Reagan and Charlotte Mallard Creek.
Jon Beyle of East Chapel Hill is one of the top performers in field events in the state in both the shot and the discus and won both events in the regional meet.
Admission to the championships each day is six dollars.
The Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Greensboro Sports Commission are serving as the host city sponsors for the event.
NCHSAA FastFacts
Event: NCHSAA Track and Field Championships, 2-A and 4-A classifications
Date: May 17-18, 2013, with 2-A men and women on May 17 and 4-A men and women on May 18
Site: Irwin Belk Track, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro
First Held: 1913 for men, 1972 for women
Qualifiers: The top four finishers in each event, including relays, qualified from the regional level to the state championship meet
Defending champions: women: 2-A, Carrboro; 4-A, Raleigh Wakefield; men: 2-A, Hillsborough Cedar Ridge; 4-A, Knightdale.
Of Interest: The NCHSAA overall men’s track state record which has lasted the longest is the 400 meters, with the record established back in 1983 by Delton Hall of Greensboro Grimsley in 46.41 seconds.
Host City Sponsors: Greensboro Sports Commission, Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau
Here’s an interesting (to me) piece of trivia. If you check the individual records for the state event, you’ll note that the oldest standing record is in the shot put. This record (61′ 4.5″) was set in 1975 by Mike Salzano of Northern Durham. Mike also went on to be a 4 year starter and 2 time All-ACC offensive guard at UNC. In this modern era of advanced strength training, it is amazing to me that this record still stands almost 40 years after it was set. I’ll be interested to see if the record still stands after this weekend.