NCHSAA Track and Field 1A & 3A Championships wrap up in Greensboro

1A Women’s Championship: Murphy edges Research Triangle 60-57 to win program’s third title

GREENSBORO, NC – The Murphy Bulldogs powered their way to the 1A Women’s Team State Championship with event wins in the discus and 4 x 100 meter relay. Sarah Pullium earned the Bulldogs a victory in the discus with a throw of 121’ 10”. The 4 x 100 meter relay team of Carlie Whidden, Kelsey Fulgham, Leah Moses and Grace Nelson won the relay in :51.04 seconds.

Research Triangle was led by Victoria Swepson who won the 800 and 1600 meter runs. Swepson cruised to victory in the 800 posting a time of 2:20.40. She crossed in 5:51.52 in the 1600 meters.

West Montgomery’s Araybian Lilly was the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer winning three individual events. Lilly claimed the three sprint events with a blazing 12.48 second time in the 100, a 25.73 seconds mark in the 200 and a speedy 57.06 seconds performance in the 400 meters.

Hobbton’s Lakelyn Bass tied a 1A Classification Meet Record in the pole vault as she cleared 11’ 00”. That tied the record set by North Stokes’ Tess Rogers in 2011.


1A Men’s Championship: Polk County claims their first state title as Justice leads the way

GREENSBORO, NC – The Cougars of Polk County have been strong in track and field for many years, but this year’s men’s team accomplished something none of their predecessors have been able to, win a team state championship. Jake Justice led the Polk County men as he was the only individual to win an event for the team, claiming the pole vault by clearing 14’ 06”.

Josh Polk dominated the two shortest events of the meet, the 100 and 200 meter dash. The Hobbton runner crossed the line in 10.92 seconds in the 100 and blitzed through the 200 in 21.94 seconds. He was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer.

Polk County held off a strong challenge from John A. Holmes as the Aces got wins in the 300 meter hurdles and the 4 x 200 meter relay. Aaron Pryce won the 300 meter hurdles posting a time of 39.81 seconds. He also led off the victorious 4 x 200 meter relay squad, combining with Zakeem Brooks, Xavius Capehart and Eric Phelps to complete the 800 meter distance in 1:31.18.


3A Women’s Championship: Hillside wins the final relay to slip past Parkland 62-61 in a record-slashing meet

GREENSBORO, NC – In a meet that saw five classification meet records trimmed down, the Hillside 4 x 400 meter relay team earned a win in the final relay of the night to edge Parkland 62-61 in the race for a team championship. The win gave the Hornets their eighth women’s team state championship. The Hornet quartet of Emmaya Waters, Gabrielle Ryan, Ashlan Bowdry and Jessica Wright blistered the 1600 meter distance to post a new meet record for the 3A classification of 3:52.23.

The Hornet’s relay performance broke a record set in 2009 by the Dudley team of Shaquilla Gibson, Tyler Brockington, Natalie Nelson and Keneisha Williams when they posted 3:55.47. Hillside also got a 3A meet record performance from Kayla Beasley who won the shot put with a record-breaking throw of 43’ 7.5”. Wright claimed victory for the Hornets in the 300 meter hurdles, finishing the course in 44.50 seconds for the win.

Parkland was led by Alexis Patterson who earned the top spot in the 100 and 200 meter dash events. Patterson took down the 100 meters in 11.78 seconds before toppling the 200 in 24.39. She also anchored the victorious 4 x 200 meter relay team for the Mustangs, teaming with Shamara Tolliver, Diamond Lyerly and Del’Nique Penn to win the event in 1:38.96. Patterson was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer.

The Mustangs also earned a victory in the 4 x 100 meter relay. Jadai Stevenson-Damon, Tolliver, Amari Simington and Penn combined to post a time of 47.28 seconds to edge out Southwest Guilford.

Chapel Hill performers had a nice meet as well, setting two new 3A classification meet records. Megan Marvin set a new 3A record in the 800 meters, wrapping up her race in 2:12.74. That slashed the old record set in 2013 by West Carteret’s Blake Dodge who ran the distance in 2:13.23. The Tigers 4 x 800 meter relay team of Anna Stouffer, Madi Marvin, Katherine Dokholyan and Megan Marvin set a new 3A record in the event posting 9:18.55. That time broke the record set by the 2014 A.C. Reynolds team of Larissa Wood, Lana Reeves, Kenzie Himelein-Wachowiak and Anna Vess of 9:20.23.


3A Men’s Championship: Weddington earns second straight team title with a pair of event wins

GREENSBORO, NC – The Weddington Warriors claimed the school’s second straight 3A Men’s Track and Field team title with a pair of event wins on the day. Kyle Durham was the lone individual winner for the Warriors as he won the 800 meters in 1:54.63. The Warriors also flew to a winning 7:57.21 in the 4 x 800 relay with Will Mazur, Stephen Larson, Jackson O’Hara and Durham combining to outpace second place Mount Tabor by almost 5.5 seconds.

Jamar Davis from Orange won the long jump and the triple jump. His distance of 23’ 5” in the long jump was 8.25 inches better than second place Brandon Richardson from Northern Nash. In the triple jump Davis bested Richardson by more than 3.5 feet. Davis posted 49’ 10.75”. Davis was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer.

Asher Prince won a pair of events for Western Harnett. Prince claimed the shot put with a throw of 53’ 9.25” and the discus with a toss of 175’ 7”. Northwood’s Cameron Council was a double individual winner claiming the 100 and 200 meter dash. Council completed the 100 in 10:64 seconds before racing to a 21.41 seconds time in the 200.

Williams relay teams earned a pair of victories in the shorter relays. Corey Johnson, Solomon Womble, Quincy Dabney and Darius Turner raced to a win in the 4 x 100 relay with a time of 41.87 seconds. Johnson, Dabney, David Miles and Turner sprinted to the 4 x 200 relay win as well, crossing the line in 1:26.53.

South Iredell’s Cory Gaither was the lone male to set a new 3A Classification Meet Record in an event during the day. Gaither cruised to a new record in the 300 meter hurdles, finishing in 37.18 seconds. That mark snapped the record set by Scott Grell from Western Alamance in 1987 when Grell posted 37.80 seconds.