Richmond Hill’s streak of winning boys and girls region track championships came to an end last Thursday but the Wildcats will still be taking a large contingent to Saturday’s Class 7A sectional meet at Carrollton.
Lowndes County won both the boys and girls meets at Valdosta with Coach Levi Sybert’s Wildcats finishing second. The Vikings boys edged past Richmond Hill, 254-239, and the Lowndes girls prevailed, 197-169.
The Wildcats, in their first year in Region 1-7A, had won five consecutive boys region titles while the girls had won three straight. There was no meet in 2020 due to COVID.
With the top four finishers advancing, Richmond Hill’s boys qualified individuals for nine different events along with three relay teams. The girls qualified four relay teams and had individuals qualify in 12 events.
The top eight finishers in the sectional move on to the state meet which for 7A will be at Powder Springs May 11-13.
Bryan County High School’s improving track program also saw some individuals, a couple of freshmen in particular, have big days as the Redskins used their new track to host the Region 3A-D1 meet.
“We finished second to Metter,” boys Coach Tim Adams said. “They just had too much depth but it was a great day as we got to host on our new track. Hosting was a big deal for us. I don’t know that we’ve ever hosted a region track meet.
“Our new track is beautiful. It’s much better to run on than the old asphalt track. It’s softer and makes practice a lot more fun and enjoyable. We’re getting better. We qualified one individual last year (Ethan Twombly) and none the year before.”
The Redskins qualified eight girls and the boys had two relay teams and nine individuals qualify in 12 events. The sectional meet will be Saturday at East Laurens. The Class A-D1 state meet will be at Rome on May 11-13.
The Richmond Hill girls had six individual winners and two relay teams take first-place.
Sophomore Mmekom Inyang was first in the 100-meter hurdles, freshman Joey Mitchell won the 1600 meters, senior Akira Burt was first in the 400, junior Julia Wilson won the 3200, sophomore Jada Brown won the shot put and senior Autumn Smiley the pole vault.
The 4x800 relay team of Wilson, Adeline Althen, Kylie Boleski and Somaria Courtney was first as was the 4x200 team of Jayla Lawrence, Kayla Heileman, Burt and Jasmine Wood.
For the boys junior Memphis Rich won the 1600 and 3200 meters and the 4x800 team of Chester Gregg, Me’Lik Malloy-McLaughlin, Noah Sybert and Santonio Rio took first.
Boys additional qualifiers: 4x400 (Omarion Gregory, Kendrick Joshua, Jayden Taylor, Rio) 3rd; 4x200 (Roman Slaughter, Gregory, ZaMier Smith, Joshua) 4th; 400: Rio 2nd; 800: Rich 2nd, Sybert 4th; 1600: Sybert 2nd, Benjamin Hall 3rd; 3200: Hall 2nd, Carter Dieterich 3rd; 300 hurdles: Joshua 3rd; shot put: Thomas Zimbalatti 2nd; long jump: Ravon Grant 2nd; Slaughter 4th; triple jump: Slaughter 2nd; pole vault: Garrett McDade 3rd.
Girls additional qualifiers: discus: Brown 3rd; shot: Mary Peregrina 3rd, Aaliyah Houston, 4th; triple jump: Jasmine Wood, 4th; 100: Jayla Lawrence 3rd; Inyang 4th; 200: Lawrence 2nd, Burt 3rd; 400: Kalyn Heileman 3rd; 800: Courtney 2nd, Mitchell 3rd, Boleski 4th; 1600: Julie Wilson 2nd, Kyle Kitchens Hayes 4th; 3200: Mitchell 2nd, Adeline Althen 4th; 100 hurdles: Gabrielle Kerr 2nd; 300 hurdles: Lawrence 2nd; 4x100: (Inyang, Brauna McDaniel, Alexa Hamlin, Jasmine Wood) 2nd; 4x400: (Burt, Kalyn Heilemen, Alexa Hamlin, Imani Jackson, 2nd.
Redskins freshman Taryn Avramidis won the 1600 meters and for the boys Javin Collins was first in the high jump and Jayden Lee topped the field in the pole vault.;
Additional girls qualifiers: 100 meter hurdles: Ashanti Brown 4th; 300 hurdles: Asia Bentley 4th; 800: Avramidis 2nd; long jump: Brown, 3rd; pole vault: Braelynn Shuman 3rd; shot put: Soniya Whitaker 3rd; triple jump: Za’Yana Hankerson 3rd.
Additional boys qualifiers: 100: Jacari Carney, 3rd; 400: Javin Collins, 4th; 800: Ethan Trombly 3rd; 1600: Trombly 2nd; 3200: Will Summerford 3rd; 300 hurdles: Chris Winfree 3rd; high jump: Javin Collins 2nd; DaVonte Bowers 2nd; long jump: Bowers 3rd; discus: Austin Clemons 3rd; shot put: Clemons 3rd; 4x200: (Amari Carney, Jacari Carney, Collins, Ger’bravion Collins) 4th; 4x800: (Twombly, Summerfield, Riley Shuman, Zane Rentaria) 4th.