GREENSBORO – Gabby Mayo of Southeast Raleigh had a record-setting Saturday night in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state track and field championships at the Irwin Belk Track at North Carolina A&T State University.
Mayo won the maximum four events as she was named the Most Valuable Performer in the 4-A women’s meet. She won the two hurdle events and also finished first in the 100 in a blistering time of 13.60 seconds, breaking a 20-year old all-classifications record in that event that was held by Pam Doggett of Greensboro Dudley at 13.86 seconds. To top it off, she also won the 200.
Mayo led Southeast Raleigh to victory in what was basically a two-team race. Southeast tallied 136 points to 107 for Charlotte’s Harding University. Apex was a distant third with 37, followed by Raleigh Athens Drive (27) and a tie for fifth between Charlotte Providence and Southern Durham at 26 each.
Kamorean Hayes of Harding, the current 4-A record holder in both the shot and discus, won both of those events.
Sallie Gurganus of Watauga set a new all-classifications record in the women’s pole vault, clearing 12 feet, one inch, winning her event by over one foot.
Clayton’s Johnny Dutch, one of the fastest hurdlers in the nation, won both the 110 high hurdles and the 300 intermediate hurdles in the 4-A men’s meet and set two new records in the process to earn men’s MVP honors. He broke one of the longest-standing North Carolina high school track marks in the high hurdles, established 25 years ago by William Cooper of East Forsyth. Dutch posted a 13.55 in that event, besting the old standard of 13.86 seconds.
New Bern held off a challenge by Charlotte Vance and Garner to take the team title for 4-A men, scoring 62 points. Vance had 58 and Garner 55, and then came Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds with 50 and Southern Pines Pinecrest with 34. Clayton finished sixth.
Jack Bolas of Chapel Hill set a new state overall record in the 1600 with a tremendous 4:04.38 effort.
In the 2-A men’s competition, Thomas Huntley of East Lincoln turned in a phenomenal performance by winning three events, including the high jump, long jump and triple jump en route to the meet MVP. Brandon Ashcroft of Monroe was a double state champ, taking the 200 and 400.
Huntley’s heroics weren’t quite enough to lift his team to the title, though, as North Brunswick took the crown after winning the 1-A men’s championship last year and then moving up in the new realignment. The Scorpions tallied 50.5 points to slip past North Rowan and break its string of consecutive titles at three. North Rowan was second with 48, followed by East Lincoln (47), Monroe (42) and Southern Vance (40).
Burlington Cummings won the women’s competition in 2-A with 73 points to 62 for runner-up Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons. Hillsborough Cedar Ridge was third with 46, followed by West Henderson (38) and North Henderson (35).
Latoya James of Cummings led her team to the title and earned the meet MVP, capturing both hurdle events and also running on a pair of championship relay teams. Taryn Wentz of Marshville Forest Hills took home top honors in both the long jump and triple jump.
The 1-A and 3-A classifications held their championships on Friday. Wendy’s and the Carolinas Ford Dealers are the presenting sponsors of the NCHSAA sports program.
