GREENSBORO— Ebony Williams helped propel Winston-Salem Parkland to its second consecutive state team championship on Saturday in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A track and field championships at the Irwin Belk Track at North Carolina State A&T University.
Williams was a double individual winner, taking first place in the 100 meter high hurdles, setting a new NCHSAA all-classification record in the process, and winning the 300 meter hurdle event. She also ran a leg on the record-setting four by 200 relay team.
Parkland rolled to the team championship by recording 95 points, with Kaitlin Sherman adding to the cause by winning the 100 meters and McKinley McNeill taking first in the 400 and anchoring the winning four by 400 relay quartet. A surge by Cary in the final event but it in second at 59.5 points while Apex was third at 58, followed by High Point Central (40) and Charlotte Mallard Creek (38).
A total of 46 schools scored points in the championship meet.
Sydnei Murphy of Apex also had an excellent meet and was named the championship MVP, winning both the long jump and the triple jump and finishing third in both the 100 and 200. Green Hope’s Elly Henes was a double winner in distance events, taking top honors in both the 1600 and 3200, shattering the all-classification mark by almost seven seconds in the 3200 with a time of 10:39.47.
Mallard Creek’s depth and strength in the relays—the Mavericks won both the four by 100 and four by 200—helped propel the team to victory in the men’s meet. Mallard Creek tallied 56 points to 38 for runner-up Durham Hillside. Then came, in order, Southeast Raleigh (31), Hope Mills South View (26) and a tie for fifth between Northwest Guilford and Fayetteville Jack Britt with 24 points each. There were 65 teams scoring points in the men’s meet.
Keon Howe of Mallard Creek, the meet MVP, cleared 16 feet even to tie the existing NCHSAA record in and also soared 6-10 to win the high jump. South View’s Philip Hall won both the 1600 and 3200.
The Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Greensboro Sports Commission serve as the host city sponsors for the event.
