GREENSBORO – The 3A State Track & Field Championship Meet was all Cuthbertson while the Cavaliers swept the Men’s and Women’s Team State Championships, both besting runners-up Weddington for the top of the team standings. Angie Allen was outstanding, winning three individual events for the Knights on the Women’s side.
Ai’yana Gray-Williams from Parkland was named the Women’s Meet Most Outstanding Performer for her double individual winning performance. Gray-Williams nabbed victory in the 100 Meter Dash in 12.14 and in the 200 Meter Dash in 24.66. She also ran with the Mustang’s two victorious relay teams in the 4 X 100 Meter Relay and 4 X 200 Meter Relay. She combined with Makayla Edmond, Ija Mumford, and Ziya Etchison in the 4 X 100 Meter Relay to win the 3A 4X100 when they finished in 47.97 seconds.
The Women’s meet was a record-smashing meet, as seven different 3A State Meet Records were replaced. The Cuthbertson Women’s 4 X 800 Meter Relay team of Stella Kermes, Charlotte Bell, Gabrielle Lassiter, and Justine Preisano nipped the previous record checking in at 9:18.25. Their time replaced the 2018 time of Chapel Hill’s Anna Stouffer, Madi Marvin, Katherine Dokholyan, and Megan Marvin.
Cuthbertson also saw event wins from Alyssa Preisano in the 1600 Meters as she raced to the line in 4:57.34 ahead of the previous 3A State Meet Record of 4:59.35 set by West Carteret’s Blake Dodge in 2013. Preisano also won the 800 Meters in 2:17.46.
Other 3A Meet Records to go by the wayside included the Long Jump as Chaunesse Barringer from Northwest Cabarrus set a new 3A Record spanning 19’ 1.5” and will replace the joint mark of 18’ 11” held by Mae Boone from Hertford in 2004 and Jessica Morgan from Parkland in 2008.
The 3A State Meet Record in the Discus was broken by Camryn Massey from Ashbrook, who tossed 140’ 09” to win the event and replace the 2019 record set by Shekinah Cooke from Southeast Guilford, who threw 140’ 08”. The 3200 Meter Run 3A Record went down when Caroline Murrell clipped the tape in 10:51.83. Her performance trimmed the mark of 10:52.18 held by Anna Vess from A.C. Reynolds in 2014.
The Cuthbertson men held off Weddington by a final tally of 80-70. The Cavaliers dominated the meet’s relay events, claiming victory in the three shortest of the four relay events. Cuthbertson’s quartet of Ari Richards, Killian Fahy, Reece Morgan, and Jacob Koerner won the 4 X 100 Meter Relay in 41.90. Their team of Aiden McNally, Richards, Zachary Ross, and Koerner won the 4 X 200 in 1:26.41. In the final event of the night, Ross, Brandon Moore, Fahy, and McNally teamed to post a time of 3:19.40 and win the event.
The only individual winner for the Cavaliers was Aidan McNally who raced to a win in the 400 Meter Dash. McNally sprinted to a time of 48.33 seconds on his one-lap run, winning the event.
The Most Outstanding Performer Award for the 3A Men’s Meet went to Dudley hurdler Mekhi Wall, who won both hurdles events in the meet. Wall raced to a time of 14.06 seconds in the 110 Meter Hurdles and 37.77 in the 300 Meter Hurdles. The only other double individual winner in the meet was Sun Valley’s Denmar Chambers who won both throwing events in the field. Chambers tossed the Shot Put 50’ 06.25” to win the event and launched the Discus 158’ 07” in victory.
The NCHSAA promotes good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches, and spectators across our state. To highlight our commitment to sportsmanship, the NCHSAA has partnered with the NC Farm Bureau to honor two athletes at each NCHSAA State Championship event who have demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship throughout the season with the NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards. The 2021 3A Women’s Track & Field Sportsmanship Award Winners were Madison Moraja from Weddington and Caroline Smith from Cuthbertson. The 3A Men’s winners were Wesley Larsen from Weddington and Zach Ross from Cuthbertson.
