GREENSBORO, NC – The NCHSAA held the 2022 2A & 3A Track & Field State Championships at NC A&T State University’s Truist Stadium on the Irwin Belk Track. Team titles were claimed by the R-S Central Women’s Team in 2A, the 3A Women’s crown went to West Henderson, the 2A Men’s Championship was won by Cummings, and the 3A Men’s Championship was earned by Dudley.
2A Women’s Championship Recap | R-S Central wins first title edging East Carteret
No records fell in the 2A Women’s Championship, but history was still made as the R-S Central Women’s Track team claimed the program’s first team State Championship, holding off East Carteret by a 48-42.5 margin. Joyasia Smith led the Hilltoppers winning a pair of events, the 100 Meter Dash and the 200 Meter Dash. She clipped the tape in 12.27 seconds in the 100 while finishing in 25.81 seconds in the 200. Smith was selected as the 2A Women's Meet's Most Outstanding Performer
The Hilltoppers got a second-place finish from senior Taylor Wright in the pole vault as she cleared 9’ 0” while Wilkes Central’s Abigail Tully took the individual title going over 10’ 00”. Another key performances for R-S Central came from Brooke Hope who finished third in the 800 meter run, checking in at 2:20.91, just behind Olvia Overholt from Polk County and Sutton Webb from Salisbury who finished in 2:18.50 and 2:19.38, respectively. Alana Warren was the only other R-S performer to find herself on the podium individually, finishing third in the shot put with a throw of 36’ 5.5”.
Tamesia Pinnix from Cummings claimed a pair of individual event wins. She was on top of the podium in the 100 Meter Hurdles, completing the course in 14.11 seconds. She also jumped 18’ 6.25” to win the Long Jump.
3A Women’s Championship Recap | West Henderson nips Dudley for team honors
West Henderson earned their first team state championship in Women’s Track & Field, just slipping by perennial powerhouse Dudley for the team title by a 49-46 margin. Emma Hall was outstanding for West Henderson, winning a pair of individual events. She claimed victory in the 100 Meter Hurdles with a time of 15.07 seconds and in the 300 Meter Hurdles in 45.69 seconds. West Henderson also got a critical victory in the 4X800 Relay as Alysia Madera, Ava Kilpatrick, Paisley Stepp, and Breanna Budzinski combined to post a time of 10:00.64 beating the quartet from North Buncombe by more than two seconds.
Chaunesse Barringer from Northwest Cabarrus etched her name in the Meet Record Book, besting her 3A Meet Record-Holding mark from 2021 in the Long Jump. Barringer increased her record to 19’ 10.25” from last year’s performance of 19’ 1.5”. Other notable performances included a pair of individual event victories by West Mecklenburg’s Sanu Jallow. Jallow crossed the line first in the 200 & 400 Meter Dashes, winning in 24.44 and 54.50 seconds. Jallow was named the 3A Women's Meet's Most Outstanding Performer.
2A Men’s Championship Recap | Cummings Men cruise to another title
The Cummings Cavalier men won their second-ever team State Championship, claiming the team title in convincing fashion over second-place Eastern Wayne 76-43. The championship was the first time the Cummings Men have earned a team State Championship since winning the 1998 1A State Championship. The Cavaliers were led by Jonathan Paylor who won three individual events, earning victory in the 100, 200, and 400 Meter Dashes. Paylor crossed in 11.19 seconds in the 100, 21.96 seconds in the 200, and clipped the tape in 49.24 seconds in the 400 as he was selected as the 2A Men's Meet's Most Outstanding Performer
The lone other victory for Cummings came from Christian Gore who won the 300 Meter Hurdles in just 39.17 seconds. The 3A State Meet Record for Pole Vault fell by the wayside as East Burke’s Kenneth Byrd flew over the bar at 15’ 4”. His performance today replaces the record of 15’ 3” set in 2012 by Cedar Ridge’s Ethan Smith.
3A Men’s Championship Recap | Dudley dominates for program’s first NCHSAA Team Title
The Dudley Panthers were a force to be reckoned with at the 3A Men’s Championships as the Panthers won five of the meet’s events including the final event of the day, the 4X400 Relay. The Panthers put an exclamation point on their dominant performance winning the relay in 3:22.40 as Steven Davis, Asa Bonds, Michael Shaw, and Larry Monroe combined to blow away the field. Isaiah Monroe also won for the Panthers, setting a new 3A State Meet Record in the 200 Meter Dash when he crossed in 21.12 seconds. His time eclipsed the time of 21.20 seconds posted by Warren County’s Randy Jordan in 1987.
Monroe also won the 100 Meter & 400 Meter Dash events. He slipped across the line in 10.91 seconds in the 100 Meters while posting a time of 48.13 seconds to win the 400 Meter discipline on his way to earning selection as the 3A Men's Meet's Most Outstanding Performer. Panther leaper Steven Davis was victorious in the High Jump, clearing the bar cleanly at 6’ 04” to win the event. West Johnston’s Cameron Snead won a pair of events as he was the top performer in the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Snead’s leap spanned 23’04” in the Long Jump while he covered 47’ 06” in the Triple Jump.
2022 NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award Winners
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is committed to highlighting and promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with NC Farm Bureau to recognize two student-athletes in each NCHSAA State Championship event who have exemplified the values of excellent sportsmanship throughout the season. The 2022 Sportsmanship Award Winners for the 2A Women’s Championship were Taylor Wright from R-S Central and Adralyn Livingston from East Carteret. The Sportsmanship Winners for the 3A Women’s Championship were Brianna Budzinski from West Henderson and Taniyah Washington from Dudley. The Sportsmanship Award Winners for the 2A Men’s Championship were Christian Gore from Cummings and Rakeem Faison from Eastern Wayne. The Sportsmanship Winners for the 3A Men’s Championship were Le'Ezra Brown from Dudley and Kenneth Lombreglia from Croatan.
