Class 4A, 5A, 6A Track Meets Enjoy Record-Setting Day
UMS-Wright Preparatory School’s boys had three first-place finishes in individual events and won the 4x800 relay in an impressive first-day performance Friday at the 89th annual AHSAA state track and field championships at the Gulf Shores City Municipal Track.
The Bulldogs lead the Class 4A boys’ competition with 69 points. Dadeville is second with 29. Homewood and St. Paul’s are locked in tight race in 5A with the Patriots holding a 29-22 edge heading into Saturday. In Class 6A, Hoover has 41.50 points and holds a slim lead over Opelika, which scored 35 points.
In girls’ competition, Hoover holds a 38-31 lead over Mountain Brook in Class 6A. St. Paul’s leads Class 5A with 44 points and Homewood is second with 38. In 4A, UMS-Wright leads Beauregard 60-44.
The meet is being live-streamed over the NFHS TV Network by PlayOn! Sports. Click here to watch day two action.
Among the records that fell was 16-year old Class 6A girls mark in the 100-meter hurdles set in 1997 by Toyin Augustus of Grissom in 1997. Hoover’s Brittley Humphrey ran a 14.00 time in the prelims Friday to break the record by 14/100ths of a second.
Several individual state champions where crowned Friday while some events were prelims with finals scheduled Saturday. Among the winners Friday were:
Class 6A Girls
Brittley Humphrey, Hoover: Set a new state record in the 100-meter hurdles with a prelim time of 14.00.00. Her time beat Grissom hurdler Toyin Augustus’s 14.14 mark set in 1997.
Jakayla Hand, Opelika: Leaped 17-10.25 in the long jump to take first place.
Julia Leonard, Mountain Brook: Had a winning leap of 5-06 for first-place honors.
Veronica Lyle, Hewitt-Trussville: Captured the 1,600-meter run championship with a time of 4:53.08 – just ahead of runner-up Mary Grace Strozier of Pelham, who clocked the distance in 4:53.94.
Jayla Kirkland, Woodlawn: Ran the 400-meter dash in 57.18 to win the event, and then clocked 11.47 seconds in the 100-meter dash to qualify for Saturday’s finals. Her time bettered the 11.60 time clocked by Frenchie Holmes of McGill-Toolen in 1986, which stands as the state record. Kirkland’s time had a wind aid of 3.0, however, more than the maximum 2.5 allowed. Kirkland also ran the 200-meter dash in 23.71 seconds in the prelims surpassing the previous record (23.99) set by Murphy’s Nellina Lofton in 1985.
Autavia Fluker, Bessemer City: Set the 6A record in the shot put with a winning toss of 44-5 ½.
Class 5A Girls
Charlotte Krause, St. Paul’s: Won the triple jump with a 37-07 leap.
Aquanita Branford, Scottsboro: Her toss of 126-01 took first place.
Anna Braswell, St. Paul’s: Won the 1,600 meters in 5:15.54.
Fort Payne: Fort Payne won the 4x800 relay in 9:58.15.
Class 4A Girls
Kylee Carter, Beauregard: Won the high jump competition with a 5-04 leap.
Shakeela Webb, Beauregard: Turned in a winning throw of 125-07 to claim the discus crown.
Cele Moon, Wilson: Ran 5:15.27 to win the 1,600-meter race.
Shelbi White, Lincoln: Broke her own state record by shaving a full second off her 2013 performance with a 55.58 time in the 400-meter dash. White set the mark in 2013 with a 56.55 time. She followed up with a record-setting 24.64 time in the 200-meter prelims, bettering the record (24.84) set in 1987 by Fertacia Chapman of Clarke County.
Rose Brutkiewicz, UMS-Wright: Broke the old record in the Class 4A girls’ pole vault, going 12-1 ½,
Wilson High School: The girls clocked 10:12.8 to win the 4x800 relay.
Class 6A Boys
Sean Collins, McGill-Toolen: Set a new AHSAA pole vault record clearing 16-2 to break the previous standard set by McGill-Toolen's Thomas Fowlkes in 2001.
Jared Breach, Huntsville: Threw the discus 168 feet, 9 inches to take first place in the 6A boys’ competition.
Austin Norwood, Hewitt-Trussville: Ran a very fast 4:18.57 to win the 1,600-meter event.
Nathaniel Huggins, Opelika: Sped 48.13 seconds in the 400-meter dash to place first.
Class 5A Boys
Tre’ Williams, St. Paul’s: The Saints’ senior had a 51-foot, 6 ½ inch toss to win the competition.
Kentoriqa White, LeFlore: The Rattlers’ long jumper had a winning leap of 23-01.25 to capture first place.
Andy Smith, Homewood: Won the 1,600 meters with a 4:26.93 time.
Harrison Dudley, Paul Bryant: Clocked 48.55 seconds to capture the 400-meter dash title.
Class 4A Boys
Hamilton Phillips, UMS-Wright: Had a winning toss of 166-11 in the javelin competition.
Josh Russell, UMS-Wright: Won the pole vault with a 13-09 leap.
Latravious Glenn, Dadeville: His 48-05.50 leap in the triple jump gave him first place.
Eshan King, Randolph: Won the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:25.50.
Jawon McDowell, UMS-Wright: Captured the 400-meter dash in 50.76 seconds.
UMS-Wright: Clocked 8:24.07 to win the 4x800 relay championship.