Yes, you read that correctly, our top performance of 2014 is not a single performance but the combination of two 4x400 relays run just hours apart by a total of 8 girls. You are probably saying this is a bias pick or someone else deserves this honor but let us explain to you why this performance, more so then any other, is the best of 2014.
Let's start with the "A" team. This team, comprised of numerous state champions in multiple events including the 300m hurdles and 800m run, was somewhat of a dream team. Of the members on it, there was just one senior, Ebony White. Other legs on the team were Jewel Smith(11th), Faith Ross (10th) and Amanda Thomas (10th).
This team ran to win, they led the entire race until the final ten meters where they eventually fell back to third place a mere .50 seconds away from a national title. Though they did not win the national title, they broke the state record by running a very impressive 3:41.43. To put that in perspective, the national record is 3:35.49, so less then six seconds separating them and the national record, mind you with three underclassmen returning and getting better and just one leg to fill... that's where this "B" team comes into the conversation.
So that is impressive and all but the truly impressive thing is that they ran another relay team that day that went over-looked by many due to their 4th place finish in the emerging elite division. This team, "B" team, which was comprised entirely of freshman, ran 3:54.84! That time is fast enough to have won the state title in any of the 6 VHSL classifications or private school leagues last year. If you sit and look at it, its impossible to decide which performance is the more impressive one... so because of that we thing that total effort by both teams is our performance of the year. The "B" team was comprised of Jada Terrell, Jeshalla Jenkins, Martina Smalls, and Ceshay Joyner.
Be sure to check out our in depth pieces on each of these phenomenal performances here:
