Class AAA
If someone were to ask, "How a freshman athlete can garner the spotlight at the State Track Meet?" it is possible a reply could be "By winning four races." This possibility became reality last Saturday when Chelsea Brown (Butler) won the 100m, 200m, 300m Intermediate Hurdles, and the 400m. She scored 40 of Butler's 49 points to help lead them to a tie for third place at the Class AAA Girls State Meet. It was quite a performance; a bright future is in store for Brown. She had the fastest time in the state in all four events for the whole season.
The girl's team race turned out to be tight finish. The ladies of Eastern won the title by five points with the help of their fourth place finish in the 1600m relay and their winning of the 3200m relay with a 9:33.39. Eastern scored the most points in the 800m with Chani Clark winning the race and Sarah Turi coming in third. The 800m had the makings of a classic with favorites Clark and Katherine Alcorn (Conner) both running 2:15s this season. Clark won with a 2:15.20, but Alcorn did not perform as expected.
Andrea Sabbatine (Scott County) broke State Record in the Pole Vault set by Mary Kris Durham (Owensboro) at last year's State Meet. Andrea jumped an 11-07. Kortni Dukes (Scott) won the 1600m & 3200m for the second year in a row, running a 5:10.38 and an 11:29.65, respectively.
The Class AAA Boys Team Title race came down to the last race of the day, just as the girls. Saint Xavier was sitting nine points back of Trinity with only the 1600 meter relay to go. It was not meant to be, as Saint Xavier finished 7th and Trinity took home its second consecutive title. Trinity scored 74 points with five wins in the individual events. Senior Steven Orndorff won the 100m, junior Agyei Williams won the 110 High Hurdles and the 300 Intermediate Hurdles, senior Steven Jenkins won the High Jump, and senior Kenny Minogue won the 800m.
Saint Xavier broke the overall State Record in the 800 meter relay with a time of 1:28.60. They also won the 400 meter relay and the 3200 relay. They went 1-2 in the 1600m with senior Thomas Davis winning in 4:18.74. Teammate junior Brian Long was three seconds back.
Senior Stephen Morton (Bryan Station) won the 200m in 22.42 and the Triple Jump 45-04.00, while finishing second in the 100m 11.22 and the Long Jump 21-11.25. He helped lead Bryan Station to a third place team finish.
The 3200m field was a notable group. Scott McClain (Saint Xavier) and Matt Smith (Oldham County) battled it out at the Eastern Relays, running a 9:19 each earlier this season. Brian Long ran a 9:23 at regionals and then there was two-time defending state Cross Country champion Michael Eaton (Greenwood) all at the top of the field. The race played out like expected with Eaton, Smith, and McClain all in the front pack. In the end, Eaton pulled away for his second 3200m title for his high school career. The interesting thing is that the top three are all going to be teammates next year at the University of Louisville.
The final race of the day was also the most exciting. Henderson County and Tates Creek battled it out in the 1600 meter relay. It looked like the anchor leg of Tates Creek was going to cross the line first, but Henderson County's anchor widened his stride to get the victory.
Overall it was a great day of running for all the classes; there are great things to come for Kentucky running.
Class AAA
If someone were to ask, "How a freshman athlete can garner the spotlight at the State Track Meet?" it is possible a reply could be "By winning four races." This possibility became reality last Saturday when Chelsea Brown (Butler) won the 100m, 200m, 300m Intermediate Hurdles, and the 400m. She scored 40 of Butler's 49 points to help lead them to a tie for third place at the Class AAA Girls State Meet. It was quite a performance; a bright future is in store for Brown. She had the fastest time in the state in all four events for the whole season.
The girl's team race turned out to be tight finish. The ladies of Eastern won the title by five points with the help of their fourth place finish in the 1600m relay and their winning of the 3200m relay with a 9:33.39. Eastern scored the most points in the 800m with Chani Clark winning the race and Sarah Turi coming in third. The 800m had the makings of a classic with favorites Clark and Katherine Alcorn (Conner) both running 2:15s this season. Clark won with a 2:15.20, but Alcorn did not perform as expected.