COLUMBIA – The Fort Mill girls track team won their second track state championship in program history by winning the 5A Division II state track championship.
Fort Mill girls scored 100 points beating out Nation Ford to secure the school’s 40th team state athletic championship as part of the state track meet on Thursday, May 15 at Harry Patrone Stadium on the campus of Spring Valley High School.
It is Jackets’ head coach Lee Whitaker’s third state title this school year after guiding both the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams to state championships back in the fall. Whitaker, in his first year as track coach for the Jackets, said he isn’t surprised they won a state title, but didn’t think it would happen in year one.
“Right out of the gate was a stretch,” he said. “I told our kids and our parents the blueprint to winning a state championship in track is the same as it is in cross-country. I am ecstatic it happened. I believed it was possible.”
The state title for Whitaker was his first in track and gives him five total to go with four cross country state titles (two boys’ titles, two girls’ titles). The five state titles puts him tied with former boys’ tennis coach Willie Ware with the most in school history.
“That is hard to believe,” Whitaker said. “It’s humbling. I’m proud of that because Fort Mill has such a legacy of state championships.”
The Lady Falcons finished second with 70 points. Catawba Ridge girls finished 20th with eight points.
Nation Ford girls got off to a good start with a second-place finish in 47.70 in the 4×100 relay to winner Woodmont.
Fort Mill girls won the 4×800 relay in 9:30 with Avery Moriarty, Kaylee Rovenstine, Ella Demmerle, and Alivia Cleveland winning. The Yellow Jackets boys’ team finished the same event in second place at 8:02, three seconds behind winner Eastside.
The Falcons got a state champion in the 100-meters with Gabriela Brailsford winning in 11.83. Fort Mill’s Mia Williams was second in 11.87. Brailsford said she is usually nervous before big events.
“I just try to take deep breaths,” she said. “I usually stay calm that way.”
Brailsford came back to win the 200-meters in the 24.30 setting a new school record in the process.
Fort Mill kept the good finishes going with Cleveland winning the 1,600-meters in 5:07 for her second state title in the meet. She added two more state championships to her resume between the mile and the 4×800. She ran in three events at the state meet. Cleveland also finished fourth in the 800-meters for the Jackets.
“It takes a toll on you,” she said. “I was just trying to get a good place for my team.”
Cleveland, a junior, has won nine state titles in her time at Fort Mill including six individual titles and three team titles.
Nation Ford’s Neale Johnson won the long jump in 7.7 meters, which is currently the best in the country. Johnson said he really loves the event.
“It is really fun,” he said. “I love the sportsmanship. It’s a lot of hard work.”
Johnson recovered to come back and win the 400-meter hurdles in 53.41 for second state title on the evening.
Fort Mill took three of the top four spots in the girls’ 3,200-meters with Rovenstine winning in 11:11.
“I was really nervous before the two mile because I was tired,” she said. “I knew I could do it. I just tried to stay calm.”
The Nation Ford boys won the 4×400 relay in 3:18 with Xyren Pickett, Chandler Hunter, Logan Thames and Johnson, who took his third state title of the evening.
The Nation Ford boys’ team placed third with 58 points. The Fort Mill boys finished fifth with 44 points and Catawba Ridge was tied for 10th with 32 points.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
