Girls Recap
If the Chapel Hill girls team showed us anything last night, it'd be that they can get it done in the distance events. Though the Lady Tigers only had one individual state champion (Anna Passannante in the 1000m), they successfully claimed the 3A indoor state title thanks to immense depth in each of the distance events; they were able to put two scorers in the 1000m and three scorers in both the 1600m and 3200m Runs. Adding additional support to the Chapel Hill score card were Quaniece Fish in the triple jump and quick times run by the team's 4x800m and 4x400m relay squads.
Following the Lady Tigers of Chapel Hill by just two points were the Mavericks of Marvin Ridge. Like Chapel Hill, the Mavericks also demonstrated great strength in the distance events; Marvin Ridge takes claim to the girl who was the 1600m champ and the runner-up in the 3200m, Miss Lexi King. Lexi was accompanied by Kylie Hennessey in both of these events. Add this to their scoring relay squads (which includes the 4x800m state champion) and their two girls who scored in the 500m Dash (Jorja Medders and Katie Ropers) and you've got a team that can handle their laps around the track.
Coming into the meet there were no clear favorites for the girls MVP...That certainly did not stop Mackenzie Whitaker of West Carteret from showing up and showing out! This year's 3A Indoor MVP earned her way to the podium by jumping far and running fast; Mackenzie claimed two individual state titles (Long Jump and 500m Dash), a runner-up spot in the triple jump, and anchored her team to a 5th place finish in the 4x400m Relay.
Boys Recap
In continuation of their 3A domination from the 2015 cross country season, the Weddington boys have secured another state title for their school's trophy case. Having a stellar distance crew certainly didn't hurt the team's overall performance last evening; with the runner-up 4x800m Relay squad, the first and third place finishers in the 1600m Run, the 1000m Run champion, and the second and fourth place finishers in the 3200m Run, the Warriors didn't have a shortage of great times on the track. The distance crew of Mitchell Resor (two individual titles and the meet MVP), Matthew Conner, Alex Hazan, and Colton Jordan scored a grand total of 49 points out of the team's 58 points overall.
Following Weddington by seven points were the West Rowan Falcons, this year's 3A Indoor State Runner-Up. Whereas all the other top teams from yesterday's State Meet were led strongly by distance runners, West Rowan's boys were held up by their strong performances in the sprinting and jumping events. The Falcon's proudly take claim to the 500m and 300m Dash State Champion, Jaylon Sanders. Sanders also ran very well in the 55m Dash prelims, but not even a time that is seeded second can protect you from a false start. Thankfully, though, Javon Quarles was able to bring home some points in the 55m Dash finals. Also supporting the team's overall finish was the runner-up finish of Juwan Houston in the 55m Hurdles. The Falcon sprinters also demonstrated excellence in the 4x200m and 4x400m Relays, finishing in third and second, respectively.
The 2016 Indoor MVP came from a guy who secured two individual state titles (one in the 1600m and the other in the 1000m) and anchored his 4x800m squad to a second-place finish. Mitchell Resor is this year's 3A Indoor MVP. He's been a consistent stand-out this season, so it was no surprise to see him standing atop the podium several times last night.
