The final day of competition on Sunday at the Russell Blunt East Coast Invitational in Durham had some stellar performances by Virginian preps.
Taylor Sykes (pictured left by John Herzog) won the young men's 400 meter dash with one of his fastest times of the year in 47.45. The Eastern Region champion has posted his fastest two 400 times of the year after the state meet as he ran a lifetime best of 47.25 to earn All-American honors at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
His Great Bridge teammate Shakeela Saunders ran a stellar time for a high school freshmen in the 400 to drop two seconds from her prelim time for a personal best effort of 55.47 as a runner-up in the intermediate girls' division. Saunders also won the intermediate girls 100 meter dash in a 12.03 clocking after running sub 12 in the qualifying rounds.
Booker T. Washington's Champagne Bell placed third in the young women's 400 finals with a time slightly slower than Saunders' at 55.72. Keilah Tyson nearly eclipsed the state leading time in the 100 meter dash from earlier in the spring by Marlena Wesh with a swift 11.73 clocking for the rising junior and defending Group AAA indoor state 55 meter champion.
Cydney Robinson, a third place finisher in the 800 meter run at the AAA State Meet this past spring, ran her second fastest time of the year only to her state meet performance to take first in the young women's 800 meter dash with a time of 2:14.55.
Green Run's Edward Hurley had a successful meet in the 200 meter dash making the finals of the event in which he finished as a runner-up in a PR clocking of 21.51.