T&F: 4 Lady Bears headed to State Meet
Track & Field Championships in two events after winning the 100-
meter dash with a 12.80 and being part of the Lady Bear 4x100
meter relay. (Photo by John Krueger)
Four Timpson Lady Bears survived the heat and the stiff competition at their regional competition this week and will be headed to Austin on May 14-15 for the State Track & Field Championships.
Here is a rundown of how Shelby County female athletes fared in their respective Region III championship meets:
Class 1A Region III Meet
Shelby County had a slew of athletes from Timpson, Tenaha and Joaquin at the Class 1A Region III Track & Field Championships in Palestine on Monday and Tuesday. By the time the final athlete had crossed the finish line, four Lady Bears had qualified for the State Track Meet in Austin next week.
Lindsey won the overall girls' title with 77 points, followed by Era with 73. Dallas Gateway and Hawkins both scored 52 points to tie for third. Timpson finished eighth overall.
Lady Bear Jakelia Caraway will be competing in two events at the State Track & Field Championships after capturing the 100-meter dash at the Region III Championships. She posted a time of 12.87 in the preliminaries on Monday, and then bettered that time with a 12.80 in the finals to take the top honor.
Tenaha's Courtney Edwards placed 8th in the event with a 13.62. She actually posted a better time of 13.20 in the prelims. Lady Bear Tan Eaden did not qualify for the finals in the event, but still finished 10th overall with a time of 13.24 in the preliminaries.
The Timpson girls' 4x100 relay sprinted to a second-place finish in the event to make it to Austin. The foursome of LaToya Cartwright, Shanee Adams, Caraway and Eaden posted a time of 50.96 in the preliminaries and then had a 51.15 in the finals. Dallas Gateway won the event with a time of 49.62.
Tenaha's 4x100 relay foursome of Tia Thomas, Okievia Bratchett, Whitney Jackson and Courtney Edwards placed 9th overall with a time of 52.66, but did not make the finals.
In other girls results at the Class 1A Region III Meet involving Shelby County competitors:
Joaquin's Whitney Vaughn ran a 2:38.15 in the preliminaries in the 800-meter run and then posted a 2:40.99 in the finals to take the 8th spot. Megan Caillier of Lindsay won the event with a time of 2:24.00.
Tenaha's Amber Evans ran an 18.60 in the preliminaries of the 100-meter hurdles. She did not qualify for the finals, but finished with 10th place overall. Olivia Worsham of Joaquin also didn't make the finals, but came in 12th overall. Amber Elkins of Gordon won the event with a time of 14.36.
In the 4x200-meter relay, the Tenaha Lady Tiger foursome of Thomas, Bratchett, Jackson and Edwards finished 12th with a 1:55.10. They did not qualify for the finals. Dallas Gateway took top honors with a 1:46.93.
Lady Ram Michaila Duncan ran 8th in the 400-meter dash. She posted a 1:05.90 in the preliminaries and then had a 1:07.41 in the finals. Sydney Wright of Morgan won the event with a 1:00.07.
A pair of Shelby County girls competed in the 300-meter hurdles, but neither made the finals. Olivia Worsham of Joaquin posted a 54.40 to take 11th place, while Leeann Gustin of Timpson had a 59.62 and placed 15th. Lexus Williams of Irving University had a 47.28 to win the event.
Two Lady Bears challenged in the 200-meter dash. Jakelia Caraway ran a 27.82 in the prelims and advanced to the finals, where she finished in 27.14 to place 5th overall. LaToya Cartwright ran a 28.58 in the preliminaries to finish 13th. Ashleigh Simmons of Hawkins was first with a 25.10.
Kirsten Kimzey of Timpson ran 14th in the 1600-meter run, finishing the event in 6:27.76. Kelsey Hermes of Lindsey won the race with a time of 5:26.63.
Joaquin's 4x400-meter relay foursome of Michaila Duncan, Erin Stone, Whitney Vaughn and Olivia Worsham posted a time of 4:32.22 in the prelims, which gave them a 10th place overall. The Timpson relay team did not place in the event.
In the girls' field events, Timpson's Katy Yarbrough placed 14th in the discus with a throw of 82'3". Ashley Ross of Milford won the event with a 123'1".
Timpson's Eaden leaped 15'6" in the long jump, which was good enough for 13th. Jacy Steelman of Era was first with an 18'10".
Lady Tiger Okievia Bratchett took 13th in the triple jump with a distance of 30'10". Ashleigh Simmons of Hawkins captured top honors with a 37'4.25".
Class 2A & 3A Region III Regional Meets
No competitors from the Center Lady Riders and Shelbyville Lady Dragons advanced to the finals at their respective Regional meets.