HP Central girls sprint to 4-A finals

Tamara Clark (center), a High Point Central junior sprinter, swept the 100m and 200m dashes in 11.70 seconds and 23.99 seconds respectively. Clark was also a member of the Bison’s winning 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker
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The High Point Central girls’ track & field team posted eight first place finishes in 19 events to win the NCHSAA 4-A Midwest Track & Field Regional Saturday at Tarpley Stadium on the campus of Dudley High School. The Lady Bison will head to the 4-A state finals this Saturday, May 21 on the campus of N.C. A&T State University at 10 a.m.

High Point Central opened the Midwest Regional with a win in the 4x800m relay, the first event of the day. The team was comprised of Monzerad Cleary, Jamarra Haywood, Cajazzlyn Hairston and Ticola Gidderon. They finished with a winning time of 9:23.94.

Tamara Clark, a junior sprinter, had an outstanding afternoon. Clark won the 100m and 200m dashes in 11.70 and 23.99 seconds respectively. She also anchored the Bison’s winning 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. Teammate Kayla Nesbitt-McEwen, also a junior, captured the high jump clearing a height of 5-feet-08 inches and she won the triple jump with a leap of 38-feet-04 inches. McEwen was also a member of the Bison’s winning 4x100m relay which posted a time of 47.25 seconds.

Monzerad Creary, a sophomore distance runner, won the 800m run with a time of 2:15.74. Junior Qjanda Rowe finished third in the 300m hurdles with a time of 45.13 seconds.

The Ragsdale Tigers amassed 108 points to finish in second place. The Tigers were lead by Senior Chesney Ward winner of the pole vault (12-feet-06 inches). Ward finished second in the 100m dash with a time of 11.79 seconds and fourth in the 400m run with a time of 56.96 seconds. She was the leadoff leg in the Tigers’ 4x200m relay comprised of Corbin McLean, Kenedi Curtis and Lauren Williams which finished with a time of 1:38.87. Senior distance runner Sara Platek captured the 3,200m run with a time of 10.57 and finished second in the 1,600m run with a time of 4:59.59. Kaltlin McGoogan, a freshman discus thrower finished second with a throw of 109-feet-09 inches. Sophomore hurdler Corbin McLean also qualified for next week’s state meet in the 100m hurdles after finishing with a time of 14.60 seconds.

Dudley High School finished fifth in the overall standings with 54 points. The Panthers were led by senior Jazmine Gooden. Gooden captured the 100m in 14.29 seconds and 300m hurdles in 44.40 seconds. She also finished first in the long jump leaping 18-feet-4.75 inches and she was part of Dudley’s 4x200m relay team which finished second.

Grimsley High School placed eighth overall with 36 points paced by senior Sara Ramsey’s 1,600m run of 4:55.93. Ramsey had a second place photo-finish in the 800m run with a time of 2:15.83. Other local teams scoring were SE Guilford 35, SW Guilford 31, while Page and NW Guilford tied with three-points.

In the boys’ 4-A Regional, Durham Hillside finished with 89 points followed by West Forsyth and Mount Tabor with 56 and 55 points respectively. Area local teams: #5 HP Central 40, #6 NW Guilford 38, #7 Dudley and Ragsdale tied with 37.5 points; #9 SW Guilford 37, #13 Grimsley 20, #16 Page 17, #23 Smith 5 and #24 S.E Guilford 3 points. Local winners included HP Central junior Raymond Dow in the 300m hurdles with a time of 38.43 seconds. Dow also finished second in the 110m high hurdles. Northwest Guilford sprinter Daniel Estrada won the 100m dash in 10.72 seconds and claimed second in the 200m dash with a time of 21.79 seconds. Ragsdale’s Joseph Popek captured the pole vault with a height of 14-feet-06 inches while Southwest Guilford’s Nolan Patrick out-distanced the pack in the 800m with a time of 1:53.

The N.C. Track & Field Championships for all four classes will be held at Aggie Stadium on Friday, May 20 (1A & 3A), Saturday, May 21 (2A & 4A).