Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Albemarle High School hosted the Yadkin Valley Conference women’s and men’s track meet this past Thursday.

The Bulldogs claimed the men’s YVC title and nearly swept the meet, coming up four points short of Union Academy for the women’s crown.

Albemarle finished the men’s side of the event with 116 team points, beating Mount Pleasant for the title by 16 points. Robinson was third with 96 points followed by Union Academy (71), South Stanly (70), North Stanly (68) and Gray Stone Day (53).

Ali Currie, who set the county mark this season in the triple jump, earned Male Athlete of the Year honors after finishing first in the long jump, triple jump and high jump.

Head coach Bernard Henry credited CJ Ellis, Miles Gregory, Isaiah Jones, Ja’Zyion Geiger, Vincent Gregory, Isaiah Medley, Reyli Alvarez, and Nyzir Garner having their best times in their individual events which led to the men’s championship. He also credited the relay squads for the Bulldogs.

On the women’s side, the Bulldogs finished with 122 points, four behind Union Academy for first place. Gray Stone was third with 100 points followed by Robinson (95), North Stanly (67) and Mount Pleasant (45).

Amari Baldwin was named the YVC Female Athlete of the Year after finishing first in four different events: the 100 and 200-meter runs, the long jump and triple jump.

“They have done a great job getting themselves ready for the challenge of the conference meet. We are so young this year; this coaching staff, along with parents, school staff and volunteers are really helpful getting us to get these young athletes fired up for the challenge,” Henry said.

In his fifth season as the men’s and women’s head track coach for Albemarle, Henry said he had to change his coaching strategy with the young team.

“The first thing I’ve done was to stop saying ‘I’ turned into ‘we’ because it takes that to be a team. It took ‘we’ to become conference champions. I couldn’t coach all the events we practice, but we could.”

Henry credited his coaching staff, Brandon Bowden, Samantha Malinda, ZaSheyna Nicholson and Brandon Wilson along with volunteers Brenda Watson and Preston Gregory for the support on and off the track.

The slogan this year for Albemarle, Henry said, was “#THEYRUNFASTBUTWERUNFASTER”.

The 1A Midwest Regional, the next stop for the Bulldogs, will be May 13.

Below are the athletes from Stanly schools who finished in the top three in the various events.

Women’s 4×800 Meter Relay
3) North Stanly – Maci Holshouser, Carlee Hinson, Josie Talbert and Karlie Story; 14:02.91.
Men’s 4×800 Meter Relay
3) Gray Stone Day – Ashton Riedel, Jobey Swaringen, Will Rummage, Quentin Hippert; 9:26.68.
Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles
3) Anaston Trexler (Gray Stone) 19.31.
Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles
2) Slay Jackson (Alb.) 18.20.
3) Jaxon Johnson (NS) 19.19.
Women’s 100 Meter Dash
1) Amari Baldwin (Alb.) 12.81.
Men’s 100 Meter Dash
2) Dre Davis (Alb.) 11.32.
3) Jaylen Pinkney (Alb.) 11.39.
Women’s 4×200 Meter Rela
2) Albemarle – Isia Sturdivant, Aryjha Baldwin, Tamiyah Sellers, Diamond Smith; 2:02.84.
3) North Stanly – Fatima Clark, Olivia Coble, Tai Johnson, Lillian Smith; 2:10.28.
Men’s 4×200 Meter Relay
1) Albemarle – Jaylen Pinkney, Slay Jackson, CJ Ellis, Dre Davis; 1:33.96.
3) South Stanly – 1:36.65.
Women’s 1,600 Meter Run
1) Emberleigh Pauley-Brown (Gray Stone) 5:51.36.
2) Anaston Trexler (Gray Stone) 6:23.39.
3) Anna Lynn Carter (Gray Stone) 6:27.16.
Men’s 1,600 Meter Run
1) Joshawa Huneycutt (South Stanly) 4:37.66
Women’s 4×100 Meter Relay
3) Albemarle – Isia Sturdivant, Diamond Smith, Tamiyah Sellers, Aryjha Baldwin; 55.97.
Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay
2) North Stanly – Bryant Harris, Doug Smith, Kyree Dykes, Cameron Smith; 44.93.
3) Albemarle – Dre Davis, Malik Watkins, CJ Ellis, Jaylen Pinkney; 46.19.
Women’s 400 Meter Run
1) Abigail Clayton (Albemarle) 1:03.89.
3) Mary Grace Krol (Alb.) 1:04.59.
Men’s 400 Meter Run
2) Andy McLeod (Gray Stone) 54.00
Women’s 300 Meter Hurdles
2) Aryjha Baldwin (Alb.) 55.52
3) Anaston Trexler (GSD) 56.09.
Men’s 300 Meter Hurdles
2) Slay Jackson (Alb.) 43.86.
3) CJ Ellis (Alb.) 45.33.
Women’s 200 Meter Dash
1) Amari Baldwin (Alb.) 26.20
Men’s 200 Meter Dash
1) Camerson Smith (NS) 23.04
2) Dre Davis (Alb.); 23.36.
Women’s 3,200 Meter Run
1) Emberleigh Pauley-Brown (GS) 13:06.31.
Men’s 3,200 Meter Run
1) Joshawa Huneycutt (SS) 11:26.50.
3) Connor Curlee (SS) 12:17.35.
Women’s 4×400 Meter Relay
2) North Stanly – Shalyn Bell, Gia Dunalp, Lexi Goode, Lydia Quesenberry; 4:50.40.
Men’s 4×400 Meter Relay
1) Gray Stone – Jobey Swaringen, Andy McLeod, Will Rummage, Quentin Hippert; 3:47.37.
3) Albemarle – Vincent Gregory, CJ Ellis, Nyzir Garner, Isaiah Medley; 3:51.84.
Women’s Long Jump
1) Amari Baldwin (Alb.) 15 feet.
2) Mary Grace Krol (Alb.)
3) Shalyn Bell (NS)
Men’s Long Jump
1) Ali Currie (Alb.) 21′ 1″
2) Bryant Harris (Alb.) 19′ 1″
Women’s Triple Jump
1) Amari Baldwin (Alb.) 34′ 5.5″
Men’s Triple Jump
1) Ali Currie (Alb.) 43′ 2″.
2) Andy McLeod (GS) 39′ 2.5″
3) Camden Lilly (SS) 38′ 2″.
Women’s Discus Throw
2) Mallory Hill (GS) 77′ 10″.
Women’s Shot Put
1) Paris Bennett (NS) 32′ 1.25″.
2) Autumn Misenheimer (GS) 30′ 1.75″.
3) Ella Huneycutt (GS) 30′ 1.5″.
Men’s Shot Put
3) DJ Watkins (NS) 39′ 8.25″.
Women’s High Jump
2) Shalyn Bell (NS) 4’6″
Men’s High Jump
1) Ali Currie (Alb.) 6’2″.
3) Doug Smith (NS) 5’6″.