Albemarle men, North Stanly women claim YVC track titles
Published 6:11 pm Wednesday, May 8, 2019
North Stanly women’s track team won the school’s first womens conference track title since 1998. From left, front row: Mary Beth Bowers, Emily Almond, Mallory Russell, Alex Childress, Taegan Lowder, Skylar Medlin, Lexi Goode and Colbie Lentz; back row: Virginia Mullins, Hailey Myers, Brinn Kimrey, Nicole Lowder, Carlee Dixon, Kelly Smith and Coach Teresa Davis. (Contributed)
The 2019 Albemarle men’s track team. From left, front row: Antonio Burns, Zachary Bryan, Da'Sean Horne, Joseph Megson, Anthony Chambers, Joseph Smith, Jaquavius Simon, Christian Poplin and assistant coach Timothy Ridenhour; back row: Jaliq McRae, Isaiah Smith, William Ervin, Eli McCall, Malchi Baldwin, Julius Smith, DJ Polk and Naki Tyson. (Contributed)
On Friday, South Davidson hosted the 2019 Yadkin Valley Conference track championships. Albemarle and North Stanly earned the team championships, respectively.
Men’s Results
For the second straight season, Albemarle won the men’s team championship in the YVC scoring 186 points as a team.
The 2019 Albemarle men’s track team. From left, front row: Antonio Burns, Zachary Bryan, Da’Sean Horne, Joseph Megson, Anthony Chambers, Joseph Smith, Jaquavius Simon, Christian Poplin and assistant coach Timothy Ridenhour; back row: Jaliq McRae, Isaiah Smith, William Ervin, Eli McCall, Malchi Baldwin, Julius Smith, DJ Polk and Naki Tyson. (Contributed)
The Bulldogs topped host South Davidson (125) for the title. North Stanly placed third with 114.5 points followed by South Stanly (75), Gray Stone (54), North Moore (32.5), North Rowan (26) and West Montgomery (23).
Albemarle got top finishes from junior Josh Smith placing first in the 300-meter hurdles (43.29 seconds), the long jump (20-feet, 3-inches). He also was on the first-place 4×400 meter relay team with his brother Julius Smith, Da’Sean Horne and Jaquavius Simon.
Julius Smith also took first in the 100-meter dash in 11.08 seconds while also finishing first in the 200-meter in 21.94.
Other top finishers for Albemarle included the 4×200 meter team of Horne, Simon, Josh Megson and Malachai Baldwin. Antonio Burns also took first in the triple jump with a distance of 43’5”.
Albemarle also swept the top three finishes in the 200-meter dash with Burns in second and Horne placing third.
In top finishes for other Stanly athletes, South’s Jitavius Huntley took first in the shotput with a distance of 49’4” and the discus (141’10”).
North Stanly’s 4×100 relay team of Wes Reynolds, Bailey Baker, Tanner Lowder and Chamar Watkins took first in 46.82 seconds.
Women’s Results
For the first time since the 1992 season, the Comets claimed a women’s conference track title.
North Stanly scored 182 team points to take the title over Albemarle (109). Gray Stone finished third with 95 points followed by North Moore (82), South Stanly (72), South Davidson (32), West Montgomery (22) and North Rowan (18).
North Stanly won the school’s first women’s conference track title since 1998. From left, front row: Mary Beth Bowers, Emily Almond, Mallory Russell, Alex Childress, Taegan Lowder, Skylar Medlin, Lexi Goode and Colbie Lentz; back row: Virginia Mullins, Hailey Myers, Brinn Kimrey, Nicole Lowder, Carlee Dixon, Kelly Smith and Coach Teresa Davis. (Contributed)
Nicole Lowder took first for North in the long jump with a distance of 14’9” winning by one inch over Albemarle’s Zycoria Tillman. Lowder won the triple jump with a 32’11” effort.
The Comets 4×800 relay team of Lexi Goode, Kelly Smith, Skylar Medline and Alex Childress took first with a 12:35.85.
Childress took first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:46.96.
North also won the 4×200 relay with Colbie Lentz, Brinn Kimrey, Emily Almond and Taegan Lowder finishing in 1:52.64.
Lowder took first in the 400-meter relay in 1:01.92. North took the top three finishes in the 400-meter race with Lentz second and Almond third.
In the 100-meter hurdles, Mallory Russell finished first in 17.25 seconds.
The Comets also took first in the 4×400 relay with Lentz, Childress, Almond and Lowder finishing in 4:34.65.
Other top finishers from Stanly included Albemarle’s Somajhe Porter who took first in the 100-meter dash in 13.11 seconds besting teammate Armani Baldwin by .01 seconds. Porter won the 300-meter hurdles in 49.05 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 26.48.
Albemarle also won the 4×100 meter relay as Baldwin, Tillman, Porter and Armanie Sellers finished in 53.96.
About Charles Curcio
Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.
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