The Cambridge Track and Field team had 14 athletes from the 6A Region 7 meet move on to sectionals, to qualify for state, and all 14 athletes are moving on to the 6A state meet in Carrollton, May 10-12. The focus for the April 28 sectional meet was just to make the top 8 and secure the spot, and the athletes did just that.
As sectionals are just a one-day meet, there are no preliminary heats or flights. The meet started off with the 1600m race and the boys pole vault at 10:30am. Sophomore Ashley Sechrest led a pack of four girls all finishing within a second of each other to finish fifth in 5:18.54, and senior Lily Elston set a personal record time of 5:18.89, finishing in 7th. Junior Jack Filan then qualified with a time of 4:28 after a restart due to a fall by another runner in the first 100m. While these three distance runners were qualifying, junior Turner Mignerey cleared a height of 12'6" to qualify with a second place finish.
The Bears then went four for four in state qualifications for the pole vault, discus, and high jump. Michaela Prevallet ('20) cleared a personal record height of 10', and Cambridge season best, for 4th place. Senior Erin Greene finished in 5th with a clearance height of 9'6". In the discus, Harmoni Brown ('19) threw for a mark of 95'01", shy of her 97' throw the week before, but strong enough to qualify in 7th. Connor McDaniel ('19) secured his trip to state with a high jump that cleared 6' to tie his school record that he set at County earlier this season.
In the late afternoon, the races resumed with Michaela Prevallet earning her second state qualification in the 100mH. Her time of of 15.31s set a new school record, and gave her a second place finish. Taya Jackson ('19) then finished 0.36 seconds short of her record time in the 300mh, to finish in 4th place with a time of 46.63s. This will be Taya's second year going to state in the 300mH. In a very tight race, Delaney Goodell ('19) managed to hold on in the 800m for a 2:23 finish that landed her in 8th, with enough reserves to then run in the 4x400 less than 2 hours later.
The last hour of the day saw the most excitement with the two 3200m races, and the 4x400m relay Ashley Sechrest ('20) qualified easily in her second race of the day, finishing in 2nd in the 3200m with a time of 11:28, and senior Chloe Phelps set a personal record with her sixth place finish time of 11:51. Jack Filan ('19) qualified for his second race at state with a fourth place finish in 9:40.
The 4x400m relay had the whole stadium cheering, and the Lady Bear's relay team of Lexi Lay ('20), Kathryn Suplee ('21), Delaney Goodell ('19), and anchor Taya Jackson ('19) kept up with some of the fastest sprinters in the state to finish fourth in their heat, and 7th overall, to wrap up the meet and the day's qualifications.
Please wish all these athletes the best as they prepare for the GHSA State Championships May 10-12 at Carrollton HS. In summary, our qualifiers are:
Harmoni Brown ('19): Discus
Lily Elston ('18): 1600m
Jack Filan ('19): 1600m & 3200m
Julianna Finelli ('20): 4x400m relay team
Delaney Goodell ('19): 800m & 4x400m relay team
Erin Greene ('18): Pole Vault
Taya Jackson ('19): 300m hurdles & 4x400m relay team
Lexi Lay ('20): 4x400m relay team
Connor McDaniel ('19): High Jump
Turner Mignerey ('19): Pole Vault
Chloe Phelps ('18): 3200m
Michaela Prevallet ('20): Pole Vault & 100m hurdles
Ashley Sechrest ('20): 1600m & 3200m
Kathryn Suplee ('21): 4x400m relay team
Go Bears!
