Cowboys finish high at track championship

Jun. 29—GREENSBORO — Southwest Guilford was in the mix all championship.

The Cowboys were in the top 10 of all seven events in which they competed — including six podium finishes — during Saturday's 3A track and field state championship at N.C. A&T State University.

The boys totaled 30 points, finishing eighth as a team.

"I think they did pretty well," Southwest coach Desiree Wright said. "We had a pretty hot, fast regional meet last week. So, it took a lot out of them. But overall I think they did pretty well.

"I'd like to see a little bit more development over time because they're pretty young. So, we're looking forward to the season moving along. But, with everything happening, I think they did great with this quick of a turnaround."

Christian Parker had the best finish of the evening, taking second in the 400 meters in 48.71. William Sapp was also third in the 200m in 21.72 and fourth in the 100m in 11.00.

In the boys 800m, Jamel Brown took fourth in 1:55.60, while Cameron Stamp was 10th in 2:00.26. Stamp, Aman Tsegay, Brown and Parker teamed up to finish third in the 4x400 relay in 3:25.28.

"It was pretty good, but I know I could've done better," Parker said. "In the 400, I hit my mark but I didn't do the exact thing that I wanted. In the relay, we've actually run a 3:19.08 (Cuthbertson won with a 3:19.40). One of our legs got injured, so we had to adjust.

"This is my first state meet. I would've run last year, but it got canceled. It was amazing. If I had to rate it one through 10, I'd have to give it a 9.5. It was a good experience. I've done AAU track, but it was nothing like this."

Sady Moody, Southwest's lone competitor on the girls side, was fourth in the discus with a mark of 121-04.

The upside is that Sapp and Stamp — both seniors — finished with strong results while Moody, a sophomore; Parker, a sophomore; and Brown, a freshman, set high marks to build upon in the years to come.

"It's going to be huge," Wright said. "With them being nationally ranked in their classes, it's going to be a good season. And we're working closer with football, so we're going to have throwers and jumpers, lots of hurdlers — different events I wasn't able to have this year.

"So we should be able to produce substantially next year. I'm looking forward to it next year — both indoor and outdoor."

Cuthbertson swept both team titles — totaling 90.50 for the girls championship, ahead of Weddington with 71, and 80 points for the boys championship, also topping Weddington with 70.

mlindsay@hpenews.com — 336-888-3526 — @HPEmichael

mlindsay@hpenews.com — 336-888-3526 — @HPEmichael