NCHSAA 1A track results: Swain County girls repeat as state champions

Saturday’s NCHSAA 1A state meet ended the same way it began for the Swain County girls track and field team: On top of the podium.

The Maroon Devils’ 4x800 team won the first event of the meet by 27 seconds. The result was indicative of what was to come, as Swain won with 80 points, outdoing North Rowan’s 77.

“Our girls had to go out there and have some huge performances,” head coach Ian Roper said. “I’m proud of the effort, they went out and they ran their races, they ran within themselves and did what they needed to do to get the job done.”

Heading into the final event of the meet, the 4x400 relay, Swain needed a top-three finish to clinch the title, and they took second to defend the championship they won in 2021.

“I just didn’t want to fail for my team,” said Isabella Walker, the third leg of Swain’s title clinching relay. “I just wanted to be there for them.”

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Between those relay successes, Swain County athletes racked up plenty of points and individual honors. Freshman Arizona Blankenship placed in every individual distance event, finishing second in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter races and leading-off the state champion 4x800.

“It’s been a great freshman year, topped off with five rings and I’m just hoping for more to come,” she said. “I had a great team to start with… I’m ready for these next three years.”

Amaya Hicks and Gracie Monteith also scored for the Maroon Devils in distance events, finishing fourth in the 800 and 3,200, respectively, Amelia Rogers and Alden Thomas taking the top two spots in the pole vault.

“We compete, that’s all it comes down to,” said Hicks, when asked about the distance runners’ contributions. “We know our splits that we need to meet, and we know that if you don’t meet that you’re letting down the team. So it’s either that or nothing.”

Matthew Gray breaks pole vault record

Swain County junior Matthew Gray broke the 1A pole vault state record with a clearance of 15 feet, 2 inches. Click here for a full story about Gray's "terrifying" state championship experience 

Dominant double

Robbinsville’s Brock Adams swept the boys hurdles events on Saturday, winning the 1A 110- and 300-meter races. The junior, who also won the state 110 hurdles in 2021, didn’t lose a single time in either event this year.

“I didn’t put much focus on ‘Oh, I’m No. 1,’” Adams said. “Just really focused on the little things that would improve my time a little bit, and it finally paid off luckily.”

Adams also finished third in the high jump, clearing 6-foot-2.

Different event, same success

Asheville senior and UNC commit Gracie Bolick’s future is in the hammer throw, but she finished third in the 4A girls shot put on Saturday. Her chosen event isn’t offered in most high school competition, but she continued to throw shot put for the Cougars throughout the season.

“Just came into this meet just trying to have fun, just one last time, seeing what happens,” Bolick said.

Despite entering the meet as the seventh seed, Bolick earned all-state honors with a 37-11.5 throw.

“My body knows what it’s doing at this point, I’ve been throwing shot put since middle school,” she said. “Everything in my heart that I had, I love the sport. So just everything that I had at this point.”

Shelton's debut

After finishing fifth in regionals last year in both the shot put and discus — barely missing out on the state meet in both competitions — Mountain Heritage’s Jesse Shelton reached all-state distances in both events this year.

Shelton won the state title in the shot put by nearly three feet, throwing 52-6, and finished second in discus (154-4).

“I picked up my practice reps, picked up some of the weights, I hit the weight room a lot more." Shelton said. "I just got stronger."

The junior will be a favorite to win state championships in both events next year.

WNC 1A Podium Finishes

Here are other athletes from Western N.C. schools that finished in the top four in their events:

Andrews: Isaac Weaver, 4th, long jump; Kaylin Ellis, 3rd, 100 hurdles

Avery County: Boys 4x400 relay, 4th; Lillie Ward, 4th, 300 hurdles

Cherokee: Jaylen Bark, 3rd, 1,600

Elkin: Aniay Edwards, 3rd, 100 and 2nd, 400; Girls 4x400 relay, 1st

Hayesville: Jake McTaggart, 3rd, discus; Emma Shook, 4th, 100 hurdles and 3rd, 300 hurdles; Lily Trout, 3rd, discus

Mountain Heritage: Colby Capps, 3rd, pole vault

Murphy: Juan Allen, 3rd, 110 hurdles; Hunter Laney, 4th, high jump

Robbinsville: Girls 4x200 relay, 3rd; Zoie Shuler, 1st, long jump and 1st, triple jump

Swain County: Connor Brown, 4th, 1,600; Boys 4x800 relay, 3rd

Reporter James Crabtree-Hannigan contributed reporting to this story. 

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NCHSAA track and field: Swain County girls repeat as 1A champions