County athletes place high at state
By Staff
Kim West
Franklin County Times
Franklin County posted a strong showing during Saturday's final heats of the state track meets as two local teams recorded Top 10 finishes and one athlete brought home the gold in three individual events.
At the Class 1A-3A meet in Troy, the Vina girls finished third with 55 points to state powerhouses Cedar Bluff (182) and Hazlewood (78), while Belgreen came in sixth with 42 points.
Vina freshman Emily Davidson swept the 800, 1600 and 3200-meter run events to become the first athlete in school history to win three state championships, while teammate Claudia Townsend a second-place finish (31-6.0) in the triple jump to Hazlewood's Jasmine Patton (37-8.50).
The Lady Red Devils' 4×800 relay team placed second with a time of 12:01.31. The Lady Bulldogs earned a third-place finish (12:10.23) in the same event, and they finished fifth in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
Hazlewood's Alexandria Gholston, who joined Patton and Davidson as three-time state champions, barely edged Belgreen freshman Katelin Barber (12.58) in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.49, while the Lady Bulldogs' Katy Britton had a final throw of 87.0 to place third in the javelin, which Cedar Bluff's Leigha Blake won with a 102-10.0.
Vina's Nash Creekmore (triple jump, 40-04.50) and Belgreen's Alex Graham (javelin throw, 133-08) each earned fourth place honors at the Class 1A boys meet.
In 2A girls action, Red Bay senior Kellie Sella finished third in both the 100 and 300-meter hurdles events behind White Plains' Tasha Sturkie.
in 2A boys, the Red Bay 4×100 relay team placed third with a time of 45.20, while junior Cody Tucker was third in the 100-meter dash behind Luverne's Payton McGhee (10.86).
In the Class 5A boys meet in Gulf Shores, Russellville's Micah McCulloch, a 5-10 junior, had three Top 10 finishes, including the high jump (eighth place, 5-10.0), long jump (third place, 21-06.0) and triple jump (third place, 44-07.50).
Kim West is sports editor for The Franklin County Times. She can be reached at kim.west@fct.wpengine.com or (256) 332-1881, ext. 30.
