By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENSBORO — Suzanne Lee, T.J. Slade and Michelle Bracey made their last moments as high school athletes memorable ones.
The three earned medals for their fourth-place finishes at the NCHSAA Class 1-A state track and field championships, coming on a brutally warm day on the Irwin Belk Track at North Carolina A&T.
Lee earned her medal after capturing fourth in the 300-meter hurdles. The Northside senior also placed fourth in the event at last year’s state meet.
Lee, who has hopes of competing for the East Carolina University track team, also competed in the high jump and 100-meter hurdle events. She cleared 4-10 in the high jump and finished in the top 12. Lee didn’t make it to the finals of the 100-meter hurdle event, as the Panther senior was frantically trying to balance all of her events.
Slade, a Northside senior sporting a mohawk-type haircut for the day, captured fourth in the triple jump event with a leap of 43 feet, 4.25 inches. He also participated in the high jump event, finishing in a tie for seventh after clearing 6 feet.
Bracey, a Williamston senior who will play volleyball at Pitt Community College next year, took fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. She finished in 16.54 seconds.
Like Lee, Bracey was a busy athlete on Friday. The Tiger senior also placed fifth in the long jump with a leap of 16-8.25 feet and tied for seventh in the triple jump by going 32-11 feet.
Roanoke’s Genae Roberson joined Bracey in scoring points in the long jump as she placed eighth with a jump of 16-0.25 feet.
Bracey’s teammate, Lashonya Bazemore, also competed in the triple jump.
Northside’s Raquel Wilson just missed out on a medal, but she did earn a certificate and team points for finishing fifth in the shot put event. Wilson had a throw of 31-6.5 feet.
Another area athlete also scored in the event. Mattamuskeet’s Shayanne Wright placed seventh with a throw of 31-3.25.
Northside senior Ben Hopkins capped off an emotional season by placing ninth in the shot put event on Friday with a shove of 45-4. Less than a week earlier, Hopkins helped bury his stepbrother, U.S. Marine Johnathan Kirk.
Northside’s Warren Hamilton took 13th in the 1,600 meter run.
Panther Chad Davenport and Seahawk Brandon Cratch participated in the 800-meter run. Neither runner finished in the top eight. Former Southside standout Jordan Knox, the son of Southside athletic director Larry Knox, took third in the event in 2:01.97. Knox is now running at NC Science &Math.
Williamston’s Lynn Davis placed seventh in the discus with a throw of 84-5 feet. Northside’s Charley Taylor also competed in the discus event on the girls side, while Northside’s Korey Booth did so on the boys side.
Northside’s girls 3,200-meter relay team placed 11th, while the Panther boys 3,200-meter relay team finished 14th. The Northside girls also competed in the 1,600-meter relay.
Southside’s Tuijunia Keech didn’t make it to the finals of the 400-meter dash.
Southside’s Bryon Jordan and Northside’s Clay Leary took part in the 300-meter hurdles, with neither advancing to the finals.
Northside’s Wesley Andujar and Rick Harris both ran in the preliminaries of the 110-meter hurdles, but failed to qualify for the finals.
Williamston’s Alonza Ransom took part in the shot put event.
Northside’s Ashley Clayton missed the call for the 300-meter hurdle preliminaries and was unable to race.
N.C. School for Science &Math won the team event in the boys competition, followed by a tie for second between Pamlico and Jordan Mathews. Northside finished in 28th.
Topsail easily won the girls event, followed by Princeton and Swain County. Williamston was 25th, Northside 28th and Roanoke 33rd.