By By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
GREENSBORO — A pair of Southside athletes picked up medals at Saturday’s North Carolina High School Athletic Association Group 1-A Track &Field Championships.
Senior Byron Jordan posted his two best times of the season in the 300-meter hurdles to earn the silver medal. In the prelims Jordan blazed to a career-best time of 39.93 seconds, and followed that up with time of 40.07 in the finals. He was edged out by Princeton’s T.J. Wilson who posted a time of 38.86 seconds to win gold.
Seahawks’ senior Mary Baker also wrapped up her track &field career with a bronze medal in the discus, after a throw of 107-feet, 4-inches. She was edged out by Judith Dillashaw (117-feet, 9-inches) of Avery and Michaela Phillips (109-feet, 9-inches) of South Stokes.
Jordan also was in position to medal in the 110-meter hurdle, but stumbled over the last hurdle and fell, but still wound up sixth. Baker also earned another top-six finish in the shot put, as she took sixth with a toss of 31-feet, 4-inches.
Northside’s girls team also had a terrific meet Saturday.
The Lady Panthers had three individuals earn top-10 finishes and a relay team in the top-eight.
Junior Ashley Clayton led the Panthers’ charge as she put up a time of 49.69 seconds to place fifth in the 300-meter hurdles.
Sophomore Alicia Brewer also had a nice showing as she tossed the shot put 31-feet, 3-inches to place seventh.
The Panthers also picked up another seventh place finish in the 4×400-meter relay as Bowen, Clayton, Kayla Cerny and Iva Winstead put together their best performance of the year to
Two other impressive performances came from Katie Bowen who shaved seven seconds off her personal best in the 800-meter run to place ninth, and Orianna Phillips who set a new personal best in the high jump by leaping 4-feet, 6-inches.
Meanwhile, Williamston finished with tooktop-10 finishes. Lynn Davis took seventh in the discus (94-feet, 3-inches) and ninth in the shot put (31-feet), while Lashonya Bazemore placed 10th in the triple jump after leaping 31-feet, 11-inches. Jamie Spruill had two top-10’s as well as she ran a career-best time of 49.62 seconds to place ninth in the 300-meter hurdles and was 10th in the long jump with a hop of career-best jump of 15-feet, 2-inches.
Southside’s boys’ team finished 22nd in the state, while their girls’ team wound up 26th. The Northside girls placed 29th. Hendersonville took home the boys’ crown, while Winston-Salem Prep was crowned girls’ champion.