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The Westlake boys moved into the 2A classification last season and ran right through it, capturing team titles during both the indoor and outdoor track seasons. They are also the defending SMAC indoor champions and they have plenty of returning talent to bring home another title this season. The team is led by senior Will Moten who captured three individual championships last year (indoor 300, outdoor 100 and 200). Moten owns the top returning times in the conference in both the 55 and 300 meter dashes. He is joined by Thomas Alcorn (defending 2A outdoor 400 champion), Jay Hall (defending 2A indoor 3200 champion) and Tobias Hurley (best returning indoor triple jumper in the conference).
Sydney Williams and the Lackey girls accomplished the same exact feat last year - they moved from 3A to 2A and won both state titles as well as the 2016 SMAC indoor championships. Williams is not just the top returning 55-meter hurdler in the entire state, but also one of the better sprinters as she leads the conference returnees in the 55 and 300 meter dashes. Along with Lauryn Young (second returning triple jump and first returning high jump), Dominique Jeffery (second returning 300 and third returning 55) and Courtney Hawkins (top returning shot put) the Lackey girls are poised to make another run at sweeping the state titles.
One interesting race this year should be the boys 3200, where three runners established themselves as the head of the conference this fall. Calvert sophomore Justin Diehl won the SMAC Championships and recorded the top time by a SMAC runner at the state championships, but both Jay Hall and Northern's Charlie Sweeney crossed the line ahead of him at the NXR Southeast Regionals. Hall also has last year's indoor 3200 state title to his name and Sweeney owns the fastest outdoor personal best in the event (9:41.99). In contrast to last season when the Northern boys took three of the top four spots, this season's race should be more balanced and most likely faster.
Of course no discussion about the SMAC would be complete without mentioning Patuxent's Hayley Jackson, one of the top distance runners in the state (as shown by her qualifying for this year's Foot Locker Cross Country Championships). In fact Jackson owns the top returning times in the conference from the 500 to the 3200. Could she go for the title in all four races this year? She would face some pretty stiff competition from girls like Molly Barrick, Abby Sweeney, Annie Imhof and Rachel Nueslein. This year's class of girls distance runners is one of the best the SMAC has seen and the fact that Jackson is head and shoulders above the rest really shows just how dominant she is.
Important Meet Dates
December 9th - SMAC League Meet #1
December 14th - SMAC League Meet #2
January 7th - Southern Maryland Indoor Track Classic
January 13th - SMAC League Meet #3
January 28th - SMAC Indoor Track and Field Championships
Boys Top Returnees By Event
| TRACK | TIME (W) | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55m | 6.52 | 2017 | ||
| 300m | 35.42 | 2017 | ||
| 500m | 1:07.05 | 2017 | ||
| 800m | 2:01.74 | 2017 | ||
| 1600m | 4:37.66 | 2017 | ||
| 3200m | 9:57.69 | 2018 | ||
| 55mH | 7.87 | 2017 | ||
| FIELD | TIME (W) | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
| High Jump | 6-0 | 2017 | ||
| Long Jump | 21-9 | 2017 | ||
| Triple Jump | 41-7.5 | 2017 | ||
| Shot Put | 48-2 | 2017 |