Mountain Ridge Girls, Smithsburg Boys End Year At The Top

The team race in Maryland's smallest classification last month was easily one of the most exciting, with Mountain Ridge and Brunswick ending the weekend separated by just three points.

In the end, it was Mountain Ridge who came out on top, and their depth and consistent ability to score were what stood out among the rest of 1A.

On the track, Carolyn Hughes finished third in both the 100mH (15.45) and 300mH (46.33), and also helped the Miners finish third and eighth in the 4x400m (4:09.17) and 4x200m (1:49.16).

Across the four distance events of the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and 4x800m, Mountain Ridge earned 42 points from a strong group.

Sophia Brill led the way with a state title in the 1600m (5:08.78) and added a fourth-place finish in the 800m (2:21.53), while Aynsley Hawkins placed eighth, third, and second in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m.

Not only that, but the distance squad won the 4x800m state title in 9:49.75, winning by six seconds.

Caroline Orndorff notched a third-place finish in the long jump (16-0), as Mountain Ridge totaled 17 scoring performances across the board, which included a pair of state titles.

The closest competitor to Mountain Ridge truly gave its all, as Brunswick finished with 71.5 points to the Miners' 74.5.

Similar to the state champions, Brunswick tallied their points across a variety of events, but their top-three performances in the 4x100m (50.42) and 4x200m (1:46.32) and state championship in the 4x400m (4:04.20) really helped elevate them above the rest of the field.

Senior Sergia Nyambi played an integral role in the team's podium finish, placing second in the 300mH (45.48) and in the high jump (5-2), as well as running a leg in all three of the scoring relays.

Faith Doue and Morgan Bilbrey were the lone sprinters for the Railroaders, putting up 21 points across the 100m, 200m, and 400m, in which they finished third and fourth, respectively.

Patterson Mill, who finished nine points ahead of the fourth-place team, had a strong weekend on the track, led by Leila Sollas, who finished runner-up in the 400m (57.76) and won the 800m (2:14.87).

The trio of Hannahbelle Wang, Abigail Horsmon, and Emma Lyman finished 4-5-6 in the 3200m, all running sub-12:30 to combine for 12 points.

Senior Jordyn Robinson also ended her career with a runner-up finish in the long jump, jumping 16-4.5.

Dylan Herbst, Smithsburg Lift Maryland 1A Trophy

Unlike the team race on the girls' side, Smithsburg didn't have to worry too much en route to their state title.

Dylan Herbst was one of the top performers of the weekend for the third-place finishers, putting up 22 points through his third-place finish in the 800m (1:57.97) and a pair of runner-up finishes in the 1600m (4:21.95) and 3200m (9:39.46).

Jacob Tyler put up 8.5 points with his fifth-place tie in the high jump (6-0) and his fourth-place finish in the long jump (21-2.75), along with Cadyn Nesbitt's runner-up finish in the pole vault (13-0) and the team's state title in the 4x800m (8:11.28).

Bohemia Manor, who finished second in the team standings with 50 points, was led by Kenai Black, who swept the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m state titles, clocking 1:56.74, 4:21.25, and 9:32.43, respectively.

The Eagles also took third in both the 4x100m and 4x200m, running 43.94 and 1:31.59.

In a tight battle for third among eight teams separated by just 13 points, Havre de Grace came out on top to claim the final spot on the podium.

Without a doubt, the difference maker for the Warriors was star freshman Avery Jeannot.

He won both the 100m and 200m titles, clocking 10.98 and 22.08, and helped them take the 4x100m crown in 43.54.