National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Taco Bell Classic Meet Page  |   Event by Event RESULTS  

Photos by Perry McLeod (action) and Matthew Johnson (awards), courtesy of Jon Olson, SC.Milesplit.com  |  More SC.Milesplit.com PHOTOs
 

MVPs and meet records: Cockrell, Godwin and Dingler

• Meet record and US#1 57.77 400mH, 13.61(+0.7w) 100mH girls’ hurdles double by Anna Cockrell, defending both titles and winning her 2nd straight Classic MVP award.  She ran a US#5 13.44 100H in her prelim and also anchored her 4x400m relay team with a 54.4 leg.  Cockrell improved over last year’s winning times of 13.72 and 1:01.37.  In the former, she was nearly a second ahead of Alexis Postell (Bullis, MD jr) at 14.54, while in the latter she won a showdown with 300H US#1 Brandee’ Johnson (Nansemond River, VA sr) at US#2 1:00.43.  The showdown between Cockrell and Johnson was hyped as the best of the meet, with both having medaled for Team USA in international competition last summer.
• 47.81 boys’ 400m, US#6 21.21(+0.0w) 200m boys’ sprint double by Elija Godwin (Newton, GA soph), taking the boys’ MVP title.  He also ran legs on Newton’s 2nd-place 4x100 relay (41.00) and 3rd-place 4x400 (3:23.70).  Godwin won the 400 by more than a second over Garrett Nickelson (Cuthbertson, sr) at 48.99, while in the 200 he prevailed over a deep field that included Troy Price (Greer, SC sr) at 21.35, 100m champ Darrell Singleton (West Ashley, SC sr) at 21.43, NBNI runner-up Maxwell Willis (Archbishop Carroll, DC sr) at 21.48 and teammate Alex Sands at 21.50.  Godwin had won the big 400 in Mobile the previous weekend in 46.82.
• Meet record and US#2 13-8.25 girls’ pole vault by Carson Dingler (1st Presbyterian Day School, GA jr), three times beating the old standard of 12-7 (Sara Young, 2003).  After needing 3 tries to make 13-0, she got a 2016 best and US#3 13-5.25 on her 2nd attempt, then US#2 13-8.25 on her 1st try.  She then missed three times at what would have been a US#1 13-10.25 (before Rachel Baxter improved to 14-2 later in the day at Arcadia).  Hailey Sweatman (James Island, SC sr) and Chesney Ward (Ragsdale, NC sr) were 2nd and 3rd, each making 12-6.

More impressive doubles: Watson, Dawson and Pennaman

• US#5 53.83 400m, 2:12.87 800m girls’ double by Samantha Watson (Rush-Henrietta, NY junior).  In the former, she fought back a tough challenge from NBNI runner-up/super frosh Sterling Lester (Marietta, GA) at 54.20, with Arlicia Bush (Ridge View, sr) edging Syaira Richardson (Nansemond River, VA jr) for 3rd, 55.01 to 55.09.  In the 800, she pulled away from defending champ Laurie Barton (Daniel, SC sr) at 2:14.02, with the rest of the field nearly five seconds back.
• US#5 47-9.5 shot put, 146-5 discus girls’ throws double by Khayla Dawson (Olympic, NC sr), adding to the two SP titles she previously captured here.  Her winning shot was just off the 48-1 outdoor PR she won with in 2015, while the discus was a 2-foot PR.  Carisma Holland (Seneca, SC jr) was 2nd in both events at 46-2 and 136-6, with respective 3rd-place finishes recorded by Alexis Clark (James Monroe, VA soph) at 43-1.5 and Julia Harisay (Athens Academy, GA jr) at 135-4.
• 11.85(+0.1w) 100m, 24.37(-0.8w) 200m girls’ dash double for Amecia Pennamon (Mary Persons, GA sr), upsetting the favorites and winning from the first of the 2-section finals in each case.  Pennamon qualified just 11th overall in the 100 at 12.32w, while Kennedy Dennis (Berea, KY jr) paced the prelims at 11.81w – but Dennis ran just 11.99(-2.4w) in the 2nd section of the final.  In the 200, Pennamon had qualified 9th at 24.85w, compared to prelims leader Stephanie Davis (Riverdale Baptist, MD jr) at 24.15w.  But in the finals, Pennamon improved down to her 24.37(-0.8w) in the first section, while Davis needed 24.39(nwi) to take the 2nd.

More US Top 10s: Tucker, Krah, Singleton, Grayson boys 4x1

• US#2 53.72 boys’ 400m hurdles by Infinite Tucker (Huntington, NY sr), prevailing in the final meters over Jaelen Williams (Phoebus, VA sr) at 54.02.  Burnell Pulley (Hampton, VA jr) was 3rd at 55.63.
• US#3 13.85(+1.0w) boys’ 110m hurdles by Marcus Krah (Hillside, NC sr) in his prelim, followed by 14.02(-0.5w) in the final.  Krah was also 2nd in the triple jump.  In the 110H, he was followed by Infinite Tucker (Huntington, NY sr) at 14.56 and Brent Carroll (Berry Academy, NC sr) at 14.61.  Tucker had run 14.07w(+3.3) in the prelims.
• US#3 10.48(+0.9w) boys’ 100m dash by Darrell Singleton (West Ashley, SC sr), prevailing over Trevious Frazier (Grayson, GA sr) at 10.58 and Troy Pride (Greer, SC sr) at 10.77.  Singleton would go on to also take 3rd in the 200 at 21.43, just off his PR.
• US#8 40.93 boys’ 4x100m relay by Grayson, GA, just nipping Newton, GA – which came in with a US#7 40.83 best – at 41.00.  Archbishop Carroll, DC was 3rd at 42.00. 

More distances:  Billings, Savic close to doubles

• 10:36.26 girls’ 3,200m run by Lindsay Billings (Northview, GA sr), pulling away in the 2nd half of the race from defending champ Libby Davidson (E.C. Glass, VA jr) at 10:41.49.  Logan Morris (Spartanburg, SC sr) just held off Yanely Gomez (Grayson, GA sr) for 3rd, 10:44.69 to 10:45.41.
• 9:18.29 boys’ 3,200m run by Wynn Johnson (Dorman, SC soph), preventing 1-mile champ David Savic (Marietta, GA sr) from getting a distance double.  Savic was 2nd at 9:21.30 and John Tatter (R.J. Reynolds, NC sr) 3rd at 9:21.96. 
• 1:53.06 boys’ 800m run by Devin Dixon (Eagle’s Landing, GA sr), overcoming multiple challenges to prevail over Harper Sigler (North Oconee, GA sr) at 1:54.13 and Ryne Beven (North Paulding, GA jr) at 1:54.88.
• 4:58.04 girls’ 1-mile run by Anna Marian Block (Athens Academy, GA soph), defending her 2015 title.  Lindsay Billings (Northview, GA sr) was 2nd in 5:01.70, one spot short of a distance double, and Sara Platek (Ragsdale, NC jr) 3rd in 5:02.47.
• 4:17.93 boy’s mile by David Savic to lead a 1-2 finish by Marietta, GA seniors.  Teammate KhayVonn Benson was 2nd at 4:21.71, outkicking Malik Epps (Barnes, SC sr) at 4:22.26.

More field events: Strong PR for Poteat; Harper rules LJ

• 174-10 boys’ discus throw by Mason Poteat (Draughn, SC sr), prevailing by four-plus feet over Neil Blanken (Bluffton, SC sr) at 170-3 and Daniel McArthur (Mooresville, NC sr) at 166-10.  Inexplicably
• 23-1.5(+0.3w) boys’ long jump by Denzel Harper (Stephenson, GA sr), followed by Dahzon Jackson (Broome, SC sr) at 22-10.5(-0.3w) and Austin Allen (Bullis, MD frosh) at 22-6.5(+0.2w).  400H champ Infinite Tucker (Huntington, NY sr) – who jumped 24-6 the previous week at Mobile – had to settle for 4th at 22-3(-0.2w).
• 19-1.5(-1.7w) girls’ long jump by defending champ and meet-record-holder Daloria Boone (John Milledge, GA soph), defeating triple jump winner Alexis Farley (Starr’s Mill, GA sr) at 18-3.5(0.0w).  Jacqueline Simmons (Elizabeth Seton, MD jr) won a very close battle for 3rd at 18-1(-0.7w).
• 39-7.25(-0.2w) girls’ triple jump by Alexis Farley (Starr’s Mill, GA sr), winning by more than a foot over Michelle Cobb (T.C. Roberson, NC jr) at 38-3.5(0.2w) and Ars’Breana Tyler (Sumter, SC sr) at 38-1.5(-1.1w).
• 46-11.5(-2.0w) boys’ triple jump by Shameek Miller (Berry Academy, NC sr), edging 110H champ Marcus Krah (Hillside, NC sr) at 46-10(-1.2w) and defending champ Jeremiah Holloman (Newton, GA jr) at 46-9.5(+0.3w).
• 15-6 boys’ pole vault by Bailey Frederick (Marvin Ridge, NC sr), topping three others at 15-0, including runner-up Elijah Cole (Millbrook, NC sr).
• 54-9 boys’ shot put by Zachary Farmer (Hunt, NC sr), taking a tight 3-way battle with Rory Gallman (Dutch Fork, SC sr) at 54-8 and Madias Loper (Whitewater, GA jr) at 54-6.
• 5-6 girls’ high jump by Kenya Livingston (Rocky River, NC soph), winning on misses as T.L. Hanna, SC 8th-grader Kamiya Dendy and Marietta, GA frosh Sterling Lester cleared the same height in 2nd and 3rd.  Neither of the three could clear 5-8.
• 6-6 boys’ high jump for Frankie Thomas (Mauldin, SC sr), also prevailing on misses as Javondi Myers (Spring Valley, SC sr) also cleared 6-6.  Both missed thrice at 6-8.  Issac Johnson (Providence Day, NC sr) was 3rd with 6-4.

More relays: “WAR” from lane 8, Huntington wins thriller

• 47.02 girls’ 4x100m relay by Nansemond River, VA, with the US#6 squad (45.73 at Texas Relays) taking it from lane 8 over Elizabeth Seton, MD at 47.29 and Bullis, MD at 47.37.
• 3:22.13 boys’ 4x400m relay by Huntington, NY, as anchor Infinite Tucker dove over the line .01 sooner than Maxwell Willis of Archbishop Carroll, DC (3:22.14) – bringing the meet to a thrilling conclusion.  Newton, GA was 3rd in 3:23.70.
• 3:51.79 girls’ 4x400m relay by Bullis, MD (NBNI 4th-place), pulling away from Maryland rival Elizabeth Seton at 3:54.60.  High Point Central, NC was 3rd at 4:00.55.
• 8:05.20 boys’ 4x800m relay by Weddington, NC, with Huntington, NY nipping Asheville, NC for 2nd, 8:07.81 to 8:07.91.
• 9:32.68 girls’ 4x800m relay by E.C. Glass, VA, followed by T.C. Roberson, NC at 9:37.23 and Apex, NC at 9:47.63.