Records fall in 46th running of Trojan Timing Classic

JOHNSON CITY - The Trojan Timing Classic marked its 50th anniversary on Friday, and several elite athletes from our region helped build on the legacy of the event by adding their names to the record books. The top high school talent from Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina put on quite a show on inside Steve Spurrier Stadium at Science Hill. In all, seven meet records fell and another was tied. Last year, University High's Dalencia Kittrell became the first female athlete to sweep the girls' 100m, 200m and 400m events at the meet since 1987. She repeated that feat on Friday, setting a new meet record with a time of 55.49, winning the 200m in a time of 24.55 and claiming the 100m title by running a 12.28. "All I had in my mind was to get those meet records," Kittrell said. "This is my last year. I couldn't have done it without God. It was so nice to be with my teammates, and I had a lot of family today." The old meet record was shattered in the girls' 800m, where the top the finishers all beat the old mark. Watauga's Cali Townsend will go in the record book after winning with a time of 2:10.4. She was followed closely by Dobyns-Bennett's Tiesha Turner and Gigi Venzon, who finished second and third respectively. D-B's Elijah Williams and Lucas Minani were the top-two finishers in the boys' 800m. Williams won with a time of 1:54.46. D-B's Eden Cradic was the winner of the girls' 300m hurdles with a time of 43.85 while Science Hill's Caroline Hale edged out Cradic in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.77. Laiden Durrence of Science Hill finished runner-up in the boys' 110m hurdles. Dylan Robinson of Daniel Boone won the boys 3200m run, beating out Spencer Tankersley of D-B and Isaac Jennings of Volunteer. Boone's Sadie Honeycutt finished second in the girls' 3200m. Volunteer's Kevin McCurry finished first in the boys' mile with a time of 4:17.08. Field Events Three meet records fell and one was tied in the field events. Elizabethton's Liahna Nave set a new record in the girls' discus with a throw of 138-10, beating out Leah Mowell, the runner-up from Cherokee. Mowell got her revenge a little later when she won the girls' shot put, edging out Nave, who finished second. Boone's Aaliyah Story set a new meet record in the girls' high jump, finishing with a height of 5-06. Sullivan East's Carter Malone won the boys' high jump with a height of 6-04. Morristown West's aptly named Matthew Victory won the boys' long jump and set a new meet record at 23-07. Story picked up another medal by winning the girls' long jump with a leap of 18-02.25. Watauga's Lily Stough tied the meet record in the girls' triple jump with a time of 40-07.75. Science Hill's Max Reece won the boys' discus with a toss of 180-11. Happy Valley's Tyler Bailey won the boys' pole vault with a height of 13-00, putting him just clear of D-B's Jack Venzon, who finished runner-up. D-B's Madison Pendleton finished runner-up in the girls' pole vault. Relays The only team that was able to challenge the Daniel Boone runners in the boys' 4x800m relay event was Daniel Boone. Boone coach Ray Jones split his team into two equal units, and the Trailblazers' B team narrowly beat out Boone's A team. The B team, comprised of Nicholas Ard, Adam Kelley, Ethan Tate and Carson Gouge won with a time of 8:00.10, just ahead of the 8:00.77 posted by their teammates Fisher Battel, Gavin Christian, Brock Wilhjelm and Seth Marciante. Boone also won the girls' 4x800m relay as Saide Honeycutt, Ava Nutter, Hannah Robinson and Sydney Wright finished in a time of 9:50.15, more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Watauga. D-B set the final record of the night by winning girls' 4x400m relay in a time of 3:56.52 thanks to strong efforts by Tiesha Turner, Mattea Mazzilli, Carlee Cradic and Gigi Venzon. D-B also won the boys' 4x400m relay as Levi Chappell, Eamon Ailshie, Henry McMurray and Chad Williams ran a 3:22.97. The Tribe's team of Levi Chappell, Julian Sensabaugh, Hanry McMurray and Jayden Huffman edged out the Hilltoppers in the boys' 4x200m relay with a time of 1:28.75. Science Hill finished second in the girls 4x200m relay and Boone finished third. They both trailed A.C. Reynolds, which set a new meet record of 1:42.14. Science Hill finished second to Morristown West in the boys' 4x100m relay. D-B took the title in the girls' 4x100m relay. Eden Cradic, Akira Gamble, Chloe Deng and Jaylah Hoeungpaseuth finished in 48.68, edging out runner-up Science Hill.