Mike Balkman 
Arianna Moore 
Tavaris Bell
COLUMBIA – Westwood’s boys and girls track and field teams wrapped the SCHSL 4A state meet just short of a trophy at Spring Valley on Saturday.
The Redhawk girls finished in third place with a score of 57, behind State Champion Ridge View (75) and runner up West Florence (62). The boys came in fourth place with a team score of 52. Ridge View took first place with 84, followed by Northwestern (79) and West Florence (69).
Despite not winning a team championship, both boys and girls had top finishers on the day.
Mike Balkman, Tavaris Bell, Arianna Moore, and the boys 4×400 relay team all took individual state titles.
Balkman took first in the boys’ 400 meter dash with a time of 48.35.
Bell’s first place finish was in boys’ high jump at 2.1 meters.
Moore took first place in the girls’ 400 meter dash at 55.74. She also placed second in the 200 meter dash at 24.91 and fourth in the 100 meter dash at 12.10. All times were her season-best.
Mike Balkman, Christian Banks, Dominick Young, and Demari Clarke took first in the boys 4×400 relay with their season-best time of 3:16.32.
Redhawk girls’ distance runner Emma Ashley finished second in the 1600 meter run with her season-best 5:07.77, setting a new school record. She also finished seventh in the 800 meter run at 2:21.37.
Zion Brown finished second in boys’ high jump at 2.05 meters.
The girls’ 4×100 meter relay team of Jakeyia Martin-Maybin, Thanna Davis, Ayanna Aaron’s, and Ayrianna Moore finished second with their season-best 48.09.
Other podium finishers were:
- 4×800 meter girls relay team (London Brooks, Becca Ashley, Christina Tyndall, Jamiya Carter) – 3rd place at 9:52.4 2 (SB).
- 4×400 meter girls relay team (Thanna Davis, Kierdyn Jacobs, London Brooks, Jamiya Carter) – 4th place at 4:03.37 (SB).
- Christian Banks – 4th place in boys 400 meter hurdles at 55:59 (SB)
- Harper Ramsdale – 6th place in girls pole vault at 3 meters.
- 4×100 meter boys relay team (Thanna Davis, Kierdyn Jacobs, London Brooks, Jamiya Carter) – 6th place at 42.80 (SB)
- Chase Simmons – 6th place in boys triple jump at 13.72 meters
- Jayden Wilson – 7th place in boys 200 meter dash at 22:23
- Dominick Young – 8th place in boys 400 meter dash at 49.89
- Ja’Miah Samuel – 8th place in girls 100m hurdles at 16.18 (SB) and in girls 400 meter hurdles at 1:09.27 (SB)
