Orange High School sent a total of 14 men’s runners to this past weekend’s NCHSAA 3A State Track and Field Championships on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. The Panthers sent a hurdler, a sprinter, two distance runners, and three men’s relay teams to the State Championships, while Cedar Ridge sent the state’s top 3A women’s pole vault qualifier, senior Caroline Fowlkes, as well as one of its women’s relay teams to the state finals.
Orange finished 19th overall in the 3A men’s team rankings, coming up with a combined total of 14 points in the State Championships, while Cedar Ridge finished 27th in the women’s team scoring with 10 points.
Fowlkes earned the top overall qualifying position for the State Championships after clearing 11 feet in the pole vault - a full four inches higher than any other qualifier for the state finals.
Fowlkes certainly has the pedigree for pole vaulting, as her mother competed in the pole vault competition at the University of Florida, while her father was a pole vaulter at the University of South Alabama. As a freshman back in 2019, Fowlkes cleared 10 feet at the NCHSAA 3A State Championships, earning ninth place and setting a new Cedar Ridge High School record.
After being denied a chance at competing again in the State Championships as a sophomore in 2020 due to COVID-19, Fowlkes did not appear in the state finals as a junior in 2021.
In her final appearance with the Red Wolves, Fowlkes once again cleared 11 feet, which tied for first place with Alyssa Cooley of West Carteret. Fowlkes’ shared 3A state championship with Cooley comes after she brought home her first Regional title in Franklinton.
In addition to Fowlkes, the Red Wolves sent its women’s 4x800 meter relay squad, consisting of seniors Zoe Wade and Sarah Tucker, along with freshmen Abigail Klaitman and Molly Alverson, to Greensboro for the state finals. The CRHS women’s 4x800 meter relay team earned the No. 7 overall qualifying position for the State Championships with a time of 10 minutes, 26.56 seconds. The Red Wolves finished ninth overall in the state finals, recording a time of 10 minutes, 41.01 seconds.
The Panthers sent numerous runners to the state finals, including senior Spencer Hampton, the second place finisher in the NCHSAA 3A State Championships in the 3,200 meter run. Teammate Gabriel Schmid, a sophomore, also qualified for the NCHSAA 3A state finals in the 3,200 meters, earning the No. 5 overall qualifying position with a run of 9 minutes, 52.98 seconds. Hampton and Schmid finished first and second, respectively, in the 3,200 meter run in the NCHSAA 3A Mideast Regionals held earlier this month in Franklinton.
In the state finals, Schmid took second place overall, recording a time of 9 minutes, 35.89 seconds, while Hampton came in ninth place with a time of 10 minutes, 2.33 seconds.
Along with their performances in the 3,200 meter run, Hampton and Schmid also qualified for the state finals in the 3A men’s 1,600 meter run. Hampton was the No. 12 overall qualifier in the 1,600 meter run (4 minutes, 33.05 seconds), while Schmid was right behind Hampton as the No. 13 overall qualifier (4 minutes, 37.87 seconds). Hampton finished eighth in North Carolina’s 3A ranks in the 1,600 meters, recording a time of 4 minutes, 30.36 seconds, while Schmid did not finish the race.
Senior Jeffrey Faulkner made his final individual appearance with the Panthers in the NCHSAA 3A 400 meter dash state finals. Faulkner qualified ninth overall for the 400 meter championship run with a time of 50.80 seconds. Faulkner finished 12th in North Carolina’s 3A ranks with a time of 52.01 seconds.
Another Panthers senior, Devin Goss, earned a spot in the State Championships in the men’s 300 meter hurdles after placing second in the NCHSAA Mideast Regionals. Goss, the No. 10 overall qualifier in the men’s 300 meter hurdles (42.08 seconds), placed ninth in the state finals, producing a time of 42.14 seconds.
The Panthers sent three of their men’s relay teams to Greensboro. Orange’s men’s 4x800 meter relay team, consisting of seniors Hampton, Nicholas Pell, and Ethan Horton, along with sophomore Schmid, made their way to Greensboro as the No. 4 overall qualifier in North Carolina’s 3A ranks, with a time of 8 minutes, 15.56 seconds. In the State Championships in the Panthers finished seventh overall with a time of 8 minutes, 14.52 seconds.
The OHS 4x100 meter relay squad, consisting of junior Jabari Albright and Leviant Lewis, along with sophomore Isaiah Johnson and freshman Riley Potter, made their way to Greensboro as the No. 8 overall qualifier in North Carolina’s 3A ranks, with a time of 43.67 seconds. In the State Championships, the Panthers finished sixth overall, finishing with a time of 43.59 seconds.
The Panthers also sent their men’s 4x200 meter relay team, consisting of seniors Jeffrey Faulker, Elijah Danley, Devin Goss and junior Darius Corbett to Greensboro for the State Championships meet. OHS qualified for the state finals as the No. 12 overall team with a time of 1 minute, 31.79 seconds. The Panthers finished tenth in the statewide meet, producing a time of 1 minute, 31.20 seconds.
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