NCHSAA 3-A EAST REGIONAL TRACK: Fike’s Pope PRs twice in regional wins

NEWPORT — Fike High senior Erin Pope dropped time on her way to twin victories in the NCHSAA 3-A East Regional track and field championship meet Saturday, May 10, at Croatan High.

Pope won the girls 1,600-meter run in 5 minutes, 2.96 seconds, some four seconds faster than her previous best as she got the best of sophomore Morgan Miller of First Flight in their latest duel. Miller, who won the 3-A girls cross-country individual championship while Pope was runner-up in November, finished in 5:08.96, just ahead of freshman teammate Kayla Folkes in 5:09.23.

Pope, the Fike soccer star who beat Miller in the 3,200 at the NCHSAA 3-A indoor track championships in February, did it again Saturday as she broke the 11-minute barrier with a winning time of 10:59.49, well ahead of Miller in second at 11:18.8.

Miller still holds the top 3-A girls time in the 3,200 with a 10:58.24 on March 28 at the Raleigh Relays. The fastest 3-A girls time in the 1,600 was set Saturday by Lake Norman Charter’s Lily Yampolsky as she won the event at the 3-A Midwest Regional.

All three will be at the state 3-A championship meet Saturday, May 18, at Marcus T. Johnson Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. However, Pope won’t be making the trip alone as Fike teammates Jewel Brewington and Ja’Khyla Ruffin both qualified. Ruffin, a senior, placed fourth in the girls discus with a toss of 103 feet, 6 inches that was well beyond her seed distance of 98-10. Ruffin was a spot from making it to states in two events as she placed fifth in shot.

Brewington, who, like Pope, excels in another sport as the reigning Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year, set a personal best with a 17-3 long jump that was third overall.

Hunt junior Deontrae Barnes smashed his PR of 46-10 in the boys shot put with a first-place throw of 51-3. Warriors senior Thaddeus Tucker was just shy of a trip to Greensboo with a fifth-place finish in discus while junior sprinters Serenity Frieson and Brandon Batts each finished fifth in their respective girls and boys 100-meter dashes.

C.B. Aycock sophomore William Seth Cowan qualified in both throws with a third in shot and a fourth in discus. Also Greensboro-bound for the Golden Falcons are Jeremy Johnson, who placed second in the boys 110 hurdles and Na’jay Jackson, who was third in the boys 200 dash.

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