Eagles, Lions runners claim individual titles
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Shelby County track and field athletes brought home a hand full of state championships over the weekend from the Alabama High School Athletic Association state meet in Gulf Shores.
Oak Mountain led the way with double championships for distance runners James Adair and Marissa Brokaw.
Adair captured the 1600-meter run title with a time of 4:24.88, beating out Hoover&8217;s Tim Landry, who finished 4:25.29. Fellow Oak Mountain Eagle Ross LaPorte finished third in the event with a time of 4:26.38, while the Eagles&8217; Kasey Hayes was ninth at 4:38.04.
Adair also won the two-mile, 3200-meter run, a title he also captured at the indoor state meet in February. His time of 9:36.44 beat out Landry&8217;s 9:40.36.
For the girls, Brokaw won the 1600-meter run just inside five minutes with a time of 4:59.73, ahead of Austin&8217;s Jennifer Dunn, who ran the race in 5:00.02.
Brokaw also won the 800-meter run in 2:16.36. Mountain Brook&8217;s Marie Demedicis was just behind her at 2:16.51, followed by Mountain Brook&8217;s Catherine Diethelm at 2:16.61.
Sarah Bond also captured a title for the Oak Mountain girls, winning the 300-meter hurdles in 46.21 seconds. Teammates Julie McDonald and Melissa Gilbert also earned points in the event, coming in seventh with a time of 48.58 and eighth with 49.49, respectively.
The Oak Mountain boys picked up one other championship, as Zac Epperson matched his personal record height of 14-06 to tie for first in the pole vault competition.
Oak Mountain&8217;s boys and girls finished third overall in team competitions.
In Class 5A, Briarwood Christian&8217;s boys placed fifth overall with 37 points, as St. Paul&8217;s took home the title.
The Briarwood 4×400-meter relay team captured the state title with a time of 3:28.57. Team members were Matthew Gordon, James Miller, Tyler Till and Riley White. The 4×800-meter relay team finished third for Briarwood.
In 5A girls action, Briarwood&8217;s Kelsey Dunn finished second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.05 behind Scottsboro&8217;s Adria Hill&8217;s 51.24 title run