He was a county, regional and state champion many times over, an All-Metro performer and cross country Runner of the Year as a senior. And, as his final high school accolade, Capital Gazette outdoor track and field Athlete of the Year.

Jakovics won four state championships: individual titles in then 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs while also running on Old Mill’s winning 4×800 relay.

“This marks No. 10 of state titles,” he said after his final win. “I’m just really happy I got to double digits.”

The award is given strictly for his performances this spring — another fantastic season in which he piled up gold medals — but is also a fitting capstone for someone who produced one of the most brilliant running careers the Baltimore area has ever seen.

His first big statement was a fifth-place finish in the Large Division race at the early season Bull Run Invitational, in which he shaved nearly a minute and a half off his time from the same race the previous year. He chopped that time even further less than two months later on the same course at the Class 4A state championships, as Jakovics ran 15:45 and finished as state runner-up.

“At the beginning of the year, I was ran 17:15, which is super slow compared to what I just ran,” he said after that race. “So I didn’t really have a goal in mind. Just racing for second or third is what I had in mind. But after the first two miles, I felt really relaxed and tried to stick with it.”

The titles began rolling in soon after.

That winter in indoor track, Jakovics swept the county distance races: the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. He won a 4A state title in the 800 and was runner-up in the 1,600.

“It’s crazy. I wasn’t expecting it my junior year, but now I am [a state champion],” he said after his first state gold medal. “It’s a surreal feeling.”

His success followed him into last spring: More county titles in the 800 and 1,600. Another state championship in the 800, a runner-up finish in the 1,600 and third-place showing in the 3,200. Plus a relay state championship with Old Mill’s 4×800 team.

“It’s been a huge improvement but I’m definitely not done here,” he said at last year’s outdoor state championships. “I’m going to set some goals for next year.”

Goals were set and then met.

In the fall, he won the Elite Race at the Bull Run Invitational and claimed his first cross country state championship. Indoor track produced two more county and state titles. Along the way, he committed to continue his running career at Princeton University.

And then the finale this spring.

On the first day of the 3A state meet, Jakovics won the 3,200 and anchored the 4×800, coming from behind to win both races. Two days later, he won the 800 and 1,600 to but a golden bow on his high school career.

“It’s been a journey for sure,” Jakovics said. “When I first started, I was no where near thinking I’d even get one state title; now I got 10. It’s been a journey.”

Coach of the Year

Stacy Severtson, Crofton

Crofton High School opened in Fall 2020. During the pandemic-plagued 2021 spring season, Severtson was tasked with launching the Cardinals’ track and field program.

“It was difficult starting up, starting over COVID, too,” she said. “We only started with ninth and 10th graders, only a few probably came over from another school. So there were a lot of raw athletes. We started out fresh with basics. We didn’t have upperclassmen to go through drills, but then we didn’t have any bad habits to erase.”

Now five seasons in, Severtson has built Crofton from the ground floor into a statewide power. She said that her athletes “bought into the vision we had.”

Her boys team this year won Urbana’s Kayley Milor Twilight Meet, Reservoir’s Gator Invitational and Old Mill’s Golliday Invitational. The Cardinals won the Anne Arundel County championship by 57 points and the 4A East Region title by 84 points. They were the 4A state runner-up behind Mervo. This comes after years of the boys trying to match the success the girls’ program was having locally.

“The boys team was kind of getting frustrated and they really worked hard to get up to where the girls where,” Severtson said. “It was them waning them to have to same success.”

Perhaps most impressive about this year’s run is that Crofton’s boys didn’t feature a standout athlete who could get 30 or 40 points by themselves at a meet. No Cardinal placed higher than third at states. But what they did have was a balanced and deep roster with a lot of athletes capable of posting strong finishes in a variety of events.

“That’s how we built our team from the beginning. We ask our kids to try everything,” Severtson said. “We ask our kids to be adaptable to what we need as a team. We try to work the whole range of the sport of track and field with our kids. … This year we took probably the most kids we ever did to states and it showed.”

All-County first team

Christian Doss, Crofton, sophomore

Doss is at the dawn of a promising career and was the county’s top hurdler. He won county titles in the 110 and 300 hurdles and took third at the 4A state meet in both events. He also ran on Crofton’s 4×200 and 4×400 relays that finished third and fourth, respectively, at states. He finished third in the 55 hurdles at the 4A indoor state meet.

Kofi Duro, Arundel, senior

Duro closed his high school career with a 3A state championship in the long jump and a runner-up state finish in the triple jump. This reversed his results from the county championship in which he won the triple jump but was second in the long jump. He was the indoor county champion in both events.

Chege Kaba, Arundel, senior

Kaba cleared 6-5 to win the high jump at the county championships. He finished third in the event at the 3A state meet. He also was county runner-up in the 300 hurdles and was third in the 110. In the winter, he also won the county high jump title and was runner-up in the 55 hurdles.

Wesley Meran-Henson, Meade, senior

The Mustang won the county outdoor championship in the long jump with a personal-best jump of 22-4 3/4 and also claimed the event at the 4A East Region meet. He was county runner-up in the triple jump.

Adetoye Onyekaba, Crofton, senior

The Cardinal swept the county shot put titles, winning the event at both the indoor and outdoor county championships. His best throw was 51-7 1/4 at the Park Invite in April. He was third in the shot put at the outdoor 4A East Region championships.

Eric Penkala, Southern, senior

One of the metro area’s best distance runners, Penkala closed his career with 2A outdoor state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 and ran on Southern’s championship 4×800 team. He was county champion in the 1,600 and 3,200. In the winter, Penkala won indoor state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 and was third in the 800.

Thomas Polk, Crofton, senior

Polk won the county outdoor pole vault state championship, clearing 14 feet. He placed second at the 4A East Region meet and fourth at states. In the winter, he was county runner-up and took third at states.

Bryan Schaeffer, Crofton, senior

The Cardinals stalwart was not only a point-getter but an emotional leader for Crofton’s 4A state runner-up team. In outdoor season, he was county champion in the 400 and was fourth in the event at states running a personal-best 48.94 seconds. He anchored Crofton’s county and regional champion 4×400 team, which also took third at states. In the winter, Schaeffer was county champion in the 500 and finished fourth at states.

Christian Schlauch, Broadneck, senior

Schlauch won the outdoor county championship in the discus with a career-best throw of 145 feet, 3 inches. He was third at counties in the shot put. In the winter, he was the 4A Central Region runner-up in the shot put.

Connor Seabrease, Chesapeake, senior

Seabrease was the anchor for the Cougar’s 4×100 team that won the county championship and was 3A state runner-up. Individually, he was county runner-up in the 200 and fourth in the 100.

Edward Smith, Arundel, junior

Smith proved to be one of the county’s top sprinters, winning county outdoor titles in the 100 (10.95) and 200 (21.76). He finished third in the 100 at the 3A East Region meet and was a state qualifier in both events. In the winter, he was third in the county in the indoor 55.

Have a news tip? Contact Anthony Maluso at amaluso@baltsun.com, 567-230-6024, x.com/TonySunSports and instagram.com/TonySunSports.

Boys Athlete of the Year

Wyatt Zeigenfuse, Manchester Valley, junior

Zeigenfuse was the premier middle distance runner in Carroll County this past season. Combining indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, Zeigenfuse won six county championships. In the spring, he claimed titles in the 400 (49.99 seconds) and the 800 (2 minutes, 5.28 seconds) meters. He also ran on the Mavericks’ county championship 4×400 team. In addition, he finished fourth in the county in the 200.

This winter, Zeigenfuse claimed county titles in the 300 (36.56) and 500 (1:09.46) while also winning again as part of the 4×400 team. Though he finished second in the Class 3A East Region in both individual events, he did not run at the state meet.

In outdoor season, he was the 3A North Region champion in the 400 and finished third at states.

Girls Athlete of the Year

Elizabeth Szybalski, Manchester Valley, senior

Szybalski reached the top of the podium during the winter indoor track and field season, winning the Class 3A state championship in the 800 while running a personal-best 2:16. She also won the county and West Region titles in the event.

She was the indoor county runner-up in the 500 and ran on the county championship 4×400 relay team. Although Szybalski is a natural middle-distance runner, she won the county championship in the 55 hurdles.

In the spring, Szybalski earned county and 3A North Region championships in the 400 and 800. She finished fourth in the state in the 800 while lowering her personal record to 2:14.6.

Boys All-County first team

Oluwatobi Adelaja, Francis Scott Key, senior

Adelaja won county championships in the high jump, clearing 5-10, and the long jump with a leap of 20-9. He was also the county indoor track high jump champion.

Alexander Bloch, South Carroll, junior

Bloch was among the best in the county in pole vault. He was the indoor county champion and had a season-best vault of 12-6. In the spring, he didn’t compete at the county meet but finished fifth at the 1A West Region meet and seventh at states.

Derek Harkless, Westminster, junior

The Owls star bested all hurdles in the county this spring, winning championships in the 110 (15.81) and 300 hurdles (42.35). He was fifth at the 3A North Region meet in the 110. He also ran on Westminster’s county championship 4×100 team.

Ezekiel Harris, Manchester Valley, senior

Harris leapt 43-2 to win the county triple jump title. He also ran on Manchester Valley’s county championship 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams. In the winter, he won the indoor 55 county championship.

Ryan Hartranft, Century, senior

Hartranft was the county outdoor champion in the 1,600 and finished as region and 2A state runner-up in the event. His best time was 4:16.8 at the Under Armour Black and Blue Invitational. In the indoor season, he also was county champion and regional runner-up in the 1,600 and finished fourth at states.

Joseph Hipsley, Century, senior

Hipsley won the indoor county shot put title and went on to finish sixth at states. In the outdoor season, he finished as county runner-up in the shot put and third in the discus. He also took third in the discus at the 2A state meet.

Levi Lustig, Century, senior

Lustig won the county outdoor pole vault championship with a vault of 12 feet. He cleared 12-9, a personal-best, to finish third at the 2A West Region meet. He went on to finish fifth at states.

Gregory Schellberg, Liberty, senior

Schellberg was the driving force behind Liberty’s Class 1A outdoor state title. He won individual state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 and ran on Liberty’s state runner-up 4×800 relay. He was county champion in the 3,200. In the winter, Schellberg was also county and state champion in the 3,200 and state champion in the 1,600.

Ryan Vollmer, Liberty, junior

Vollmer’s best pole vault of his career won him his second straight Class 1A state title. He cleared 14 feet to earn the title in a year in which he battled back from several injuries.

Deon Whitlow, Winters Mill, senior

Whitlow has been the county’s best sprinter for several years now. He closed his high school career with county championships in the 100 and 200, the second consecutive season in which he swept the sprint events. He also won 2A West Region titles in both events and finished fourth at states in the 100.

Alexander Yeon, Winters Mill, senior

The county’s top thrower, Yeon swept the shot put and discus at the county meet for the second straight season. He totaled 16 wins in the events over the full season and finished as 2A state runner-up in the shot put (51-9) and fourth in discus. His season’s best discus throw was 157-4.

Girls All-County first team

Tessa Altshuler, South Carroll, freshman

Altshuler’s vault of 11 feet, 6 inches won her the county pole vault championship. She went on to win 1A West Region and 1A state titles and was also the indoor state pole vault champion.

Taylor Colson, Century, sophomore

Colson earned the county outdoor championship in the 3,200 before going on to win the 2A West Region and finish as state runner-up. In the 1,600, she was third at counties and the West Region runner-up.

Sherina Jassir, Westminster, junior

Jassir was the county’s top hurdler, winning both the 100 and 300 outdoor county titles. She won the 3A North Region title in the 100 hurdles and finished third at the state meet. She was region runner-up in the 300 hurdles.

Bethany Kleiner, Manchester Valley, senior

Kleiner won the county triple jump title and finished third at the 3A North Region meet with a personal-best 32-11 1/4. She was fourth in the high jump at the county meet and fifth in the shot put.

Madison Koterba, Francis Scott Key, junior

Koterba swept the county sprint championships, winning the 100 (12.6) and 200 (26.69). She finished third and fifth in the events, respectively, at the 2A West Region meet. She ran on FSK’s county championship 4×200 relay team and the runner-up 4×100 team. She was the indoor county runner-up in the 55 meters.

Ariana Leach, Manchester Valley, junior

Leach jumped 16-4 1/2 to win the county long jump title. She also finished as county runner-up in the triple jump. She finished sixth and fourth, respectively, at the 3A North Region meet.

Ava Snyder, Liberty, freshman

Snyder couldn’t have scripted a better start to her high school career, winning county, region and Class 1A state titles in the 1,600 in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She was the outdoor West Region runner-up in the 800 and took fourth at states.

Ava Staley, Winters Mill, sophomore

Staley won eight high jump titles this spring, including the county and 2A West Region titles (clearing a personal-best 5-4). She finished fourth at the state meet. In the winter, she was the indoor county champion and state runner-up.

Cailyn Stine, Century, senior

Stine finished as county runner-up in both the 400 and 800 and as the 2A West Region runner-up in both events. She was fourth at states in the 400. In the winter, she was 2A state champion in the 500 and state runner-up in the 300.

Kyra Stefanoski, Century, senior

Stefanoski won the county championship in the shot put (35-11) and was the 2A West Region runner-up in the event. In the discus, she was sixth in the county but came back to win the region title (85-4). She was the county indoor shot put champion.

Alicia Teal, Liberty, senior

Teal was the county discus champion with a throw of 106 feet. She took fourth at the 1A West Region meet and was fifth at states. She also finished third in the county in the shot put.

Century’s 4×800 relay team

The foursome of Elizabeth Mitroka, Emily Mitroka, Katie Mitroka and Ella Lustig finished in 9:40.74 to win the Class 2A state championship. The same team also won the indoor state title. Their best time was 9:29.04 to win the outdoor region crown.

Have a news tip? Contact Anthony Maluso at amaluso@baltsun.com, 567-230-6024, x.com/TonySunSports and instagram.com/TonySunSports.

Athlete of the Year

Justin DeVaughn, Mervo, senior

The University of Maryland football commit set a very ambitious schedule for the Class 4A state championships.

It had him going back and forth from the long jump pit, to hurdles preliminaries, back to the jump area, then back to the track to be a part of Mervo’s relays.

It landed him three gold medals, one silver and — most importantly to DeVaughn — the 4A state team championship for his school.

“It means a lot, I’m not going to lie. It’s been a long journey for real for our team, a lot of ups and downs. I’m glad we went out with a bang for my last year,” he said after the state championships. “I haven’t held one of those trophies in a long time. We always came up short. My freshman year we came up second in indoor, second place again my 10th grade year. This year we all came together and got the job done.”

DeVaughn won the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 1 3/4 inches. He won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.78 seconds, the second-fastest time in Maryland this spring according to athletic.net. He also anchored Mervo’s championship 4×200 relay and was on the Mustangs’ runner-up 4×100 team.

“You can see the hard work. That’s the hard work, that’s all it is,” he said. “That’s the hard work we’ve been putting in and it showed.”

Had personal stamina allowed, he could’ve been in line for even more hardware. He won the Baltimore City high jump title clearing 6-6, a height that ranked him in eighth in the state.

After the championship, holding all his hardware, he took time to reflect on the legacy he leaves behind, not just in track and field, but in football.

“I’ve done a lot of stuff at this school,” he said. “I like representing this school; I like doing what I do. Just glad I’m at this school. I could’ve been at any other school, but I don’t think it was going to give me the same experience this one did. My dad, too, he’s been here all four years, too. Next up is my little brother.”

Xavier DeVaughn was a freshman member of Mervo’s team and Justin is looking forward to the DeVaughn legacy living on.

“I want him to continue it, but I want him to do it in his own way,” Justin said. “I want him to be himself. My freshman year, it was about my older brother. He won the the 110 and 300 hurdles. Everybody was comparing us. But I just wanted to be myself, go ahead, break any record he had. And I want my little brother to do the same thing. Just keep it going.”

Coach of the Year

Stacy Severtson, Crofton

Crofton High School opened in the fall 2020. During the pandemic-plagued 2021 spring season, Severtson was tasked with launching the Cardinals’ track and field program.

“It was difficult starting up, starting over COVID, too,” she said. “We only started with ninth and 10th graders, only a few probably came over from another school. So there were a lot of raw athletes. We started out fresh with basics. We didn’t have upperclassmen to go through drills, but then we didn’t have any bad habits to erase.”

Now five seasons in, from the ground floor, Severtson built Crofton into a statewide power. She said her athletes “bought into the vision we had.”

Her boys team this year won Urbana’s Kayley Milor Twilight Meet, Reservoir’s Gator Invitational and Old Mill’s Golliday Invitational. The Cardinals won the Anne Arundel County championship by 57 points and the 4A East Region title by 84 points. They were the 4A state runner-up behind Mervo. This comes after years of the boys trying to match the success the girls program was having locally.

“The boys team was kind of getting frustrated and they really worked hard to get up to where the girls where,” Severtson said. “It was them waning them to have to same success.”

Perhaps most impressive about this year’s run is that Crofton’s boys didn’t feature a standout athlete who could get 30 or 40 points by themselves at a meet. No Cardinal placed higher than third at states. But what they did have was a balanced and deep roster with a lot of athletes capable of posting strong finishes in a variety of events.

“That’s how we built our team from the beginning. We ask our kids to try everything,” Severtson said. “We ask our kids to be adaptable to what we need as a team. We try to work the whole range of the sport of track and field with our kids. … This year we took probably the most kids we ever did to states and it showed.”

All-Metro first team

Will Coyne, Loyola Blakefield, senior

Coyne was the top pole vaulter in the area with a top mark of 14 feet, 7 inches at the Maverick Madness meet. He cleared 14 feet to win the MIAA A Conference championship.

Kofi Duro, Arundel, senior

Duro’s best long jump of his career, 22-7 1/2, won him the 3A state championship. He was also state runner-up in the triple jump after winning Anne Arundel County and East Region titles in the event.

Jemmel Green, Gilman, senior

Green was a three-time winner at the MIAA championships, claiming the 800 (1:55.95), 1,600 (4:17.90) and 3,200 (9:22.28) titles.

Ruichen He, Glenelg, senior

He’s Howard County championship discus throw of 172-3 was the best in Maryland this spring, according to athletic.net. He threw 165-9 to win the 3A state championship, more than 14 feet further than the second-place finisher.

Onyeka Ikpe, Calvert Hall, senior

Ikpe swept the MIAA A Conference throwing championships, winning the shot put (55-9) and discus (159-3). His shot put mark was the fourth best in Maryland this spring.

Tsedeke Jakovics, Old Mill, senior

The future Princeton Tiger closed his decorated high school career with three more individual state titles, winning 3A crowns in the 800 (1:53.58), 1,600 (4:16.59) and 3,200 (9:32.55). He also anchored Old Mill’s state championship 4×800 relay team.

Ameer Mowad, Eastern Tech, senior

Mowad was the area’s top sprinter this spring. He won the 2A state championship in the 100 in 10.47 seconds, the fourth fastest time in Maryland. He placed third at states in the 200, but his Baltimore County-winning time of 20.96 seconds was the fastest in the state.

Gabriel Murray, Oakland Mills, senior

Murray was a three-time state champion, winning 3A titles in the 100 (10.66), 110 hurdles (13.85) and 300 hurdles (37.10). He posted the best times in Maryland this season in the 110 hurdles (13.71) and 300 hurdles (36.40).

Martin Ojulu, Dundalk, senior

Ojulu was the 4A state champion in the 200 (21.01) and the runner-up in the 100 after claiming the North Region championship in both events. He also ran on the Owls’ 4×100 team that finished third at states.

Jared Okechukwu, Mount Saint Joseph, senior

Okechukwu left the MIAA championships with four individual gold medals. He won the 110 hurdles (15.21), long jump (22-7 3/4) and triple jump (44-6), and shared the high jump title (6 feet).

Eric Penkala, Southern-AA, senior

Penkala closed his stellar distance career with 2A state championships in the 1,600 (4:11.95) and 3,200 (9:20.57). His 1,600 time was the fastest in Maryland, while his top 3,200 time (9:07.47 at the Under Armour Black and Blue Invitational) was the second fastest.

Khory Reevey, Harford Tech, senior

Reevey swept the 2A hurdles state titles, winning the 110 and 300. He added another state championship in the long jump (22-3 1/4).

Gregory Schellberg, Liberty, senior

Schellberg keyed Liberty’s 1A team state championship with gold medals in the 1,600 (4:21.56) and 3,200 (9:40.47). He also anchored the Lions’ runner-up 4×800 relay team.

Jeryco Sheppard, Dundalk, senior

Sheppard cleared 14 feet to win the 4A pole vault state championship. He was also North Region high jump champion, clearing 6-4.

All-Metro second team

Christian Doss, Crofton, junior

Damon Ferguson Jr., Milford Mill, junior

Ryan Hartranft, Century, senior

LaMont Johnson, Digital Harbor, senior

Chege Kaba, Arundel, senior

Philip Kaiser, Hammond, senior

Gabe Levrone, Calvert Hall, senior

Rommel Marquez Jr., Parkville, junior

Ojigwe Olua, Western Tech, senior

Keshon Tate, Oakland Mills, senior

Deandre Thomas, Mervo, junior

Ryan Vollmer, Liberty, junior

Alexander Wockenfuss, Harford Tech, senior

Alexander Yeon, Winters Mill, senior

Final Top 15 poll

Rank, team

1. Oakland Mills

2. Mervo

3. Calvert Hall

4. Crofton

5. Mount Saint Joseph

6. Harford Tech

7. Gilman

8. Dundalk

9. Old Mill

10. Digital Harbor

11. Liberty

12. Overlea

13. Arundel

14. Hereford

15. Severna Park

Others considered: Century, Dunbar, Edgewood, Milford Mill, Poly

Have a news tip? Contact Anthony Maluso at amaluso@baltsun.com, 567-230-6024, x.com/TonySunSports and instagram.com/TonySunSports.

Athlete of the Year

Destiny Coleman, Woodlawn, junior

Seeing how fluidly Coleman clears a hurdle before sprinting to the finish, it’s hard to fathom that there was a time when she wasn’t too fond of the event.

“Actually, I was afraid of hurdles,” she said. “But my coach saw something I didn’t, and he told me one day I was gonna practice hurdles and I never stopped.”

“She showed a lot of aggression, a lot of natural ability,” Woodlawn coach Joey Young said. “I’m big on hurdles, or specialty events with the kids. I ended up teaching her how to three-step in one practice. She learned it in two hours. She was a natural. I felt like it was something she could easily pick up on.”

Her fears soon subsided, and Coleman began sprinting toward record times.

She won the Class 4A state title in the 100-meter hurdles in 13.25 seconds, smashing the previous state meet all-class record of 13.64, though she won’t get credit because of the windy conditions the day of her race.

She also finished as state runner-up in the 300 hurdles and third in the 100-meter dash. She ran on Woodlawn’s state-title winning 4×100- and 4×200-meter relays and the runner-up 4×400 team — which Coleman takes more pride in.

“I feel like every time we win a state title or break a record, I feel like it’s more than just breaking a record. It’s not only an individual thing, it’s a team thing,” she said. “What we accomplish as a team is way better.”

Coleman was a state champion last year in the hurdles but became more dedicated to her craft after a spectacular indoor performance. At The Armory Hispanic Games in New York, Coleman won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.75 seconds, which was the best time in the United States at the time.

She gained more national attention in April at the Mt. SAC Relays, winning the top high school division of the 100 hurdles in 13.37 seconds, beating the top-rated runners nationally.

“I had a lot more dedication this year both mentally and physically,” she said. “Last year, I wouldn’t say I was new, but I was new to hurdles. I wasn’t maybe taking it as serious as I should’ve. But after the Hispanic Games, that’s when I was like, ‘OK, I got to lock in. If I’m setting these times at the beginning of the season, just imagine what I can do if I keep working at it.'”

Coleman started running AAU in eighth grade during the heart of the pandemic. She said that her mother gave her the choice of going into high school if she wanted to keep running AAU or join a school team.

“I wanted to try something new,” she said of her choice to join Woodlawn. “It would be a different opportunity to meet people and do something different.”

Heading into her senior year, Coleman said she’s drawn interest from Texas Tech, LSU, Mississippi and Florida State. She said her college choice will come down in part to her relationship with her future coaches.

“If you have a good personality, and whether you just want me because I’m fast or you can train me to be better than I am now,” she said.

Coach of the year

Bernard Williams, McDonogh

McDonogh is in the midst of an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland dynasty. That’s never easy for a new coach to walk in to, yet Bernard Williams was able to continue the success Phil Turner established before departing last offseason.

Williams led the Eagles to their fourth straight IAAM A Conference championship.

“To be honest, it was a lot of pressure,” Williams said. “We had a reputation for winning the conference the last three years. I had never been head coach before, so I was real apprehensive at first, but I realized we had a good support staff.”

Williams and his staff built a well-rounded team. McDonogh fielded the area’s best sprinter as well as All-Metro first-team selections in mid-distance, throws and pole vault. There were also stars in hurdles, jumps and distance.

The Cooper sisters, Elise and Elena, are two Division I commits that are a foundation to build off of at any meet they compete in, a virtual lock for at least 40-50 points. But Williams and the Eagles were able to supplement the superstars with a full lineup of talented athletes.

“All of those girls made us look good,” Williams said. “With Kelsey [Coley] and Morgan [Heard] taking one-two in hurdles, Julia [Norris] winning shot and discus, and then other people like Caroline [Birdsall], who did great in pole vault, but also did great in long jump and triple jump and on 4×4. That senior group pulled together in all different events and made it happen.”

First team

Caroline Birdsall, McDonogh, senior

Birdsall cleared 11 feet to win the pole vault at the IAAM A Conference championships. She won the event at four meets this season and had a best vault of 11-9 1/4 at the Penn Relays.

Madisyn Bobb, Harford Tech, senior

Bobb was a key piece of the Cobras’ Class 2A state team championship. She won the state title in the 200 (24.7 seconds) and was the runner-up in the 400 after winning the event at regionals. She was also the state runner-up in the 100 hurdles.

Rebecca Burgee, Southern-AA, senior

Burgee was a three-time gold medalist at the 2A state meet, winning the 400 (56.57), 800 (2:19.17) and anchoring Southern’s winning 4×400 relay. She also ran on the runner-up 4×800 relay.

Elena Cooper, McDonogh, senior

Cooper, a Stanford commit, was the IAAM A Conference long jump champion. Her top jump of 20 feet, 10 inches at the East Coast International high school meet was the best in all of Maryland this season.

Elise Cooper, McDonogh, senior

Cooper, a Texas commit and the area’s premier sprinter, won IAAM A Conference titles in the 100 (11.88), 200 (23.84) and 400 (53.75).

Dana Doubek, Broadneck, sophomore

Doubek had the best pole vault in the area and second best in Maryland, clearing 12 feet at the Golliday Invitational. She won Anne Arundel County and 4A East Region titles and finished third at states.

Bianca Durant, Howard, senior

Durant won the 3A 200 meters in a personal record time of 23.82 seconds. She was also state runner-up in the 100. She was the 3A South Region champion in both events.

Winter Evans, Harford Tech, senior

Evans won 2A state championships in the 100 (12.18) and 100 hurdles (14.01). She was also the 2A East Region champion and state runner-up in the high jump. Her season-best height of 5 feet, 5 inches was the best of any metro-area jumper.

Eliza Fox, Hereford, junior

Fox won the high jump in six meets this season, including the Baltimore County championship and 2A North Region championship. Her best jump this season was clearing 5-4.

Alicia Hall, Oakland Mills, senior

Hall excelled in the triple jump. Her 3A state championship-winning distance of 39-9 1/4 was the fourth-best distance in Maryland, according to athletic.net. She also secured Howard County and 3A South Region championships among her seven wins.

Julia Norris, McDonogh, senior

Norris was the area’s top thrower this season. She won IAAM A Conference championships in shot put and discus. Her top marks of 42-0 (shot put) and 134-2 (discus) were each the fourth best in Maryland, according to athletic.net.

Sylvia Snider, Hereford, senior

Snider closed out her highly decorated distance running career with a 2A state title in the 3,200 (10:57.6). She added a state runner-up finish in the 1,600 and third-place finish in the 800.

Ava Staley, Winters Mill, sophomore

Staley was one of the area’s best high jumpers this season. Her best jump was clearing 5-4 to win the 2A West Region championship. She was the Carroll County champion and finished fourth at states.

Marella Virmani, River Hill, junior

Virmani finished as 3A state runner-up in the 1,600 and was third place in the 800. She was Howard County champion in both events and the South Region champion in the 800. She was also a key piece of the Hawks’ state record-setting 4×800 relay.

Second team

Tessa Altshuler, South Carroll, freshman

Destiny Baker, Harford Tech, senior

Sedona Clarke, Broadneck, sophomore

Kelsey Coley, McDonogh, senior

Alexandra Collier, Spalding, junior

Devin DeGannes, Dulaney, senior

Maddie Drylie, Hereford, junior

Ariyah Edwards, City, senior

Aurlani Irvin, Woodlawn, sophomore

Madisen Morgan, Harford Tech, senior

Fiyinfoluwa Popoola, Western Tech, senior

Sydney Rhodes, Howard, senior

Ava Snyder, Liberty, freshman

Ogechi Uzoukwu, Western Tech, senior

Lauren Virmani, River Hill, junior

Final Top 15 poll

Rank, team

1. McDonogh

2. Woodlawn

3. Oakland Mills

4. Harford Tech

5. Hereford

6. Howard

7. Broadneck

8. Crofton

9. Maryvale Prep

10. Century

11. Western

12. Mount de Sales

13. River Hill

14. Severna Park

15. Southern-AA

Others considered: Atholton, Centennial, City, Randallstown, Western Tech

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Two races into the day — two Winter Evans wins — the Cobras were in the lead, and they never looked back.

It wasn’t just Evans’ victories in the 100 hurdles and the 100-meter dash that set the tone, it was the fact that she had teammates finish second to her in each race: Madisen Morgan in the 100, and Madisyn Bobb in the 100 hurdles.

“That should help by a lot,” Evans said after her 100 win. “Top two in both the first events of the day? That should really bring us to first by now.”

The wins and points just kept coming all day long, as Harford Tech finished with 109 points, 23 clear of second-place Hereford (86). This title goes with the 1A indoor state championship the team won.

Bobb, who won the 200 on Saturday, said this is something the whole program can be proud of.

“Especially for the people coming into the program, they have a standard to look up to and a title to still hold,” she said. “As I leave, this is my senior year, I’m going to be very proud of my team, my coaches, my staff, the whole program and kinda flex that I was a part of that.”

She acknowledged that as the day went on, an eye was kept on the running point total as the team had a strong desire to win it all.

“That’s always a goal in our minds when we come to any meet,” Bobb said.

Destiny Baker added a win in the 300 hurdles. Isabel DeVos picked up a fifth-place finish in the 3,200, as did London Youngblood in the discus.

Evans came back and took second in the high jump.

“I’m just blessed, I’m happy I was able to come out and execute the way that I did,” she said. “My teammates did good jobs too, I’m just happy to be here right now.”

She said having so many strong teammates, especially in her own events, makes her a better competitor.

“It helps me get out harder,” she said. “We all just want to win at the end of the day. But I prayed for me and my teammates that we’d be able to place good and it worked out. … I’m just really proud of everything we came out and here and done. From the work over the season, I’m proud of all of us.”

Harford Tech’s boys ended up as 2A runner-up with 54 points behind only Westlake’s 81. Leading the way were three-time gold medalist Khory Reevey and 800 state champion Alexander Wockenfuss.

Khory Reevey finished a fantastic career with a special weekend. He added gold medals in the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles to the one he won the long jump on Thursday’s first day of competition.

His 110 hurdles win left him so excited he sprinted another 100 meters down the field in celebration.

“At first I had to make sure I got it,” he said. “After I found out I got it, I had to do something I was so excited.”

It’s easy to see where the excitement came from. Reevey said the 110 hurdles is his race, and losing in a photo finish last year gave him extra motivation.

“This one is the most monumental to me. The 110, that’s my baby,” he said. “The long jump was just of a side thing, finally being able to get this one after losing by .01 [seconds] is definitely a blessing.”

Liberty boys top 1A

Liberty’s boys are blessed with a dominant distance runner in Gregory Schellberg and an exceptional pole vaulter in now two-time state champion Ryan Vollmer, but that’s about it when it comes to gold medal athletes.

But what the Lions do have is strength up and down their lineup, balance in nearly every event, and now a Class 1A state team championship.

“We’ve all been really hard for the past couple years,” David Akinboye said. “We’ve had good people on the team, individuals, but we’ve never really had the depth we’ve had this year. I think we scored in everything but maybe three events. We have a complete team this year.”

The win is special for the seniors who have accomplished a lot at Liberty through cross country state championships and now an outdoor track title. It’s the perfect to close a high school career.

“Especially as a senior, trying to send all the other seniors out with a state championship, it means a lot,” Schellberg said. “Just happy to get it done. We’ve been second many times recently at states, so to win it is really good.”

Even the juniors like Vollmer wanted to send them out on a high note.

“This year we’re losing a lot of seniors and it’s also our last year in 1A,” he said. “So we wanted to go big or go home basically. The entire team has been working hard in their events … I’m proud to see how this team has grown.

Schellberg added to his gold medal stack — he won the 3,200 and anchored the winning 4×800 relay Thursday — with a win in the 1,600. Neal Sanchez was a silver medalist in the 800 and the 4×100 team of Jordan Seay, Tyson Puckett, Austen Veach and Akinboye finished third.

And then there’s Vollmer.

As a sophomore last season, he won the state pole vault title at 13 feet but soon after found out that he had a fractured back. Fast forward to indoor track season, and Vollmer suffered a fractured foot.

“I came into this full track season during indoor and I learned I had a fracture in my right foot. I spent a lot of time in PT and basically missed all of indoor season, which really hurt,” he said. “When I came back, I was kind of scared to get into vaulting. Once I eventually came back, I did repetitive three-steps, which is our shortest steps, just to build that strength again. Once I got back to big steps, I found myself getting higher and higher heights more consistently.”

On Saturday, he was back and better than ever, clearing a personal-best 14 feet to repeat as state champion.

“I’ve basically be riddled with injuries for the last year, so just coming back and being able to win states is just a dream come true,” he said.

While the seniors celebrate the end of special careers, on the Liberty girls side, another special career is just beginning.

Freshman Ava Snyder, the indoor state champion in the 1,600, backed up that gold medal with an outdoor one, winning Saturday’s 1,600 in 5:04.68.

“It was very, very difficult, especially on the last lap,” Snyder said. “I was pushed to I think my limit, where I thought my legs would give out. But it’s perseverance, power through. I always remember that, ‘You can do this.'”

‘Finally’

Southern’s Rebecca Burgee has quite an impressive medal collection: Four state silver medals and a couple third-place medals as well. But before Saturday, she had yet to win a gold.

Now she has three.

“I finally did it,” she exclaimed shortly after winning the 2A 400 in 56.57 seconds. “My senior, I’m so glad.”

Burgee said it came down to pure desire to get the job done.

“Just wanting it and knowing this was my last time trying,” she said. “I finally had the courage to keep going.”

But that excitement level was topped a few hours later when she doubled up, winning the 800 (2:19.17). To her, that was the big one.

“This one is the one I’ve been wanting since sophomore year. I’m so glad to do it,” she said.

She raced as well as she did this weekend through some tears. With her being a senior, it’s the final time she’ll race in the Southern blue and yellow.

“I’m very sad. I cried on the first day of states,” she said. “I’ve been trying to hold it together, let’s hope I can get through today.”

To close things out, Burgee teamed with Katherine DiPietro, Maya Voorhees and Marley Shaw to win the 4×400 in 3:56.52. For the boys, distance specialist Eric Penkala also won gold. After winning two titles on Thursday, he picked up one more in the 1,600 on Saturday.

A strong showing for Western Tech

Western Tech closed the 1A meet with three gold medalists and a state runner-up finish for the girls.

One of the highlights for the Wolverines was having a first- and third-place finisher in the shot put. Senior Fiyinfoluwa Popoola won the event with a throw of 36 feet, 8 inches on her last attempt.

“I feel great,” I never really thought about this. I was thinking maybe second or third, not going to lie. But first, I’ll take it.”

Her teammate, Olivia Onwubuariri, took third.

“I love that,” Popoola said of having another strong teammate in her event. “She throws, I throw, we go back-and-forth. She’s my only competition. The only person I see eye-to-eye with. She pushes me, I push her.”

Ogechi Uzoukwu won the girls long jump (17-7) and was second in the 100. On the boys side, Ojigwe Olua was state champion in the 110 hurdles.

“Not the time I wanted, but I thank God for getting me through the race,” Olua said. “I’ve had bad luck at this meet, but finally looking for a good one.”

Eastern Tech also produced a state champion with Ameer Mowad winning the 2A 100 (10.47).

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But for the Mustangs themselves, those individual accolades take a backseat to the one silent piece of hardware — the team state championship trophy.

Mervo totaled 73 points, distancing itself from second-place Crofton (48).

“I haven’t held one of those [trophies] in a long time,” DeVaughn said. “We’ve always come up short. My freshman year we came up second place indoor, second place again my 10th grade year. This year, we all came together and got the job done. There’s not a lot of us either, not a lot of boys, but we got it done. Good group of guys.”

DeVaughn left Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex with three individual gold medals. He added a gold in the 110-meter hurdles Saturday to the two he won on Friday. His time of 13.78 seconds would’ve been a 4A meet record had there not been too much wind. He also finished fourth in the 300 hurdles and anchored Mervo to second place in the 4×100 relay.

But in reflection of the entire weekend, his thoughts turned to the team and everything that came together to make the championship possible.

“It’s been a long journey for our team, ups and downs,” he said. “I’m glad we went out with a bang for my last year. I just hope they can continue it when I’m gone.”

Thomas didn’t hesitate to sum up his feelings about being a part of Mervo’s championship program.

“Truly grateful,” he said. “There’s been a lot of complaining, tears, sweat to get to where we’re at now. Beginning of the season was a little iffy, but then it was ‘OK, we have to mature. We have to lock in.’ We had to mentally prepare ourselves to get here, then take it to the next level.”

Thomas ran for Digital Harbor last season when the Rams won the Class 3A title. A new arrival, he saw what made his new team special.

“The people,” he said. “The love, the support, everything we have, that’s what makes this special. Us together, nothing’s impossible. … Together, we can make the impossible, possible.”

A program on the rise

Despite not winning an event, Crofton’s collective team strength made it a state runner-up.

Christian Doss’ third-place finishes in both the 110 and 300 hurdles highlighted the Cardinals’ individual efforts. Bryan Schaeffer was fourth in the 400 and Thomas Pole was fourth in the pole vault. Dos, Shaeffer, Julian Treleaven and Chikesandu Ogwo finished third in the 4×400 relay.

All totaled, the collective team effort brought a state runner-up trophy home to join county and regional championships.

“Obviously, our boys team has been dominant the entire season,” Shaeffer said. “I’m extremely proud of each and every person on the team. Me personally, I had a pretty rough season, but I’m glad I could piece it together for the end of the season. Everything was clicking at the right time.”

“It was kind of a slow start to the season, having all these new athletes, new sophomores, up-and-coming athletes, but toward the end we found it in ourselves to trust each other and trust the training and keep going,” Ogwo added.

The Crofton seniors have been the building blocks of the program. They started on a new fledgling program and through hard work built it into one of the premier in the state.

“Just just had to keep doubling down on our mental, keep our trust in the program through and through,” Ogwo said. “Keep coming in every day, doing the work. Just finding in us to be better each and every season.”

Now the challenge is for the new wave of Cardinals to keep building on what these seniors started.

“We definitely built a legacy here,” Shaeffer said. “Every single season has been different here for its own reasons, but we’re going to leave a legacy of dominating the competition in the county, the region and the state as well.”

A perfect 10

Old Mill senior Tsedeke Jakovics is going to go down as one of the premier distance runners Anne Arundel County has every produced.

Before he left for Princeton, there was one last milestone he wanted to accomplish, which he did by winning the 3A 1,600 (4:16.59) and 800 (1:53.58)

“This one meant a lot, this marks No. 10 of state titles. I’m just really happy I got to double digits,” he said.

His 800 win was different than the two gold medals he won on Friday’s first day of competition, when he came from behind in each. On Saturday, he shot out ahead of the pack. Only once he saw someone else challenging, he decided to play the waiting game.

“I took it out, one other person got in front of me, so I sort of coasted, decided to let them push,” he said. “It felt good, my legs were good, so I kicked it in and finished it.”

Jakovics’ efforts led Old Mill to a team runner-up finish in 3A. Colin Prato was second to Jakovics in the 800 and Tristan Sudama finished third in the pole vault.

But the centerpiece of the team clearly was Jakovics, a four-time gold medalist this weekend who started his Old Mill career very raw with a long way to go.

“It’s been a journey for sure,” he said. When I first started, I was no where near thinking I’d even get one state title, now I got 10. It’s been a journey.”

Into the record books

While Woodlawn didn’t get the team finish they wanted, finishing as 4A runner-up to Urbana, Destiny Coleman had a weekend to remember.

Coleman won the 100 hurdles in 13.25 seconds, which would be a state meet record depending on the wind factor.

“When I came here today, I told myself, as long as I do the best I can do, I’m good,” she said.

Individually, Coleman added a second place in the 300 hurdles, a third in the 100 and ran on the championship-winning 4×100 relay to go with its 4×200 win Friday.

Coleman teamed with Jordan Christie, Summer Lane and Anjela Fitzhugh to win the 4×100 (47.15). Fitzhugh finished third in the 200, fourth in the 100 and sixth in the long jump.

“There’s a lot of communication,” Coleman said of Woodlawn’s team. “Our team is very family-oriented. We may fight a lot, but at the end of the day we know what we need to do if we come together and stick together.”

Only a junior, she’s already looking ahead to her final lap at Woodlawn.

“I have a whole ‘nother year left,” she said. “Next year’s about to be crazy if I’m running these times as a junior. I don’t know what I’m about to run next year.”

Other winners

Dundalk’s Martin Ojulu was one of two Owls claiming state championships, winning the 4A 200 in 21.01. He also finished second in the 100.

“I’m excited, I got adrenaline running through the body right now,” he said. “I wanted to get the meet record, but happy with the results I got.”

Ojulu’s career has been a trial, as he overcame several setbacks to become a champion.

“Recently I had two injuries back-to-back during my sophomore year and my junior year so I was out for most of the season,” he said. “Most recently, I got DQed at [county championships], which kind of motivated me more to actually run better and accomplish this.”

Joining Ojulu as gold medalist is teammate Jerycho Sheppard, who won the pole vault clearing 14 feet.

In 3A, Digital Harbor’s LaMont Johnson successfully defended the state title he won last year in the 400.

“Race was cool, it’s not really the time I wanted, but I got points for the team,” he said. “The year hasn’t been exactly how I wanted it to go with injuries and stuff. What I really wanted was to come out here and perform.”

Also, Milford Mill’s junior quartet of Seth Minter, Amauri Patterson, Damon Ferguson Jr. and Damari Jackson won the 4×400 relay in 1:28.03, while Minter, Ferguson, Jackson and sophomore Ayokunle Osunkiyesi won the 4×400 in 3:16.56.

In 3A girls, City’s Ariyah Edwards won the 100 hurdles in 14.25 seconds.

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They were also racing themselves.

Laura Virmani, Alyssa Mattes, Nikita Mohan and Marella Virmani set a state meet record when they won last year’s 4×800 relay. With everyone back this spring, they started chasing their own mark.

In fact, they cut nearly three seconds off their previous record, winning Friday’s race in 9 minutes, 12.86 seconds. It was the latest in a string of dominant 4×800 performances spanning indoor and outdoor seasons over the years.

“This is six 4×8 state championships in a row,” Marella Virmani said. “I think we knew coming into this race that the stakes were high, but it gave us something more to work toward. We’ve been motivating each other a lot in practice. We worked really hard for this. This has been a goal all season, so it feels really good to have it all come together.”

“We’ve all worked really hard throughout the whole season, indoor and outdoor,” Lauren Virmani added. “We’ve all been talking about how we want to click here at states and win. And we did. It was definitely one of the best races we’ve had as a team, so that’s really exciting.”

The Hawks knew their opponents weren’t going to let them fly right by. A legacy of success comes with a target, but it was extra baggage River Hill didn’t mind running with.

“We knew that this was going to be our toughest race of the season and we wanted to defend our state championship from last season, so we knew we were going to have to work really hard this season,” Mattes said. “We’ve really pushed each other in workouts.”

Oxon Hill actually had a fairly sizeable lead two legs into the race, but Mohan made up ground on the third, passing the baton to Marella Virmani for the anchor leg while neck-and-neck with Oxon Hill. Marella raced off quickly and wasn’t challenged for most of her run.

Severna Park ended up charging to take second.

For Mohan, it’s the constant push from their coaches and her teammates that brings out the best in each runner.

“I love you guys so much. It obviously wouldn’t have been able to happen without our coaches, they’re so amazing and pushed us so much this season to get better,” she said. “Watching my teammates, they push me so much and motivate me to do so much better.”

A busy — but golden — day

Part of the logic behind a two-day track meet is it gives athletes the chance to spread out events and get rested up. However, Mervo’s Justin DeVaughn had the opposite approach, packing everything close together.

DeVaughn went from the long jump pit to the track for a preliminary hurdle race, back to the long jump pit, then over the high jump area, then back to the track for a relay leg, then back to the high jump.

Exhausted reading that? Imagine how DeVaughn felt doing it all. But he has two gold medals and a top hurdles seed to show for it.

DeVaughn engaged in a game of “Can you top this?” with teammate DeAndre Thomas. After their initial three jumps, DeVaughn held first place and Thomas sat in second. While both went to their preliminary 110 hurdles races, Parkville’s Rommel Marquez Jr. overtook Thomas for second.

Thomas’ response when he returned? Top everyone with a jump of 22 feet, 9 1/2 inches.

DeVaughn still had one jump left. He soared and landed, and knew he did something special. He just had to wait for the confirmation.

“23 feet, 1 3/4 inches,” it was announced. DeVaughn raced to the other end of the pit in celebration of his state championship.

“I just prayed up to God my last jump, not gonna lie,” DeVaughn said. “He answered my prayers, that’s all it was.”

DeVaughn says the competition with Thomas brings out the best in everyone.

“It’s good competition,” he said. “We do this at practice all the time, nothing unusual. Once we get on that track, we’re competing, we’re going hard. Especially at the state championship level, we’re trying to win everything.”

Later in the day, DeVaughn anchored the 4×200 relay that also included Thomas, Deon’ze Eldridge and Donavon Winslow. They won the 4A state title in 1:27.64.

No lead is safe against Tsedeke Jakovics

When racing Old Mill senior and Tsedeke Jakovics, it’s best to make sure there’s at least a county’s worth of room between the future Princeton Tiger and the rest of the field.

On two separate occasions Friday — once in the 4×800 relay and once individually in the 3,200 — Jakovics proved capable of overcoming any deficit with his powerful finishing kick. He led the Patriots relay team to gold to open then day, then claimed one for himself at the close of it.

“The 4×8 got out a little slow, not what we were hoping for, but the wind and conditions always can affect stuff like that,” Jakovics said. “I ran a 1:51, not my fastest but not bad at all. Back-to-back state 4×8 wins, I’m not complaining.”

Christian Rozanski, Chase Johnson and Colin Prato joined Jakovics on the 4×800 team that won the 3A state championship in 7:53.08.

After some good rest, Jakovics came back for the 3,200. He stayed around the middle of the pack for most of the race, even as Towson’s Theodore Brown started pulling away. But that special kick of Jakovics closed the distance on the final lap, eventually overtaking Brown with less than 200 meters remaining.

Catonsville’s Conrad Mlynek also closed strong and picked up second place.

“My back right leg was bugging me a little bit, so I figured I’d take it more chill, just sort of pace off and then outkick for the win.” Jakovics said. “I knew I have a pretty good kick. I was letting him go at a reasonable distance where I felt comfortable. I heard my coach screaming at the [200 meter mark]. He keeps me on track, tells me what to do.”

‘No unfinished business’

Arundel senior Kofi Duro knows this weekend is the final track meet of his high school career. He also knows it’s a change to leave everything he has on the track.

Competing in the 3A long jump, his first attempt was the second best of his career. His next was his very best.

Duro leapt 22-7 1/2, a personal record and good enough to win a state championship.

“Came out and competed, that’s what track’s all about: competition,” he said. “Seeded fourth, came in kind of the underdog, but that’s what makes it fun. It can go any way. My last few long jumps of high school ever, so I had to leave it all out there, no unfinished business.

“It only takes one jump, so you got to let it fly sometimes.

Duro setting that mark early meant there were plenty of chances for his competitors to outdo him. They all tried, and although some came close, none succeeded.

Northern-Calvert’s Derrick McCorkle was the last jumper standing between Duro and his state title. He gave a valiant effort with a jump that kept Duro nervous as it was being measured, but it ended up 3 inches short. 

“The last few jumps were nerve-wracking watching everyone else jump,” Duro acknowledged. “But I’m going to clap for them. He started clapping so I’m going to get it going. It’s a competition, but I’m cool with all my competitors. That’s one thing I love about track.”

Other winners

Also in Class 3A, Milford Mill’s team of Seth Minter, Amauri Patterson, Damon Ferguson Jr. and Damari Jackson won the 4×200 in 1:28.03.

Oakland Mills had a strong first day on the girls side with Rozelyn Sarfo, Jordyn Harriston, Payton Buchanan and Janelle Codrington winning the 4×200 in 1:41.98, while Alicia Hall won the triple jump with a mark of 39-9 1/4.

In Class 4A, Woodlawn’s girls are seeking a second straight outdoor state team championship. They shared the indoor state title with Urbana. The Warriors got a win in the 4×200 relay from Jordan Christie, Destiny Coleman, Summer Lane and Anjela Fitzhugh (1:39.07).

Also, in the 100 hurdle preliminaries, Destiny Coleman’s time of 13.45 bested a 20-year-old state meet record but unfortunately won’t go into the record book because of the windy conditions on Friday.

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The Hereford girls outdoor track and field team came into Thursday’s first day of the Class 2A state championships at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex both with a target on its back from winning last year’s outdoor state title and with redemption on its mind after being edged out by Century for the indoor state crown three months ago.

The Bulls picked up wins from Sylvia Snider in the 3,200-meter run, Maddie Drylie in the pole vault and the 4×200 relay. As a result, they’ll go into Saturday’s final day with an eight-point lead over Century, 44-36. Harford Tech is third with 28.

“I’m not getting overly confident, but I really hope we can get that win, especially for my senior year,” Snider said. “I’m really happy with how everyone’s been racing. I think we’re all here to have fun and do as well as we can.”

Snider won the 3,200 in 10 minutes, 57.6 seconds, more than 24 seconds clear of second-place Taylor Colson of Century. While Snider has more than a couple relay state gold medals, an individual gold always eluded her. That is, until indoor season, when she won two. Now she can’t stop hitting the top of the podium.

“I’ve been more excited going into my races. Instead of, I used to be really stressed and I get really nervous around big races,” she said. “I think now I feel more confident in my ability and I know I can go out and have fun, and don’t put as much pressure on myself as I used to.”

Snider also anchored Hereford’s third-place 4×800 team, running with Ridley Lentz, Dempsey Nelson and Charlotte Levis. But while Hereford has long been known for its distance prowess, the program hasn’t also been recognized for its sprinters.

Caden Bennis, Laylah Ensor, Carsen Neuberger and Olivia Clark are changing that perception after their win in the 4×200, running 1:43.10, more than a second faster than Randallstown and Harford Tech, who finished second and third, respectively.

“All season, we’ve been neck-and-neck with Randallstown, and we’ve never beaten them in the [4×200], until last week at regionals,” Clark said. “Coming [into the state meet] as the No. 1 seed is super intimidating; everyone’s after you. But I’m really proud of all the work me and my team have put in. It’s paid off.”

While Clark, Snider and the rest of the Bulls were blistering the track, Drylie was backing up her indoor state championship in the pole vault with an outdoor one to match.

Drylie cleared 10 feet, 6 inches on her first attempt. While Century’s Charlotte Prunkl also cleared the height, it came on her second attempt, giving Drylie another championship.

“It’s not the height I was hoping to get, but I’m really happy to win it for the second time in a row,” Drylie said. “I feel like my improvement from indoor in my mentality was really great.

“During indoor I was upset with how I was performing. When I missed a height, I would start crying immediately. This year, when I missed a height, I focus on what I can do to fix that.”

Family matters for Century

Century’s 4×800 relay team is truly a family affair. Twin sisters Emily and Elizabeth Mitroka lead off the race, then the baton goes to freshman sister Katie Mitroka.

“How many people get to say they’re on a relay with most of their family?” Emily Mitroka said. “It’s fun. We’re all closer cause of it, it’s awesome.”

“It’s brought us a lot closer,” Elizabeth added. “We argue all the time, but we have something … where we can connect better.”

Running anchor is Ella Lustig, who isn’t blood related, but is more or less another sister in the relay family.

“I’ve known them for so long, they treat me like family,” Lustig said.

Lustig took the baton for her anchor leg roughly 4 seconds behind Southern-AA. By the time she crossed the finish line, it was nearly a 7-second Century victory.

“I just wanted to push,” Lustig said. “I just said, ‘I want that gold. We all want this gold,’ So I had to push for it.”

Having four runners that are so close team up also creates some accountability, as you don’t want to let your sister — or in Lustig’s case, your “adopted sister” — down. At the same time, you’ll have three teammates who will always have your back.

“It pushes you more knowing you have so much support from the people around you,” Katie Mitroka said.

Surprise! You’ve already won.

Harford Tech’s Khory Reevey kept himself busy Thursday.

Reevey was competing in the 2A boys long jump, roughly around the same time he was scheduled to run a preliminary heat in the 110 hurdles.

After the first round of the long jump, Reevey was in the lead at 22-3 1/4. He went to go run his hurdles heat while the rest of the long jump finalists took their extra jumps.

It wasn’t until Reevey came back to the long jump pit to a sparse gathering when he was informed that no one matched his distance. He was the state champion.

“Once I found out, I don’t even know how to describe it,” the senior, at a loss for words, said. “This is my first individual state championship. I’m so proud of myself, so excited.”

Reevey’s busy weekend is just starting. He is also entered in the 300 hurdles, the triple jump and on Harford Tech’s 4×100 relay. Already a state champion, he’s hoping to use that momentum boost to win more gold.

“This one right here is going to give me the best, the most momentum, definitely,” he said. “I’m just hoping I can keep it for the 110 and the 300, and then the 4×1 and triple.”

Harford Tech also picked up a state championship on the girls side, as Madisen Morgan won the 2A triple jump.

On her fifth of six attempts, Morgan leapt 35-8 1/4, beating the mark of Lackey’s Evagellia Lilly Okwuosa by 1 inch.

The final run

Very few runners across can match the success Southern’s Eric Penkala has had in his career.

Entering the outdoor state championships, Penkala’s final high school meet before he joins the University of Maryland track and field team, Penkala already has 10 career state championships — along with one second and four thirds.

What else is there to accomplish but make history?

Penkala opened the meet teaming with Jaydon Robertson, Carter Thompson and Gavin Tompkins to win the 2A 4×800 relay in 7:55.64. Not only was it a championship run, it was historic. The time broke a state meet record that has stood since Hereford ran a 7:56.50 in 1978.

“Perfectly executed by everyone,” Penkala said. “Jaydon the first leg, we didn’t know he could do this — now we do. But we needed him, he was a late replacement. Plan was Jaydon, run a 2:01, Carter the second leg, 1:57, which is what he did. Gavin, who ran a 1:59, then me, a 1:55.  … That plan was perfectly executed.”

In his final high school meet, Penkala plans to leave everything he has on the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex track.

“The countdown has already begun — it’s actually about to end,” he said. “You got to utilize as much as you can. If there’s ever a thought of, ‘Oh I’m tired, I’m hurting,’ you got to scrap it because there’s no room for error anymore.”

Other winners

In Class 1A, the Liberty boys have 45 points and a 24-point lead over Cambridge-South Dorchester. Leading the way was Gregory Schellberg, who won the 3,200 in 9:40.47. He also anchored the 4×800 relay team that finished second. Logan Gripe, Brennan Mattern and Neal Sanchez made up the rest of the group.

South Carroll got a win from freshman Tessa Altshuler, who cleared 10 feet on her first attempt to win the 1A pole vault.

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A one-goal state quarterfinal loss is tough enough a pill to swallow. Seeing the Cougars cruise to a Class 1A state title surely didn’t help.

For 366 days, South Carroll waited for its chance at redemption. Finally, Friday at Wheaton High, one year and one day after what Cavaliers star Leah Miller called “the worst loss of my career,” it came.

“When we saw them on our schedule, we thought, ‘This is perfect. This is our redemption game,'” Miller said. “We had something a little more to play for.”

The Cavaliers certainly came out like they were on a mission. They scored the first three goals, while at the other end kept Fallston without a shot until the final minutes of the first quarter.

South Carroll’s early scoring surge was complemented by a dominance in the draw circle and a stifling defense anchored by freshman goalie Sophia DeLuca. It all added up to an 8-4 victory and the program’s first trip the state finals since it won its only title in 2019.

The Cavaliers (14-3) will play Middletown at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium.

“There’s a lot of emotions, but right now, there’s just happiness,” South Carroll coach Brigid Scanlon said. “We worked really hard all season, we’ve been talking about it and we just really wanted to get to this point.”

“I think at the beginning of the season, this was our main goal, just to finally be like, ‘Were right there,’ it’s just so exciting,” Miller added.

With Miller leading the effort, the Cavaliers won draw after draw, keeping possession while the goals piled up. Ava Krantz scored twice in the first quarter and South Carroll built a 4-1 lead.

“It was really important, especially for our energy as a team,” Krantz said of the strong start. “That’s what I feel like has been carrying us, even though our defense is amazing and our offense is really starting to work better together. The fast start and the energy we came out with brought the momentum throughout the game.”

Scanlon said the combination of her offense scoring and her defense holding down Fallston’s dangerous attackers was a big confidence lift.

“It helped build our confidence to let the girls know, we’re here to play,” she said. “They’re a very skilled team. To hold them and have really great defense, really helped to build us.”

To hold down a team like Fallston, several factors need to converge. The first is draw controls. With Miller, a future Maryland Terrapin leading the way, South Carroll won 13 of the game’s 16 draws.

“It’s my circle girls. They make me look so good,” Miller said. “It’s still a 50-50 ball and they just go in there and grab it. Even it gets a little held up, they still come down with it.”

Those controls led to extended possessions for South Carroll, keeping Fallston from getting many chances. The biggest draw came when the Cougars tried to mount a late charge, scoring to get within four in the closing minutes. South Carroll won the ensuing draw and Fallston never got the ball again.

The other important factor is DeLuca.

The freshman collected her 100th save of the season — and her career — with her seven-save effort.

“I just think about the ball,” she said. “I don’t look at the girl because sometimes it gets in your head when you see who’s shooting or how they’re shooting, so I just focus on is the ball.”

A good portion of her saves came in the second quarter. Fallston began to slow down South Carroll’s offense and was trying to work its way back into the game. DeLuca wouldn’t let it happen.

“Sophia is dominant back there, and she’s only a freshman,” Scanlon said. “The girls trust her, which I think is huge. She listens and wants to get better every single day.”

When asked after the game how she planned to celebrate her milestone mark and the semifinal win, DeLuca said, “I’ll probably bake a cake.”

The icing on the cake might come next week when the Cavaliers play for a state championship.

While getting over the Fallston hurdle is huge, South Carroll knows it’s not at the finish line yet.

“It’s not over yet until we win the trophy,” Krantz said.

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Then had to wait roughly 90 minutes as thunderstorms rumbled through the area.

Once the game finally got underway, there was no weathering the storm the two-time defending 1A state champion Cougars unleashed in the first quarter.

Ian Swartzendruber scored four of his five goals the opening 12 minutes as Fallston recorded the game’s first six and cruised to a 17-3 victory.

The Cougars will play Middletown at 4 p.m. Tuesday for the 1A state championship. It is Fallston’s fifth straight trip to the final. They won it all in 2021, 2023 and 2024.

“It never gets old, that’s for sure,” Fallston midfielder Owen King said. “Good to see the hard work all year continues to pay off.”

“It’s definitely exciting,” Swartzendruber said. “We’re hoping to carry all this momentum into next week, and hopefully get a state championship.”

Having to sit and wait could be rough, but Fallston coach Patrick Mull said that he saw the high energy level he’s been looking for.

“I loved their energy, loved their effort,” Mull said. “We’ve been asking for them to give the very best they have effort-wise. We sold out on all the ground balls, did all the little things tonight.”

Fallston beat Liberty in last season’s title game and knew what to expect from the Lions. They were familiar with their personnel and were ready for anything Liberty threw at them.

“We had a good scouting report,” Swartzendruber said. “We were expecting their best effort since we beat them last year. They gave it to us.”

Coming out of the lengthy delay, the fast start was critical to set the tone for the rest of the game.

“It gave us the juice to carry on the rest of the game,” Swartzendruber said. “I feel like it kind of deflated them a little bit coming out real hot.”

It was 6-0 after one quarter. A great offense performance? Of course. But Fallston’s defense shouldn’t be overlooked. That includes King reigning supreme in the middle of the field, whether it was an intercepted pass or stiff check. King was integral in Fallston not allowing Liberty to find an offensive rhythm.

“At the end of the day, we always say it starts with the defense,” King said. “A lot of our goals come from transition, from defense to offense. We’re really trying to push it on that end for sure.

At the same time, his play also set his teams offense in motion as they piled up goal after goal.

Liberty kept it within six at halftime thanks in part to Colin Hands in goal. Hands finished with 14 saves and gave the Lions a fighting chance into the third quarter.

However, another spurt from Fallston in the third quarter put the game away and the running clock was invoked early in the fourth quarter.

Jaden Riley had three goals and two assists in the win. Dominic Foster set his team up winning 11 of 18 faceoffs.

“To me, a lot of it is attitude and effort,” Mull said. “Sometimes we can get complacent, sometimes we can get more or less selfish. But tonight we shared the ball, we were playing team offense, team lacrosse and I’m happy with the result.”

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