Cavs shine on regional track

Published 10:05 pm Friday, February 19, 2016

Lakeland High School’s boys’ and girls’ indoor track and field teams showed they were capable of a lot at the Region 3A East indoor championships on Wednesday at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton.

“They did a marvelous job competing yesterday, and we’re looking forward to having some state champions,” Lakeland activities director Greg Rountree said on Thursday. He noted the school’s young track and field athletes grew up as the season progressed.

The boys’ 4×200-meter relay team for the Cavaliers finished a very narrow second with a time of 1:33.09.

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“I.C. Norcom (High School) beat them at the tape,” Rountree said. “We lost by eight hundredths of a second.”

The Lakeland 4×200 team featured senior Ja’Len Baker, junior Riven Williams, junior Alajuwun Langston and sophomore Deondre Little.

Baker, Williams, Little and freshman Tyriq Rawlings formed the Cavaliers’ 4×400-meter relay team, which placed second with a 3:35.62 time.

Lady Cavaliers senior Kiera Rountree took second place in the girls’ 55-meter dash with a personal record time of 7.36 seconds. She entered the meet with a seed time of 7.4 seconds, which she also bested in the preliminary heat with a 7.39-second time.

She also claimed second in the triple jump with a new personal record. Entering the meet with a seed jump of 35 feet and two inches, she topped it with a 36-foot, 5.75-inch leap.

The girls’ 4×200-meter relay team for Lakeland placed third with a season best time of 1:49.41. The squad included Rountree, senior Teahney Walker, sophomore Enicia Hopes and junior Lauryn Baker.

Cavaliers senior Raekwon Sallywhite came in third in the boys’ 3200-meter run, finishing in 10 minutes and 41.48 seconds. He was the Conference 27 champion this year in the same event.

In the boys’ 300-meter dash at regionals, Ja’Len Baker took third by finishing in 36.23 seconds.

Riven Williams claimed third place in the boys’ 500-meter dash with a time of 1:09.40.

Teahney Walker matched her personal best time of 9.2 seconds in the girls’ 55-meter hurdles during the preliminary heat, and then she improved upon it, taking third in the finals with an even 9-second run.

Greg Rountree also highlighted some other high finishers for Lakeland, including freshman Loren Biggs and junior Deleah Scott.

Though only a freshman, Biggs finished in fourth place in the 55 dash, matching her personal best time of 7.5 seconds.

Scott, who is in her first year throwing the shot, won the Conference 27 championship in the shot put. She placed fifth at regionals with a 30-foot, 7.50-inch throw.

Lakeland’s boys’ 4×800-meter relay team placed fourth at regionals, cutting nearly 24 seconds off its seed time with an eight-minute 41.86-second finish. The team featured Sallywhite, sophomore Travis Copeland, junior Donell Blount and junior Adam Worley.

Lakeland’s qualifying athletes will compete in the Group 3A state indoor track and field championships on Feb. 26 and 27 at Liberty University’s Tolsma Center in Lynchburg.