KF track makes regional impact

Published 8:08 pm Saturday, February 20, 2016

The King’s Fork High School girls’ and boys’ indoor track and field teams added to their list of state qualifications while creating other highlights at the Region 4A East championships on Thursday at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton.

Placing the highest at regionals out of any individual or relay team from King’s Fork was the Lady Bulldogs’ 4×200-meter relay squad, which took second with a time of 1:49.04, qualifying it for states.

The squad featured sophomore Ayshia Allen, sophomore Kaia Young, senior Shakirah Allen and senior Rayona Tyler, and it also won the Conference 17 championship with a time of 1:49.99.

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King’s Fork’s boys’ 4×400-meter relay team of senior Tory Myrick, junior Lawrence Smith, senior Cameron Santouse and junior Roosevelt Huff took fourth at regionals with a 3:37.10 time. The school’s 4×400 squad had already qualified for states before Thursday.

Lady Bulldogs senior Diamond Robinson broke the school record in the girls’ triple jump with a 35-foot, 2.5-inch leap that gave her fifth place and qualified her for states in the event.

Rayona Tyler, who qualified for states in the long jump the week prior, qualified in the girls’ 55-meter dash at regionals, where she placed fifth with a time of 7.57 seconds.

Lawrence Smith finished the boys’ 300-meter dash in 37.11 seconds on Thursday, placing sixth, which qualified him for states.

The Bulldogs’ 4×200-meter relay team placed seventh, finishing in one minute and 35.28 seconds. The team had made the cut for states prior to regionals. On Thursday, the squad consisted of senior Thomas Jones, sophomore Nasir Davis, Tory Myrick and sophomore Lance Smith.

At the Conference 17 championships, a Bulldogs’ 4×200 team of Jones, Lawrence Smith, Lance Smith and freshman Alonzo Copeland took second with a time of 1:34.34.

Kaia Young placed seventh at regionals in the girls’ 300-meter dash, finishing in 44.03 seconds.

Prior to regionals, King’s Fork had produced conference champions in four different events, including the girls’ 4×200-, 4×400- and 4×800-meter relay teams.

The 4×400, which won the conference title with a 4:28.22 time, featured Ayshia Allen, Kaia Young, Diamond Robinson and Shakirah Allen.

The 4×800, winning the Conference 17 title with a time of 11:15.75, included sophomore Clyphina Hill, Diamond Robinson, junior Tatiana Prioleau and junior Paige Summers.

Shakirah Allen was King’s Fork’s lone individual conference champion, winning the girls’ 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.7 seconds. She will represent KF at states in that event, as well as the 4×200.

King’s Fork will have 14 athletes in action at the Group 4A state indoor track and field championships that are set for Feb. 26 and 27 at Liberty University’s Tolsma Center in Lynchburg.