All in all, it was a productive and memorable day for Hopewell last Saturday in the 4A state championships at N.C. A&T State University in Greensboro.
“This is something we’ve been working for for a long time,” said Hopewell coach Michelle Lapointe.
Bynum, second in the 200-meter dash last year, won the event in 21.33 seconds, beating Knightdale’s Mar-Keo Jones, the runner-up, by 0.33 second. Jones won both the 100 and 200 state titles last season.
“Anthony did fantastic,” said Lapointe. “He came off that turn and just started moving toward home.”
A year after finishing fifth in the state and a week after taking second in the West Regional, the Titans totaled 38 points for second place honors behind Knightdale (66) and just ahead of third-place Wakefield (37). West Regional champion Vance (sixth, 24 points) and A.C. Reynolds (10th, 20 points) were the only other teams from the western part of the state in the top 15.
“We wanted to be the number one finisher from this area,” said Lapointe.
Bynum also took second in the 100 (10.82), a year after placing fourth in the event.
Titan Brandon Dunford, who was third in the 800 at regionals, placed second in 1:54.68, just 0.08 second behind winner Carl Walton of Northwest Guilford.
“He had a fantastic performance,” said Lapointe.
Regional champion Tyriq Jackson took third in the 110 hurdles (14.56). Hopewell’s 4x100 relay team also took third, with a time of 42.61. Dondré Lewis-Freeman injured his foot in practice last week and was not able to participate. Lapointe replaced him with Mark Hunt, who joined Jackson and Tyjuan Hill on the relay. Then she decided to insert Darius Neely for Bynum, because of the timing of the event in between the 100 and 200 races.
“It was my choice, and it was a gamble,” said Lapointe. “But it worked out well.”
Bynum, Neely, Dunford and Jamal Snipes were 10th in the 4x400 (3:25.39).
Bynum joins elite company
Bynum’s win in the 200 marked just the third individual state champion in Hopewell’s 10 years.
Eric Frasure was the first Titan to earn state gold. He won the shot put in 2003, Hopewell’s second season, with a distance of 55 feet, six inches. He went on to a successful career at East Carolina and now holds world records in the heavy weight (49-10) and heavy sheaf (36-02) Scottish heavy athletics events.
Alphonso Jordan, a three-time All-American in his career at Georgia Tech, won the triple jump in 2006 with a jump of 48-02. Jordan, who completed his eligibility last year, is Georgia Tech’s triple jump record-holder at 53-9.25.
Bynum is bound for the major college level, too. He will compete for Mississippi State.
Hutchinson earns two top-8 finishes
Hopewell junior Cheyenne Hutchinson placed sixth in the 100 hurdles (14.78) and seventh in the long jump (18-00.50) in her first season with the Titans after moving from Florida. She earned all five of Hopewell’s points in the girls’ championship.
“She jumped her best long jump ever, and her 100 hurdles time was pretty good, too,” said Lapointe.
North Meck’s 4x400 relay team of Trikeria Johnson, Melissa Helms, Alyssa Lang and Carol Dukes took eighth in a time of 4:06.73, earning the only Lady Viking points. Wakefield High won the girls’ championship with 70.5 points.
LNC makes splash at 1A regionals
Lake Norman Charter’s first-year track program participated only in mid- to long-distance events this year and at last Saturday’s 1A Midwest Regional in Monroe, but walked away with a third-place boys’ team finish and four first-place medals.
“It was exciting,” said LNC coach Craig Zamiara.
LNC’s Jordan Phillips (10:12.90) and Sarah Hardin (11:58.10) swept the boys’ and girls’ 3,200 events, respectively, and Knight Chris Hack won the boys’ 800 in 2:02.27. Phillips, Hack, Bryant Hooker and Michael Westbay combined to win the 4x800 relay in 8:37.42.
Zamiara said he is pleased with how his team of distance runners has progressed.
“I knew it would be real foreign to them at first,” he said. “Cross country is one race, one distance. (Track) is a lot of different strategy.”
Other state qualifying (top four) performances came via Westbay in the 3,200 (10:15.50), Phillips in the 1,600 (fourth, 4:47.02), the boys’ 4x400 team of Hack, Lee Bobo, Collin Kepley and Erik Venderbush (third, 3:33.60) and the girls’ 4x800 relay of Hardin, Colleen Heberle, Bridgette Siemon and Stephanie Zaino (fourth, 10:40.37).
The Knights were especially strong in the 3,200 events, placing three runners in both the boys’ and girls’ top eight. Hooker was fifth in the boys’ event, while Zaino and Siemon were sixth and eighth in the girls’ race.
Zaino also took fifth in the 1,600, and Heberle was eighth in the 800.
North Rowan hit triple digits in both championships and swept the team titles, combining for 305 points. LNC totaled 53 points for third in the boys’ standings.
The LNC girls were 12th with 24 points.
The Knights will compete in the 1A championships Friday at N.C. A&T State University.
Brown wins two conference titles
Davidson Day freshman Jordan Brown left last week’s Southern Piedmont Athletic Association track and field meet with two first-place individual finishes.
Brown won the 100 in 11.1 and the 200 in 22.1.
DDS teammate Zak Johnston was second to Brown in both events, while DDS’ Mike Stevens was third in the 100.
The relay team of Brown, Johnston, Stevens and Jordan Young won the 4x200.
The NCISAA 1A championships are Friday and Saturday at UNC Charlotte.
