Congratulations to the John Paul II boys track and field team, which finished a program-best second in the CPIC meet on Thursday at UNCW. The Saints use their dominance in the sprint events to total 106 points and place behind only two-time defending state champion Coastal Christian. JPII swept the top five spots in the 100 and the top four in the 200, and also won the 4X100 and 4X200 (school-record 1:36.87) relays. In the 100, Percy Shorter, Hiet Zell, TT Moore, Jamal Biggs and James Carmack were first through fifth, and in the 200 the top four finishers were Shorter, Carmack, Zell, and Biggs. Zell, Moore, Carmack, and Shorter comprised the 4×100, and the 4×200 was composed of Zell, Biggs, Keegan Jones, and Carmack. JPII was second in the 4×400 (school-record 3:54.63) and 4×800 (school-record 9:07.04) relays. Michael Dunn, Nathan Wright, Gabe Lewis, and Jones were on the 4×400, and Wright, Dunn, Michael Spong, and Lewis were on the 4×800. Jones won the 400 in a school-record 52.89 seconds, with Dunn taking fifth. Other school records were set by Moore in the long jump (20-11) and triple jump (40-11), and Caleb Stahl in the shot put (39-11) and discus (118-3). Also scoring were Liam Lewis (3,200, sixth), Carson Koesters (shot put, sixth), Armando Perez (discus, sixth), Shorter (high jump, fourth), and Spong (long jump, sixth).
The girls team got three first-place finishes from Aaliyah Hinnant on the way to finishing third. She set a school record in the 200 (26.99) and also won the 100 and 100 hurdles. Ari Atkinson was fourth in the 100 and long jump, Noemie Drouadaine was third in the 3,200, Vanessa Cabello was fourth in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles, the 4×100 relay of Laci Bitterman, Avery Respess, Samiah Barnett, and Kayla Ball was fourth, Rissa Moore was fifth in the discus and sixth in the shot put, and Bitterman was fourth in the high jump.
The Saints will take a large contingent to the NCISAA Division 2 state meet May 16-17 at Gaston Christian in Gastonia.
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