O’Neal track and field athletes competed at the NCISAA State Championship at Wingate University on May 16.
“The championship was a scorcher – 90 degrees with 60% humidity – and from the first gun, it was clear the meet would test more than just speed,” said the O’Neal School in a news advisory. “It was going to take grit. The Falcons rose to the occasion with standout performances across the board.”
Gavin Rabon led the way with two gold medals and new school records in both the shot put and discus. Chris O’Melia crushed his previous 1600m best by 10 seconds, earning bronze with a time of 4:52. Ashton Coon collected silver in the 200m and stormed to gold in the 400m with a blazing 49.91. Freshman Jamaya Hooker stunned the field with silver medals in the 100m, 200m, and 400m – an incredible achievement in her first championship appearance.
Sam Schmitz ran a massive PR in the 800m, finishing fourth after a thrilling sprint to the line. The 4x800m relay team – Gabe Marrero, Sam Schmitz, Christopher O’Melia, and Alex Gold brought home a third-place finish. Overall, the girls and boys teams took sixth place as a team.
Special recognition goes to Sofie Itegie (long jump), Murphy Stanton, Platon Korobko, Andrew Pavlovich, Dylan Rabon, and Matt Davis (shot put and discus), Hunter Monroe (3200m), and Ava Taylor Walker (3200m and 800m) for competing at the highest level. Nearly every athlete set a personal or school record and pushed themselves – and the competition – every step of the way.
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Contributed article/Photo by Wendy Hodges.
