4-A INDOOR TRACK
KNIGHTDALE MEN, WAKEFIELD WOMEN TAKE 4-A INDOOR TRACK;
CARY’S ABUSHOUK WINS THREE INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WINSTON-SALEM— Knightdale held off Cary, clinching the team championship on the final event, to win the men’s title on Saturday night in the 27th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A indoor track and field championships at JDL Fast Track.
Knightdale held a slim lead entering the final event, the 1600 meter relay, but won the event to clinch its second consecutive championship. Knightdale shared the title with Southeast Guilford a year ago.
Knightdale held a 65-54 edge over runner-up Cary, followed by Southeast Raleigh (43), Fayetteville Terry Sanford (31) and Jamestown Ragsdale (23). A total of 50 schools scored points in the men’s meet.
Cary senior Bakri Abushouk, who won the NCHSAA 4-A individual cross country title in the fall, had a tremendous meet, capturing three individual titles to earn Most Valuable Performer honors. He took first place in the 1000, 1600 and 3200.
Jon Beyle of East Chapel Hill broke a 23-year old all-classification record in the shot put with a distance of 61 feet, 10 inches—just short of four feet beyond the old mark. The Knightdale four by 400 relay team finished in a time of 8:01.07, better than four seconds faster than the former overall record.
In the women’s meet, Tyra Lea led Wakefield to its third straight women’s title. Lea won the triple jump and took first in a record time in the 300 meters to earn MVP honors.
Wakefield tallied 80 points to 72 for second-place Southeast Raleigh. Winston-Salem Parkland was third with 32 points, followed by Asheville T.C. Roberson (31) and Cary Green Hope (29). There were 40 schools which scored in the women’s meet.
Sabrina Moore, a senior at North Mecklenburg, was a double winner with victories in both the long jump and the 55 dash. Wakefield’s Kristen Lee cleared 12 feet, six inches in the pole vault for a new all-classification mark.
