Lackey girls thrive outdoors
When the Class 2A state indoor track and field championships came to its end in February, a scant three points separated the Lackey Chargers girls team from a state championship. So when the state outdoor champi- onships rolled around at the end of May, the girls were determined to make up that difference to lay claim to the first state championship trophy in the program’s history.
They did that and then some.
Lackey rolled up 94 points, almost double the total of runner-up Hereford, to earn the 2A state trophy at Morgan State University’s Hughes Sta- dium in Baltimore.
That championship marked not just the first state title in the program’s history, it was the first girls state championship in school history and the first state title of any kind for the school in almost two decades.
Sydney Williams, now a senior, won three state championships (200-meter dash, 100 and 300 hur- dles) to pace the Char- gers at the state meet.
Williams was the cat- alyst behind the Char- gers team title, but her teammates provided ample support. Dominique Jeffery, now a junior, finished second in the 400 (56.16), third in the 200 (25.60) and fifth in the 100 (12.52), while junior teammate Nikiya Mitchell took fourth behind Williams in the 100 hurdles (15.22).
“I was hoping to win my events and take best times,” Williams said. “It is definitely hot and humid on the track, but you try to stay hydrated between races and try not
to think about it once you go out on the track. I was happy with winning my races. My goal all year was to come here and win states.”
Mitchell, Erin Pear- son, Taylor Williams and Destiny Thompson com- bined to finish third in the 800 relay (1 minute 44.53 seconds), while Taylor Williams, Mackaiya Cherry, Pearson and Thompson took third in the 1,600 relay (4:06.14).
“Sydney and Domi- nique both really per- formed well today, es- pecially under these conditions,” Lackey head coach Jimari Jones said. “It’s hot and humid out there. You have to stay hydrated and you have to stay focused. We were hoping Sydney could get a couple of state titles and she’s been able to do that. Then for the team to get one is just great.”
Other state winners from the county were La Plata’s Lillian Reese in the girls 2A long jump (18-8, 3 inches ahead of Lackey senior Amber Conyers), La Plata’s Miles Smith in the boys 800 (1:58.91, just over a quarter of a second ahead of Oakland Mills senior Kelsey White), La Plata’s Alexander Devine in the 2A boys discus (161 feet), Thomas Stone junior Mone’t Peterson in the 2A girls 800 in 2:17.20, 61 and North Point’s Mallorie Smith won the 400 (56.42) in the 4A meet.