Southern Wayne senior sprinter Ta’Niyah Glaspie shifts the baton to her left hand and completes the final leg of the 4x2 relay, won by the Saints during the recently-contested 2023 Wayne County Track and Field Championship meet. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Nelson Zunun receives the baton from teammate Jalen Johnson on the final leg of the boys’ 4x2 relay during the WCTF Championship meet held recently at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Jacob Lynch takes off after getting the baton from teammate Gavin Canale during the 4x2 relay during the WCTF Championship meet. The Gators, as a team, posted a program-best fourth-place finish in the annual event. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Nelson Zunun, left, and Southern Wayne’s Daniel Weeks, back, participate in the boys’ 4x8 relay during the WCTF Championship meet ran at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s James Cabrera runs the final leg on the boys’ 4x8 relay during the WCTF Championship meet held at Eastern Wayne. Cabrera and his teammates won the relay in 9 minutes, 33 seconds. Later in the day, Cabrera took gold medals in the one- and two-mile runs. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Ameya Randolph competes in the girls 100 hurdles during the WCTF Championship meet held at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Katie Daniel, left, and teammate Zamya Ingram, back, compete in the girls’ one-mile (1,600 meter) run during the WCTF Championship meet. Also pictured is Rosewood’s Hailey McNabb. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Eva-Kate Davis waits for the starting gun during a heat in the girls’ 100-meter dash in the WCTF Championship meet at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Nathan Jackson races toward the finish line during a heat in the boys’ 100-meter hurdles in the WCTF Championship meet held at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Iyanah Southerland attempts her first throw in girls’ shot put competition during the 2023 WCTF Championship held at Eastern Wayne. Southerland emerged as the county champion in the discus and finished third in the shot put. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Malachi Bass makes his second attempt in the long jump. The senior wound up fifth in the triple jump during the WCTF Championship meet held at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne freshman Dariana Kelly competes in the girls’ long jump during the 2023 WCTF Championship meet contested at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountoivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne junior Jymeer Jones finished ninth in the boys’ long jump during the WCTF Championship meet held at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s foursome, from left, of Bertin Avilez, Henry Gonzales, Nelson Zunun and James Cabrera claimed the 4x8 relay gold medal during the WCTF Championship meet. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Elaina Lane won the silver medal (second place) during the WCTF Championship meet held at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne sophomore Sophia Marshall attempts her first throw in the girls’ discus event at the WCTF Championship meet at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Henry Gonzales takes a breather after running a leg in the 4x8 relay at the 2023 WCTF Championship meet at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Angel Harmon, left, takes the baton from Elaina Lane during the second leg of the girls’ 4x2 relay contested at the 2023 WCTF Championship meet. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Manesse Remedor, right, helps teammate Gabriel Carmack stretch before the 2023 WCTF Championship meet begins at Eastern Wayne. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
GOLDSBORO — Nelson Zunun passed the baton to a teammate, stepped off the track and kneeled down on his right knee.
Seconds later, with clipboard in hand, Spring Creek head coach Ian Combest walked over and told Zunun his split time. A wide grin covered Zunun’s face and the two high-fived each other.
A few minutes later, Combest celebrated again.
Gabriel Cabrera crossed the finish line and sealed the Gators’ first-ever 4×8 boys’ relay gold medal during the 2023 Wayne County Track and Field Championship meet recently contested on an overcast, breezy afternoon at Eastern Wayne.
The foursome of Bertin Avilez, Henry Gonzales, Zunun and Cabrera logged a time of 9 minutes, 33 seconds.
That was just the beginning.
Cabrera secured victories in the one-mile (1,600 meters) and two-mile (3,200) events, which helped vault Spring Creek to a program-best, third-place finish in the annual meet. The Gators amassed 94 points — one-half point ahead of Rosewood.
Eastern Wayne compiled 184 points, and claimed its fourth straight WCTF team crown and eighth overall since 2007. CBA wound up second with 174.5 points.
On the girls’ side, CBA dethroned five-time reigning champ Eastern Wayne. The Golden Falcons tallied 173.5 points, followed by Southern Wayne (151.5), the host Warriors (108) and Spring Creek (51).
Southern Wayne
Senior sprinter Ta’Niyah Glaspie captured four gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and 4×1 and 4×2 relays. Already a regional qualifier in the 100 and 200, she helped the 4×2 squad post a regional-qualifying time of 1:48.4.
Elaina Lane won the 400 run and took silver (second) in the long jump.
Kyren Strong picked up gold in the 300 hurdles (53.8), while teammate Iyanah Southerland returned to Dudley with two medals — gold in the discus (88 feet) and bronze (third place) in the shot put (30-6).
Mia Glaspie-Leach placed second in the 400.
Lenajah Pocknett earned third in the 100 hurdles and finished second behind Strong in the 300 hurdles.
“As coaches, we’ve been demanding an extra ‘push’ from our athletes,” said SW coach Takisha Vann. “They really responded well to the workouts the past two weeks and on meet days. They’re beginning to reap the rewards of their labor.
“[We’re] very pleased with our kids’ efforts. It’s great seeing them PR [personal record] and celebrate with them for their accomplishments.”
Southern Wayne’s boys ended up sixth in the team standings with 28 points.
Senior Malachi Bass, who signed to play football at Elizabeth City State, grabbed fourth place in the long jump. Damian Carmack was fifth in the discus, while Jymeer Jones crossed the line sixth in the 400.
Spring Creek
The Gators racked up a combined 24 medals and recorded 30 PRs between individual and relay events for the boys and girls.
“We spent the last two seasons building a foundation for success and this meet showed that it’s working,” Combest said. “These kids have worked phenomenally hard to build a program with great distance runners, great sprinters, and fast and fluid relay teams. It’s a thrill to coach and watch them.”
The boys’ 4×4 relay grabbed a gold medal. The quartet of Canale, Avilez, Jalen Johnson and Cabrera are knocking on the door for the 2A regional.
Johnson and sophomore Christian Lopez each grabbed a silver medal in the 400 and discus, respectively. Johnson posted a time of 54.6 seconds. Lopez hurled the discus 101 feet, 10 inches.
Zunun was third in the 800.
Spring Creek ended up fourth in the 4×1 relay and fifth in the 4×2 relay.
Maria Melchor picked up the girls’ lone gold medal with a time of 2:48 in the 800 run.
Jacqueline Bravo-Pere was second in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600. Teammate Carmen Montoya placed sixth in the discus.
The Gators’ 4×4 relay earned a silver medal.
“We went up against the whole county and came away winners,” Combest said.
Team Points
Boys
Eastern Wayne (EW) 184, Charles B. Aycock (CBA) 174.5, Spring Creek (SC) 94, Rosewood (R) 93.5, Wayne Christian (WC) 31, Southern Wayne (SW) 28, Wayne Country Day (WCDS) 22, Goldsboro (G) 19, Wayne Prep Academy (WPA) 4.
Girls
C.B. Aycock 173.5, Southern Wayne 151.5, Eastern Wayne 108, Spring Creek 51, Rosewood 28, Wayne Country Day 25, Goldsboro 21, Wayne Prep Academy 10, Wayne Christian 9.
Individual County Champions
Boys
4×8 relay: Spring Creek 9:33; 110 hurdles: Austin Sawkiw (CBA), 15.4; 100 dash: Rahkeem Faison (EW), 10.7; 4×2 relay: C.B. Aycock, 1:34.7; 1600 run: James Cabrera (Spring Creek), 4:46; 4×1 relay: Eastern Wayne, 43.2; 400 run: Jackson Wessell (CBA), 53.9; 300 hurdles : Austin Sawkiw (CBA), 53.8; 800 run: Reece Gary (R), 2:19.9; 200 dash: Faison (EW), 21.9; 3200 run: Cabrera (SC), 10:15; 4×4 relay: Spring Creek, 3:44; Long jump: Clemente Battle (EW), 19 feet, 4 inches; Triple jump: Jacob Semaj Clark-Jon (CBA), 38-8; High jump: Ashton Fields (R) 5-8; Shot put: Jordan Barrett (EW) 46-0; Discus: Barrett (EW) 116-7.
Girls
4×8 relay: C.B. Aycock, 12:14; 100 hurdles: Rachel Key-White (CBA) 14.9; 100 dash: Ta’Niyah Glaspie (SW), 11.9; 4×2 relay: Southern Wayne (Elaina Lane, Angel Harmon, Mia Glaspie-Leach, Ta’Niyah Glaspie), 1:49.4; 1600 run – Mary Martinez (CBA), 6:42; 4×1 relay: Southern Wayne (Lane, Harmon, Glaspie-Leach, Glaspie), 51.1; 400 run: Lane (SW), 1:06.4; 300 hurdles: Kyren Strong (SW), 41.8; 800 run: Maria Melchor (Spring Creek); 200 dash: T. Glaspie (SW), 25.4; 3200 run: Mary Martinez (CBA), 15:05; 4×4 relay: Eastern Wayne 4:58.9; Long jump: Key-White (CBA), 15 feet, 8.25 inches: Triple jump: Alisia Baskerville (CBA) 28-6; High jump: Key-White (CBA), 5-2; Shot put: Trinity Smith (EW), 34-3; Discus: Iyanah Southerland (SW) 88-0.
