Telegraph Staff Writer
Both Union County High School boys and girls teams placed first at a March 1 track and field meet, hosted by Chiefland High School.
The boys team scored 160.5 points to top five other schools, while the girls, also competing against five schools, had the top score of 122.
Union won five events on the girls side, including the 4x800m relay, which saw Holly Halfacre, Emma Jeffers, Mackenzie Ring and Kaitlyn Pafford team up to run 12:10.
Jefferson won the 800m with a time of 3:03, while Pafford won the 1600m with a time of 6:42. The Tigers also got wins from Rachel Harris in the 3200m (15:19) and Jaiiah Hatcher in the shot put (25-7.5).
Pafford was the runner-up in the 800m (3:04), while Halfacre was the runner-up in the long jump (13-2).
On the boys side, Malcolm Odum and Martin Odum took first and second, respectively, in the 200m with times of 22.76 and 23.12, while the roles were reversed in the 400m, with Martin winning with a time of 51.29 and Malcolm placing second with a time of 51.32.
Thomas Williams also earned a win in the long jump (19-7), while placing second in both the 110m hurdles (20.62) and the 300m hurdles (50.76). Robert Thomas earned a second-place finish in the high jump (5-2).
Three of the boys relay teams placed second: the 4x100m team of Malcolm Odum, Martin Odum, Tahj Merriex and Daylyn Diston (46.02), the 4x400m team of Malcolm Odum, Martin Odum Brycen Boney and Williams (3:50) and the 4x800m team of Thomas, Konner Rossiter, Adrien Chandler and Joseph Harris (10:12).
The boys team had four third-place finishers: Diston in the 100m (12.05), Boney in the 800m (2:32) and Demarius Williams in the high jump (5-0) and triple jump (32-9.75). Union also had the following fourth-place finishers: Thomas in the 400m (59.10), Jay Parks in the 800m (2:32) and Boney in the triple jump (30-7.5).
Three individuals earned third-place finishes for the girls team: Amia Bethea in the 100m (13.90), Halfacre in the 800m (3:06) and Taleyah Smith in the shot put (24-9.25). The 4x400m team of Ny’asia Jones, Raynie Winters, Jeanette Allen and Celeste Thomas ran a third-place time of 5:23.
The girls team had the following fourth-place finishes: Taliyah Harper in the 100m hurdles (21.31) and Jailyn Simmons in the long jump (12-8).
Thomas placed fifth for the girls in the 400m (1:14), while Deashia Gainer was fifth in the shot put (22-4.5). Melinda Mabrey was sixth in the shot put (21-6.25), while Mia Odum and Ta’riah Hunter were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 200m with times of 31.19 and 31.35. The girls 4x100m team of Odum, Aliyah Smith, Harper and Smith placed sixth (58.76).
Eighth-place finishes were earned by Jeffers in the 1600m (7:25), Pafford in the 400m (1:16) and Jahlivah Woodall in the long jump (12-3).
The boys team had the following earn fifth-place finishes: Joseph Harris in the 1600m (5:56), Daquan Diston in the high jump (4-10) and Williams in the triple jump (30-6.5).
Earning sixth-place finishes were Rossiter in the 800m (2:37), Chandler in the 1600m (6:01) and Daquan Diston in the long jump (17-4) and the triple jump (29-8.25).
Boney placed seventh in the long jump (17-2), while Connor Bresee placed seventh in the discus (70-4).
The boys team also had the following results: 800m — Conner Atwater 2:54; 1600m — Rossiter 6:50, Holden Webb 6:54, Colt Thomas 7:44; 3200m — Davien Pressley 14:50, Atwater 14:56; long jump — Merriex 16-1, Demarius Williams 15-5; shot put — Tucker Baynard 33-7.5, Bresee 33-3.25, Carson Rogers 25-6.75; and discus — Rogers 62-4.
Union had the following additional girls results: 100m — Woodall 14.57, Hunter 14.81, Odum 14.83, Ring 15.69; 200m — Simmons 31.63, Woodall 32.22; 400m — Winters 1:19, Daina Smith 1:26; 1600m — Ring 8:40; long jump — Thomas 10-8; and shot put — Terriana Holton 19-7, Sierra Mohl 16-0.5.
