The Georgia High School Association state track and field meets begin this week, and several local competitors secured a spot in their respective classification’s meet with their performance at sectional meets, which were held Saturday.
The top eight finishers in each event in each classification at sectional meets earned a spot at state.
Dalton athletes to compete in 5A meet
Dalton’s track and field athletes competed in the Class 5A Section B meet in Jefferson on Saturday.
Emma Hefner, who earned the Region 7-5A triple jump championship, qualified for the state meet by placing eighth in girls triple jump. Kameron Staton placed sixth in boys long jump to move on to the state meet, and Sawyer McKeehan was eighth in boys pole vault, grabbing a spot in the state meet.
Kenneth Escobar also qualified for state in ambulatory shot put.
The Class 5A state meet begins Thursday at Kinnett Stadium in Columbus.
Northwest, Southeast both send participants to state meet
Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield both boasted state qualifiers after the Class 4A Section A meet in Carrollton on Saturday.
Northwest’s Emily Lane finished fourth in girls discus, punching her ticket to the 4A meet that begins Thursday in Albany. The Northwest boys 4×800-meter relay team — consisting of Ben Cleek, Harrison Daniel, Gavin Ollis and Gage Voyles — took sixth place to grab a spot at state. Ollis also qualified with a fifth-place finish in 800-meter run, and Voyles is headed to Albany with a fifth-place finish in high jump.
The Southeast Whitfield 4×800-meter boys team finished just ahead of Northwest in fifth, also sending the group of Kevyn Chavez, Jorge Paredes, Christian Rivera and Johnny Silverio to the state meet.
Chavez also qualified for state with an eighth-place finish in 3,200-meter run, while both Paredes and Rivera will compete at state in the 800-meter run, taking seventh and eighth at sectionals, respectively. Jesse Watkins nabbed second place in 110-meter hurdles to advance to Albany and finished eighth in 300-meter hurdles.
The Southeast girls 4×800 squad (Carla Gaspar, Desiree Nava, Sandybel Ramos and Julie Ruiz) is also headed to state with an eighth-place finish.
Alexys Hines finished eighth in girls 100-meter hurdles, and Ramos will compete at state in 800-meter run after an eighth-place finish at sectionals.
Creek’s Dominguez, Wiggins qualify for state
At the Class 3A Section A meet in Columbus on Saturday, Coahulla Creek’s Manny Dominguez and Robbie Wiggins both put up performances that netted them a trip to the state meet in Albany starting Thursday.
Dominguez finished fifth in the boys 200-meter dash. Wiggins placed seventh in boys shot put and eighth in discus to advance in both categories.
Murray, North Murray competitors advance to 2A meet
Murray County’s Kylee Johnson and North Murray’s Rachel Schmidt and Keyla Young will compete at the Class 2A state championship meet at McEachern High School in Powder Springs starting Thursday.
Johnson was the seventh-place finisher in girls discus at the 2A Section B meet in Rockmart on Saturday. Young is headed to state in both girls triple jump (fourth) and Long jump (seventh), while Schmidt placed seventh in girls 400-meter dash.
Christian Heritage’s Voiles reaches state meet
Mollie Voiles will represent Christian Heritage School at the Class A Division II state meet in Columbus on Thursday.
Voiles punched her ticket with a seventh-place finish in girls discus at the Section B meet in Evans on Saturday.