Published: 07:54 PM, Sat May 12, 2012
Douglas Byrd teams finish 2nd, 3rd at 3-A Mideast Regional track meet
Douglas Byrd runners Naomi Alston and Frank Quarles both said they'd been working on finishing strong in races throughout the season.
The rest of the Eagles' boys' and girls' track teams must have overheard.
The Douglas Byrd boys finished second in the NCHSAA 3-A Mideast regional track meet, held Saturday at Reid Ross Classical, falling by two points to champ Northern Guilford.
The Eagle girls finished third behind winner Chapel Hill and Cardinal Gibbons.
Both Byrd teams were lifted by a first-place finish in the final track event of the day, the 4x400-meter relay.
The girls raced first. Olivia Lowman and Lydia Patterson, running the first and second legs, respectively, put the Eagles in good position, running a close second behind leader Walter Williams.
Third-leg runner Carlecia Spivey overtook the Walter Williams' competitor to give the Eagles the lead before passing the baton to Alston.
Alston, the defending 3-A state champion in the individual 400, easily held the lead.
Byrd posted a time of 4:05.27, a full seven seconds before the second-place team from Northern Guilford.
Alston had already repeated as regional champion in the 400 meters, getting an early lead on the competition to cruise to victory.
"That's part of my strategy this season," said Alston, who is committed to start at the U.S. Air Force Academy in the fall. "This year, I spread from the pack, then run from the pack, and then spread at the end."
Quarles, who qualifed for the state championship meet with a second-place finish in the 400 meters and a win in the long jump, anchored the boys' 4x400 team, joining Chase Helton, Craven McCormick and Sincere Boykins in the win.
Westover winners
The Westover girls finished sixth with a boost from a strong individual performance by Qizeah Jones.
Jones won the high jump with an effort of 5-foot-2 and finished second in the 100- and 200-meter sprints.
Jones anchored Westover's first-place 4x100 relay team, which beat second-place Eastern Guilford in a time of 50.43.
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.