W?to courtesy of WunlonSelME Prej)
| Uyric Mack with her father, Charles J. Mack.
Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
Aside from
being a state
title contender
in the triple
jump, Llyric
Mack runs the
lead leg of
Prep's 4x100
relay, which is
ranked No. 1 in
the state
HMO coufloy at Winston-Salem Prep
Family members help Mychala Wolfe (center) cele
brate her college signing. At left Lynetta (mother), at
right Michael (father) and brother Mychal (stand
ing).
Next level
from page 61
college," said Wolfe, who has a 3.9 grade-point average.
"I chose North Greenville because they accepted me more
like I was a family member rather than me being a team
mate. I don't want to be in a place where I feel alone and
uncomfortable. Plus, it's a small Christian school, so that
will help me to keep my focus."
Wolfe is confident that the lessons she learned while
playing at Prep under coach Eugene Love will bode well
for her college hoops future. Team unity, she explained, is
the key for any team to play to its maximum capabilities.
"It all comes down to team members spending time
with each other, getting to know one another," said Wolfe,
who will major in sports management. "At Prep, we dis
covered that when the team chemistry is strong, there's
nothing the opponent can do about it."
While Wolfe's high school basketball career is over,
Mack stilt has some unfinished business to tend to before
she's through. A year ago, Mack was the triple jump run
ner-up in the Class 1-A state outdoor championships when
she attended Atkins.
Over the summer she transferred to Prep and continues
to keep her sights set on winning a gold medal in her spe
cialty at this year's state meet. Currently, she's No. 2 in the
NC Runners state rankings for Class 1-A (35-feet-3 inch
es). Mack also runs the lead-off leg on the City-County
champion 4x100 relay, which is also No. 1 in the state
rankings (3133 Seconds).
Coming off a first-place finish in the triple jump at the
Brent Invitational two weeks ago, Mack feels good about
her chances to bring home the gold ffom the state meet. A
key factor in her reasoning is how she's been able to
accomplish her performance goals for every meet she has
competed in.
Right now, 12 Vi inches separate Mack from No. 1
ranked Emma Frye of North Stokes. Frye tops the 1-A
state rankings with a 36-3 Vi.
"The main focus for me is the state championship meet
next month," said Mack, who has a 3.5 grade-point aver
age. "My goal for this season is 36-6. I'D do what I need
to do to keep my No. 2 ranking. At the state, I'm looking
to be at my best, so I can take the title."
One of the reasons that Mack chose Mount Olive is
because of its size (4,200 undergraduates). It's always
been her desire to go to a small college. She'll major in
biology and minor in chemistry to prepare for a career as
a radiologist. "The student-teacher ratio is 15:1," she
explained, "which allows fof tnbre one-on-one woik,with
my professors if I need if."
Photo by Cnig T. Omalee
Cameron Hunter has emerged as one df the team leaders on the Spartans sprint
relays.
CPC
Jtostpap#/
Brent Invitational, things look very prom
ising.
Of the three relays, Mount Tabor has
produced its best outings in the 4x200 and
4x400. At the City-County, die Spartans
posted runner-up finishes in those events,
which helped them to earn the tie with
West Forsyth.
"We don't have a dominant sprinter,"
said Cromwell. "But as a collective group,
they work very well together in the relays.
1 " r
Things have come together very nicely.
We're better in the 4x200 and 4x400
because we have the people who excel in
the long sprints. Right now, we have eight
people fighting for four spotson those two
relays."
The mainstays in the relays are basket
ball player Cameron Robinson, pole
vaulter Timin Sonik, Cameron Hunter and
Malik Chambers. "The other spots are to
be determined," said Cromwell. "Our relay
lineups will change from one meet to the
next. But I feel that we're going to surprise
some people in the 4x400 by the end of the
se^gpn."
Photo by Craig T. Oreeak
Rams teammates
Fawzia Kheir (left)
and Domtila
Kiplagat (right)
delivered a 1-2 fin
ish in the women's
3,000-meter run at
the C1AA outdoor
track and field
championships
held last weekend.
Track
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ran a leg on the 4x400 relay
that placed fourth.
"Those were some
tough nms," said Kheir.
"But I believe in my coach
es and my training. With
me being a senior, I just
want to give it all I've got.
What I want now is to bet
ter my qualifying time for
nationals. My main goal is
to make it to nationals, be
an All-American. I want
my season to end at the
nationals.'
"But what happened
today has made a big
impact. I came here and set
three school records and
had PRs in all of my (indi
vidual) events. So, I know
that I'm working hard and I
know that nothing can beat
God, so the determination
is always there."
The 3,000 quickly
turned into a two-person
affair between Kheir and
teammate Domtila
Kiplagat, who separated
themselves from the rest of
the pack during the early
stages of the race. With a
little less than two laps to
go, Kheir pulled even with
Kiplagat and they ran stride
for stride down the straight
away.
Over the final 400,
Kheir pushed the pace to
take an eight-meter lead
that she would never relin
quish. Kheir crossed the
finish line in 10 minutes,
42 35 seconds and Kiplagat
was the runner-up at
10:4821.
"I hate the 3,000, or any
<5
race that's longer than the
800," Kheir confessed.
"But it's not all about me. I
do it for the team."
Kheir battled Fellan
Ferguson of Johnson C.
Smith from start to finish in
the 1,500 (she ran 4:41.20).
But in the end, Ferguson
won by a margin of a litde
over two seconds. The 800
had a similar outcome to
the 1,500, but Kheir was
rewarded for her efforts.
Ferguson won in 2:07.47,
but Kheir's time of 2:11.74
met the provisional quali
fying standard for the
NCAA Division II outdoor
nationals next month.
The CIAA champi
onships could very well be
the breakthrough experi
ence that WSSU sprinter
TV-Leah Hampton had
been expecting. Hampton
more than held her own
against the league's elites
last weekend. Not only did
she win medals in the 100
and 200, but she also post
ed career-best times in both
events.
Hampton relied on furi
ous bursts in the final
meters of both races. She
was second in the 200
(24.01 seconds) and third
in the 100 (11.86). Her
times at the CIAA meet fur
ther enhance her chances to
advance to the Division II
nationals as a provisional
qualifier.
"Things went really
great for me today," said
Hampton. "I kept telling
myself that I was going to'
get what I wanted (my -
fastest times) and I did it.
I'm extremely happy and
satisfied .with my perform
ance. Right now, I just want
to keep lowering my times
and go to nationals and
win."
With a lot of help from
Kheir and Hampton, the
Rams finished with 1383
points in the chase for the
conference team title.
Johnson C. Smith scored
165 points to win the tro
phy and Saint Augustine's
was second with 156.
On opening day of the
championships, WSSU got
a huge boost when fresh
man Halvandra McNeill
won the javelin with a
throw of 117-feet, 6 inches.
Other noteworthy per
formances were turned in
by Rachel Bonum (second
in the high jump); Tametris
Morrison (second in the
400-meter hurdles); Lyssa
Wallace-O'Neal (third in
the shot put); Rikera
Waters (third in the discus);
and the third-place 4x100
relay team (Jenele Terry,
Hampton, Aaliyah Craft
and Maya Gtier).
"With Fawzia and TV
Leah, we had some great
individual success at the
(CIAA) championships,"
said coach Inez Turner of
WSSU. "It was such a joy
to see things happen with
new school records being
set. What more can I ask
for?
"Now that the champi
onships are over with,
we're going to concentrate
on some individuals to help
them qualify for nationals.
I just want to express my
sincere thanks to everyone
who has supported us. This
has been a pleased season." (