D-B sweeps 4x800 titles, several others All-State at Class AAA state meet

KNOXVILLE — It might've started off as a miserable Thursday at the University of Tennessee's Tom Black Track as several rounds of rain made the field events a slog at the TSSAA Class AAA outdoor track and field championships, but Dobyns-Bennett came out smelling like a rose by the end. The top eight in each event received all-state honors. Four overall state records were broken in addition to two other meet records. The Tribe started off the running events with not one but two emphatic wins in the 4x800-meter relay, becoming the first Northeast Tennessee school to sweep the titles. The girls pulled off the upset of heavily-favored Brentwood, running a school and Northeast Tennessee record 9:12.06. The squad of Mattea Mazzilli, Tiesha Turner, Carlee Cradic and Gigi Venzon held the lead nearly from the outset and brought home the gold medal to Kingsport. "It feels amazing (to win) because we've all worked really hard to get this," Turner said. "We had a plan and we pushed through. It feels even better that our hard work finally paid off." Cradic, who came to track later than any of the other three, added that the team chemistry is something that they're proud of. "I came to track late and I'm not really as experienced as them," Cradic said. "They all just took me under their wing and pushed me through the entire season." Venzon, who anchored the relay, was more than ecstatic when she was coming down the home straightaway and clear of anyone that could threaten their hopes of gold. "It was an awesome experience and I really think it was a combination of the last three years running together and a strong, experienced group. This is a memory I'll cherish for the rest of my life," Venzon said. Mazzilli led off, but did not run scared even though Brentwood and several other fast teams were chasing her from the gun. "I was really nervous, but I knew that God had at the end of the day and I knew what I was capable of," Mazzilli said. "I went out there and gave it everything I could and that helped calm my nerves a lot." Not 15 minutes later, the boys crossed the finish line first with Lucas Minani, Dixon Armstrong, Drew Emmette and Elijah Williams. The Indians battled nearly all the way to the line with pre-meet favorite Daniel Boone. Williams pulled away in the final 200 from Boone anchor leg Fisher Battel to come away with a second gold medal in the last three years. The Trailblazers finished second in 7:47.84 in what was the most thrilling race of the day. The Lady Indians came away with a fourth-place finish in the girls standings, racking up 46 points. Collierville repeated in dominating fashion, scoring 161 to beat out Bartlett by 91. The Lady Indians finished off the meet with a fourth-place showing the 4x400 relay, clocking 3:56.94. The boys team finished in 10th with 25.25 points. Brentwood won a close team title with 48 points over Nolensville (44). On the girls side locally, Science Hill's Caroline Hale had a standout day, finishing fourth in the 100 hurdles (14.44) while D-B's Eden Cradic was fifth (14.69). Cradic came out later and was fourth in the 300s in 44.47. In the distance events, D-B's Turner was third in the 800 (2:12.70) while Venzon was fourth (2:15.10) and Mazzilli was eighth (2:17.01). Science Hill's Lorraine Hunter was sixth (2:16.87). Teammate Mahri Layne was seventh in the 1,600 (5:16.11). The Science Hill girls 4x100 relay team of Ibi Ekefre, Caroline Hale, Emma Rhea and Kenzie Moore was fifth (48.38). The Lady Hilltoppers also were fifth in the 4x200 as Hale, Rhea, Moore and Castle Baines ran 1:42.50. Tennessee High's Keaton Romans was sixth in the 300 hurdles, crossing the line in 45.41. For the boys, Williams had a strong finish in the 800 to get runner-up in 1:53.25. Teammate Eamon Ailshie was third in 1:54.11 with a strong finish, going from seventh to the bronze medal in a little over 250 meters. Daniel Boone's distance squad had a strong showing as Battel was sixth in the 1,600 (4:27.07) and Gavin Christian was seventh (4:27.71). Dylan Robinson had a strong showing for the Blazers in the 3,200, nabbing third (9:30.94). In the hurdles, D-B's Alex Vasquez was eighth in the 110s (14.89). Daniel Boone senior star athlete Aaliyah Story had a tough morning session, but she braved through it and came out with a runner-up finish in the high jump with a best clearance of 5-2 and having a clean sheet until she got to 5-4. She also finished fourth in long jump with a best of 18-4. To start off a rainy morning, Science Hill's Max Reece finished second in the discus with a best of 161-8. He was leading through the first two rounds before a steady rain set in and pretty much derailed the competition. Hendersonville's Brock Murray won the event with a throw of 168-3. David Crockett's AJ Wynn also had a solid day despite the rain, nabbing fifth with a best of 155-10. Tennessee High's Ashton Blair led a strong local contingent in the girls shot put, finishing third (39-0.25). D-B's Sally McReynolds was fifth (36-1.5) and teammate Zymiria Horton was seventh (35-0.5). Blair came back later in even tougher conditions to nab fifth in the discus (108-8). In the pole vault, junior Heath Swaggerty finished fourth in a personal-best — by nearly two feet — of 14 feet and was just three inches off the school record. D-B's Jack Venzon finished in a four-way tie for eighth (12-0). Notably, Memphis Central senior Miles Nesmith broke his own state meet record in the triple jump with a monster leap of 52-8. Nesmith — ranked No. 1 in the country in event and holds the state record — is bound for Kansas State in the fall. Brentwood's Cameron High set the state meet record in the 110 hurdles, clocking a swift 13.69. The Bruins also broke the state record in the boys 4x100 relay, clocking 40.79. James Lawson of Nashville broke its own state record in the girls 4x100 relay with a finish of 45.99. Collierville also broke its own state record in the girls 4x400 relay in a blazing 3:47.24. Collierville's Ava Williams broke the state record in the pole vault with a clearance of 13-9. Before the main state meet even started, Knox Halls senior and Virginia-bound stud athlete Brody Foster broke the meet record in the decathlon, scoring 7,506 points at the event held last week at Hardin Valley Academy. The previous record of 7,324 was set in 2016 by Brentwood Academy's George Patrick. In the pentathlon, Tennessee High's Keaton Romans finished third with 3,245 points. Collierville's Webb won easily with 3,803, beating out her next closest competitor by over 150.