-
The Lady Devils are the 2023 1A/2A Indoor Track Champions after competing this weekend at the state championship.
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
The Swain County women’s track team beat Cummings 83-61 to take home a back-to-back victory at the NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor Track & Field State Championships on Saturday, Feb. 11.
The Lady Devils performed especially well in the distance categories.
Arizona Blankenship took two individual victories, getting a time of 5:12.72 in the 1,600 meters and 11:42.44 in the 3,200 meters.
Meanwhile, senior Amaya Hicks won the 1,000 meters in 3:10.84.
The girls also won their first 4x800 state title with Gracie Monteith, Annie Lewis, Hicks and Blankenship taking part, bringing a victory in 10:13.33.
Swain County’s Matthew Gray was notable in the men’s competition, winning a pole vault event with 16 feet, six inches - a new NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor record over 16 feet and zero inches set by Kenneth Byrd of East Burke in 2022.
Amelia Rogers also won indoor pole vault.
Coach Keith Payne said he’d taken his time writing back to the Smoky Mountain Times about the event because he needed a few days to “come down off the cloud.”
“I am proud of how well my girls handled the pressure,” he said. “People are starting to think that what we do is easy... nothing is farther from the truth. People don't see the hours, the miles, the blood, the sweat, the sore muscles, the cold mornings and wet afternoons, and the pain they endure day after day in an effort to defend these titles.”
Payne called this “the most difficult championship” the team has won thus far, saying other teams have been starting to train to beat the Lady Devils.
“They are looking for weaknesses in our team and starting to train to beat us in these areas,” he said. “They are starting to train their teams and build their programs the way we have built ours.”
The ability for a small, 1A school like Swain to compete so well against 2A schools can’t be overemphasized.
“It was thought for years that no 1A team would ever win the 1A/2A Indoor State Championship,” Payne said. “The meet is just too big with too many prized 2A programs for a small school ever to win this meet. Last year, we proved them wrong with a 1-point victory. This year, we won by 22.5.”
The success of the Lady Devils should not overshadow how well the Maroon Devils performed. The future is only getting brighter for them as well.
“The boys also scored more points than any boy's indoor team in school history and placed higher than any team in school history with an 8th place finish, only 6 points out of 3rd,” explained Payne. “The boys are on the right path for success, and I see a state title soon for them.”
In this meet, the top four placers earn All-State Status. The following are Swain’s All State Performers:
Amaya Hicks: 4x800, 1000, and 4x400.
Gracie Monteith: 4x800
Arizona Blankenship: 4x800, 1600, and 3200
Annie Lewis: 4x800, 4x400
Sienna Hackshaw: 4x400
Marlee Hicks: 4x400
Amelia Rogers: Pole Vault
Alden Thomas: Pole Vault
Gracie Sutton: High Jump
Boys:
Matthew Gray: Pole Vault (State record)
Connor Brown: 4x800
Connor Lambert: 4x800
Abhi Patel: 4x800
Kane Jones: 4x800