Milton Track Team Qualifies Many for Sectional Meet

West Forsyth HS

April 25

By Andy Carr

The Milton High School track teams completed their first post-season meet to advance athletes to the next round to qualify for the GHSA State Meet (sectionals) with their team effort at the Region 5-7A competition held at West Forsyth High School April 24-25.

The host Wolverines of West Forsyth (Girls 1st-155 pts, Boys 1st-135 pts) swept the region titles outpacing Lambert in both divisions. Milton (Boys 3rd-104.5 pts & Girls 5th-78.5 pts) had a strong showing but qualified 17 student athletes to the GHSA Sectional meet (the meet that qualifies athletes to the state championship) to be held May 4th at Archer High School in Lawrenceville, GA.

GIRLS

The Lady Eagles were led at the region meet by triple-event qualifier, junior Taylor McQuilken. With winning performance in the 400 meters (1st-1:00.33) a runner-up in the Pole Vault (2nd-10’) and her effort in the 200 meters (4th-27.54), McQuilken will compete in 3 events & also competed in the 4x400m Relay which just missed qualifying (5th-4:18.45) for the sectional meet. Double qualifiers included junior Nyah Hernandez who finished runner up in both the 1600m (2nd-5:22.02) & 3200m (2nd-11:33.62) and senior co-captain Taylor Cushman in both the 1600m (3rd-5:26.18) & 3200m (3rd-11:42.84) as well. Senior Amanda Sanchez advances to the sectional meet in the Discus (2nd-108’5”) and junior Jessica Archer will join her teammates in the 300m Hurdles (4th-50.66) with the top-8 at the sectional meet advancing to the GHSA State Meet the following weekend.

BOYS

Led by junior sprinter Demarrie Taylor, Milton will send (including relay alternates) 12 athletes in 9 different events. Taylor was region champion in BOTH the 100m (1st-10.89) & 200m (1st-22.20) and anchored the winning 4x100m Relay team (1st-42.51) with sophomore Will Marinich, senior Will Bratcher & senior Uriah Mellem.

Taylor also qualified in the long jump (3rd-22’.75”) to account for 28.5 points for the Eagles! Milton had 2 more region champions with senior co-captain Matthew Mazzacano in the pole vault (1st-15’1.25”) and junior Spencer Watry in the 800m (1st-1:58.21)! Other sectionals qualifiers in individual events included double qualifier Gary Halverson. The senior co-captain will advance in BOTH the 800m (4th-2:00.19) & the 1600m (3rd-4:26.55) in a huge personal best performance! Senior Uriah Mellem in the triple jump (4th-40’4.5”) and junior Paul Tchio in the shot put (3rd-46’11.5”) round out the individual event qualifiers. The boys also qualified a team in the 4x400m relay (3rd-3:28.11) with team members Bratcher, Watry and juniors Justin Stewart & Jordan Payton.

The GHSA Sectional meet will be held at Archer High School in Lawrenceville, GA on Saturday May 4th with the top-8 finishers in each event advancing the state meet finals to be held May 9-11 at Berry College in Rome, GA.