Milton Track Will Send Strong Contingent to State Championship

5/4/19

Archer HS

Lawrenceville, GA

By Andy Carr

The Milton High School track teams competed in the state sectionals meet today at Archer High School and will advance many athletes to the GHSA State Track & Field Championships this upcoming weekend at Berry College in Rome, GA.

GIRLS

Led by double-event qualifiers senior co-captain Taylor Cushman (1600m & 3200m) & junior Nyah Hernandez (1600m & 3200m), the Lady Eagles will send 3 total athletes to the state championships in 3 different events. Cushman (1600m-7th 5:20.09, 3200m-6th 11:46.04) & Hernandez (1600m-8th-5:20.64, 3200m-5th 11:42.34) will race on the first 2 days of the state meet and will be joined by junior Taylor McQuilken in the pole vault (4th-8’6”) event that was shortened due to the frequent weather/lightning delays. McQuilken also competed in the 400m (9th-1:00.56) just missing on qualifying for the state meet. Also competing for Milton & concluding their seasons were senior co-captain Amanda Sanchez in the discus (11th-101’4.5”) and junior Jessica Archer in the 300m Hurdles (14th-50.36), a personal-best performance.

BOYS

In a very successful day for Milton, the boys will send a relay team & athletes in 4 individual events to the state meet in Rome. Led by junior Demarrie Taylor, the Eagles will be represented in the sprints, jumps and middle-distance events. Taylor (100m-6th-10.79, Long Jump-7th-21’2”) qualified in 2 individual events and will also run on the school’s 4x100m Relay (5th-42.22) along with senior co-captain Will Bratcher, junior Will Marinich & senior Uriah Mellem. Taylor also competed in the 200m (9th-21.96) just missing advancing to the state meet. Senior Matthew Mazzacano continued his undefeated season in the pole vault even though the event was cut short due to weather/lightning delays. Mazzacano (1st-14’) goes into the state meet as a strong contender to win the title! Junior Spencer Watry (3rd-1:58.21) matched his all-time best in the 800m and also advances to the state meet as the 3rd best in the state! Milton had many others compete at the sectional meet and closed out their seasons in strong fashion. Along with the 4x100, Mellum competed in the triple jump (13th-38'8.25") along with Senior co-captain Gary Halverson who had a busy day with the 1600m (10th-4:30.52), the 800m (14th-2:02.66) and then stepped-up to fill-in on the 4x400m Relay (13th-3:31.71) with Bratcher and juniors Jordan Payton & Justin Stewart to conclude the meet after another weather delay.

The Eagles will compete at the GHSA State Track & Field Championships Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11, at Berry College in Rome, GA. The boy’s team was 5th in 2018 and 4th in 2017.