Gilmer High track and field was in Cleveland for the Region 7-3A meet to decide who continues their season.
The meet was held last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and the Bobcats placed third in the boys standings with 83 points. The Lady Cats topped out at 37 points for sixth among the girls teams.
At region, a top-four finish was needed to advance to sectionals, and 12 GHS athletes accomplished that feat.
Bobcat senior Will Kiker continued his impressive season by securing a pair of region championships. Kiker’s throw of 144’ 2” in the discus won by just under three feet. The mark supplanted the previous GHS record of 143’ 11” set by Justin Bramlett in 1998. He also won the shot put by over two feet with a heave of 46’ 6 1/2”.
Kiker went on to score team points in the long jump and triple jump as well. His runner-up leap of 42’ 1 1/2” in the triple was followed by a fourth-place mark of 19’ 9 1/2” in the long jump.
The Bobcat duo of Matthew Grice and John Keener landed in third and fourth place, respectively. They both cleared 11’ in the pole vault but Grice needed fewer attempts. Kendall Sanders clocked in at 18.14 in the 110-meter hurdles for fourth place.
The Bobcats’ final sectional berth came in the 4x400 relay. The quartet of Michael Little, James Beach, Christian Sumner and Keener took fourth in 3:48.51.
Lady Cat Taylor McCormick did not have her best day in the high jump, but she was still able to clear 4’ 10” for third place to keep her season alive.
Amayah Jones will also make her way to sectionals in the 200-meter run and shot put. She placed fourth in both events, which included a time of 28.00 and throw of 30’ 8 1/2”.
Jones joined forces with Abbie Elliott, Kayleigh Robbins and Josephine Royer in the 4x100 relay, and they placed fourth in 55.95.
The Lady Cats scored points on nine other occasions, but those placements were not high enough to advance to sectionals.
McCormick was sixth in the triple jump (30’ 8 1/2”) and seventh in the 300-meter hurdles (55.40).
The Lady Cat 4x800 relay team of Liz Gonzales, Sophia Riblet, Stephanie Velasco and Jayla Walker finished sixth in 13:20.42. In the 4x400, Nora Dorsey, McCormick, Robbins and Royer also placed sixth with a time of 5:57.77.
Elliott placed eighth in the triple jump (28’ 11 1/2”) and 100-meter dash (14.50). Abigale Ingle secured the same finish in the 300 (1:03.08) and 100 hurdles (21.41). Royer was eighth as well in the 400 meters (1:09.70).
The Bobcats’ trio of fifth place finishes will serve as sectional alternates and includes Sanders in the 300 hurdles (47.02) and Aspen Hataway in the pole vault (11’).
Also placing fifth were Gilmer’s Little, Keener, Talyn Mesner and Leeland Dantin in the 4x800 relay at 9:04.79.
Bobcat Carson Hughes scored points in both hurdle events. He was sixth in the 110 (18.19) and seventh in the 300 (48.85). Avery Moseley threw the discus 105’ 11” for sixth place. Keener crossed the finish line in the 400 in 55.02 for sixth as well.
Little, Grice, Hunter Britain and Hughes finished the 4x100 relay in 49.44 for sixth. Little, Sumner, Beach and Britain teamed up for seventh in the 4x200 at 1:41.52.
Final boys standings: White County (225 points), Wesleyan (115), GHS (83), Dawson County (76), West Hall (66), Lumpkin County (66) and Pickens (56).
White (223) also won the girls region title and was followed by Wesleyan (169), Lumpkin (88), Dawson (82), Pickens (65), GHS (37) and West Hall (23).
Regions 4, 5, 6 and 7 will head to Atlanta’s Lakewood Stadium Saturday for Class 3A’s B Sectional. Those who finish in the top eight of their respective events will advance to the state meet.