Coach Julie Lillrose’s Hornets won the 2A Midwest Regional championship by 20 points over county rival North Rowan (109-89).

Salisbury, a competitive team all season, had finished second to North in the Central Carolina Conference Meet and second to East Rowan in the Rowan CountyMeet earlier this month.

“This is the first meet of the big meets that we’ve had everybody that we needed. Everybody stepped up,” said Lillrose, who pointed out that some of her athletes were missing when the Rowan CountyMeet was held during the spring break week.

One of the leaders for the Hornets was freshman Anna Griffis, who won the 3200 meters in 12:26.7, finished second in the 1600 in a Rowan County-leading time of 5:33.6 and ran a leg on the second-place 3200 relay team (11:19.7). Griffis also leads the county with her earlier time of 12:23.17 in the 3200.

“She had a wonderful 1-mile race, her best time. We didn’t expect that. The 4 by 8 (3200 relay), we didn’t expect that as well,” said the Salisbury coach. Manita Cole, Hannah Thompson and Anna Cunningham teamed up with Griffis for that second place.

Griffis won the Central Carolina Conference cross country championship last fall, but her most impressive times have been during track season.

“I think I might have worked harder,” said Griffis of her improvement. “I thinkI like the 5K (cross country distance) better. I I like both.”

Now she will be competing as a freshman in three events in the state meet at UNC Charlotte.

“I just want to do my best and get my best times,” she said.

Salisbury won two relays in which it has been strong all season. Manita Cole, PatriciaWashington, Christina Worth and Stephanie Morris had a time of 4:23.4 in the 1600, and Devora Gardin, Morris, Edna Cole and Ternisha Charleston won the 800 relay in 1:49.0.

Depth paid off for the Hornets. Morris contributed two second places in the hurdles behind North Rowan All-American LaTasha Pharr with times of 16.4 in the 100s and 48.2 in the 300s. The Hornets’ Manita Cole, Edna Cole, Gardin and Charleston were second in the 400 relay. Third places went to Gardin in the long jump and triple jump, Akina Moore in the discus, Charleston in the 200, Edna Cole in the 100 hurdles and Manita Cole in the 300 hurdles.

Pharr, as usual, took four first places for North Rowan. She had times of 14.3 and 45.8 in the hurdles, long jumped 17 feet, 1/2 inch and triple jumped 38 feet.

Pharr will now be trying to repeat as a four-event winner in the state 2A meet at UNC Charlotte on Friday. She won three events as a freshman, then swept all four in Raleigh last year.

“I’ll just go into the meet and concentrate on what I’m doing, not get off track — just do what I’ve been doing all three years,” she said.

Her main goal in the state meet will be breaking her personal and Rowan County record of 40-9 1/2 in the triple jump.

“Forty-one five, that’s my goal in the triple jump,” she said, adding that it would be difficult to break her other personal and county records of 13.31 in the 100 hurdles, 44.29 in the 300s and 19 feet in the long jump.

“I feel I can do anything I put my mind to,” she said. “Meets like that brings out the best in me.”

Other winners fromNorth yesterday were Garette Hunter with a discus toss of 101-10 and the 400 relay team of Latrice McCullough, Tiffany Mack, Maria Turner and Moriah Jones with a time of 51.2.

North Stanly’s Jessica Hayes (5:31.6 in the 1600) and Crystal Noll (2:28.8 in the 3200) took first places and teamed up with Emily Coley and Rachel Noll on the winning 3200 relay team (11:02.5).

In the boys meet, the Salisbury and North Rowan boys finished seventh and eighth, respectively, with 35 and 34 points. HighPoint Central won with 81.

Salisbury’s only first place was by Michael Gaus with a county-best time of 4:35.9 in the 1600.

Injury-riddled North was led by Jonquil Walker with a 50.2 clocking in the 400.