CHARLOTTE— Samantha Murillo didn’t get a state record in the heat here Saturday, but the Davie County senior wound up a great track and field career as a state champion.
Murillo, after waiting out a delay of about 45 minutes, won the 400 meters in 56.72 seconds in the state 4A meet at UNC Charlotte’s Irwin Belk Track.
“I came in for the state record, but that’s OK,” said Murillo, who signed early with the University of Georgia.
The state 4A mark of 54.35 was set by Demetria Washington of Fayetteville Terry Sanford in 1996.
The delay was caused by a power surge, which knocked out the automatic timing camera at the finish line during the 400-meter relay. One boys heat had to be run a second time after the camera was replaced.
“I was OK mentally,” Murillo said of the delay. “I was listening to music to keep me motivated. The heat would certainly wear you out. It’s still very hot (in the shade).”
Murillo ran for Davie in state meets three of her four years in high school. As a freshman she was fifth in the 400. The next year she took third. She then transferred to Forsyth Country Day and won the 400 in the independent schools state meet.
“We just switched schools, because I had a private coach who got a job at Forsyth Country Day,” she pointed out. “So we went with him. Then we decided to come back, because there wasn’t enough competition in the smaller schools.”
Murillo, who stands 5-foot-3 and weighs “about 100 pounds” did not run in all of Davie’s meets during the regular season.
“Most of the tracks I couldn’t run on, because they’re asphalt, and I’m prone to stress fractures,” she pointed out.
She still came into the meet No. 1 on the North Carolina High School Track Honor Roll (published by Gene Cherry of the Raleigh News & Observer) in both the 400 (55.79) and 800 (2:14.62). An unfortunate incident in the 4A Midwest Regional at Mount Tabor kept her from making the state meet in the 800, which is her best race.
“I was pushed with 200 meters to go by a Mount Tabor girl (Taylor Steelman),” said Murillo. “I believe I could have won two state titles.”
She fell after being pushed and was unable to finish in the top four to qualify for the state.
The 800 was won yesterday by Karen Medlin of Raleigh Broughton in 2:18.79.
Murillo says she expects to run the 800 and 1500 for Georgia, and is aiming to improve her 800 time a great deal under new coach Ben Thomas.
“My goal is to go to the Olympics (in 2004). I hope to run a 2:06 as a freshman, then drop the time by the Olympics.”Her goal is to get in the 1:59-2:00 range.
Murillo accounted for all 10 of Davie’s points with her first place as the War Eagles finished in a tie for 18th.
The highest finisher for South Rowan’s girls was discus thrower Brittney Gaddy, who took third place with a throw of 116 feet, 6 inches. Gaddy finished seventh in the shot put with a heave of 33-8, but was credited with a team sixth-place point since the winner, Kristie Boggan of West Mecklenburg, was not eligible for team points.
South finished in 27th place.
South pole vaulter Amanda Shirley, who holds the county record of 9-9 1/2, wound up seventh after clearing 9 feet.
Nick Propst led Davie’s boys with a fourth-place triple jump of 45-1 1/4. His four points gave the War Eagles a tie for 31st place.
The Most Valuable Participant in the girls meet was R.J. Reynolds’ Bernadette Washington, daughter of former North Rowan star athlete Billy Ray Washington. She won the 200 in 24.57 seconds and took second in the 100 in 12.07.
Washington also helped R.J. Reynolds of the Central Piedmont Conference capture the team title with 62 points to 52 for Southeast Raleigh. The Demons won the final event, the 1600 relay, to break a tie for first.
The CPC also took the boys title with Mount Tabor scoring 54 points to North Mecklenburg’s 44. Mike Loyd of the Spartans was named MVP. He was second in the 110 hurdles, 100 and 200 and ran on Mount Tabor’s second-place 3200 relay unit.
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