High school girls track: It’s the Cougars one more time

Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 3, 2021

Staff report

GRANITE QUARRY — Aaliyah White flew and the Parker girls threw, and Carson’s girls won another North Piedmont Conference track and field championship.

Carson also had taken league championships in 2018 and 2019 before COVID erased the event from the schedule in 2020.

It was a three-team race.

Carson’s 137 points were enough to hold off North Iredell (126) and South Iredell (124).

East Rowan (74), Statesville (56) and West Rowan (21) rounded out the scoring in what will be one of the last events of the NPC as fans have known it. Realignment is coming in the fall, and Carson, East and West will be part of a vastly revised South Piedmont Conference that will include South Rowan, three Cabarrus schools and Lake Norman Charter.

White, a junior, dominated the individual dashes, sweeping the 100 (13.12), 200 (27.75) and 400 (1:02.65). She added a second place in the high jump, so she accounted for 38 of Carson’s points. The scoring system was for six places: 10-8-6-4-2-1.

Carson also ruled the two throwing events, amassing 42 points in the shot put and discus.

Junior Iyonna Parker won the discus with an effort of 101 feet, 2 inches. Evonna Parker was third and Emily Kann added a fifth-place contribution.

In the shot, Iyonna Parker won with a heave of 34-7. Holly Stowe and Evonna Parker gave the Cougars a 1-2-3 finish in the event.

Zoe Holbrook totaled 16 individual points with thirds in both hurdles and a fourth in the long jump.  Makayla Borst racked up 14 points by placing in the 400, 1600 and 3200.

A second in the 4×800 relay also helped the Cougars’ cause.

East’s Carmella Raiti won the 100 hurdles in 18 seconds, with teammate Peyton Whicker placing second. Whicker and Raiti took second and fourth respectively, in the 300 hurdles.

Meredith Bonner was a standout for the Mustangs, taking second in the 800 and 1600.

Kaylyn Lentz placed in all three dashes for West and accounted for 10 of the Falcons’ 21 points.

Statesville’s Karli Townsell won the 1600 and 3200.

Statesville and North Iredell won two relays apiece.

•••

Field Event Athlete of the Year
Iyonna Parker – Carson
Distance Runner of the Year
Karli Townsell – Statesville
Sprinter of the Year
Aaliyah White – Carson
MVP
Aaliyah White – Carson
Coach of the Year
Leslie Ihme – Carson