Beaufort sweeps way to dual titles at county track championships

Jahniya Lynch led a 1-2-3 Beaufort sweep of the girls’ 100 meters and Keyasha Brown did likewise in the 100 hurdles as the Eagles kept both team titles on home turf during Wednesday’s Beaufort County championships.

Brown was a double winner, also capturing the triple jump, while Tatyanna Fripp won the shot put and was runner-up in the 100 meters. The Eagles also got wins from Taylor Johnson (high jump), Shiala Chaplin (long jump) and their 4x100 relay to easily outpace Battery Creek for the team crown.

The Beaufort boys also produced a sweep on the way to team honors, with Orion Murray setting the pace as the Eagles took four of the top five slots in the long jump. Kyliek Middleton (400 meters), Reggie Jones Jr. (400 hurdles) and Desmond Gaillard (high jump) also captured their events, along with the 4x400 relay.

Battery Creek’s boys produced nearly as many event wins, coming from Eddie Dean (100 meters), Jonathan Witt (110 hurdles), Tyrone Washington (triple jump) and its 4x100 relay. But the Dolphins couldn’t match Beaufort’s depth, as the Eagles finished with 177 points to BC’s 107.

Colleton County took third with 74 points, nosing out May River (73).

Battery Creek won a tight battle for second in the girls’ meet, with 106 points to Bluffton’s 104 and Colleton County’s 102. GiGi Forehand’s victory in the discus was the Dolphins’ only event win.

Bluffton’s Judaah Mitchell was the only double winner among the girls, capturing both the 200 and 400 meter crowns.

May River’s girls dominated the distance events, including Emma Dewey’s victory in the 3,200 meters less than 12 months after suffering two broken vertebrae in a highway accident that killed her friend and teammate Grace Sulak.

The Sharks also got wins from Emma Peluso in the 800 meters and Madison Lewellen in the 1,600.

Other individual winners in the boys’ meet included Whale Branch’s Cam Wilson (shot put), Bluffton’s Armando Jimenez (800 meters) and May River’s Melvin Livermon (200 meters).

This story was originally published April 20, 2017 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Beaufort sweeps way to dual titles at county track championships."