Five area athletes brought home the gold on Thursday, as GHSA state track and field championships got under way at three different venues.
Flowery Branch's Taniyah Worth, North Hall's Devan Crow, Buford's Kimberly Harris, Commerce's Kate Massey and Rabun County's Guy Gober each climbed to the top of the medal podium in their respective venues.
Worth, who is headed to Alabama on a basketball scholarship, claimed the girls Class 5A high jump, clearing 5-feet-4 in the meet in Carrollton.
At the same meet, the Lady Wolves' Harris won the long jump with a leap of 20-2.5
Meanwhile, Albany's Hugh Mills Stadium saw plenty of impressive performances from northeast Georgia-based athletes including Crow, who ran down the boys 1,600 meter title. The Trojans standout finished in 4:26.91
Area runners dominated the day, in fact, as Massey claimed the Class A Public girls 3,200 meters in 13:02.48. And Rabun County's Gober clinched the Class AA boys 1,600 in 4:31.00.
State meets will continue through Friday and Saturday.
There were numerous other top eight finishes for area athletes around the state on Thursday, including:
CLASS 5A (Carrollton)
Buford
Kimberly Harris, first, girls long jump (20-2.5)
Sierra Sieracki, fourth, girls high jump (5-2)
Flowery Branch
Taniyah Worth, first, girls high jump (5-4)
Ashley Thomas, sixth, girls triple jump (36-5.25)
Erika Plummer, fourth, girls 1,600 (5:12.63)
Shannon Hoolahan, seventh, girls 1,600 (5:18.02)
Collin Kilgore, seventh, boys 1,600 (4:28.23)
CLASS 3A (Albany)
Dawson County
Jenna LeCours, sixth, girls 3,200 (12:32.99)
Carlos Keller, second, boys high jump (6-4)
Cooper Freeman, third, boys pole vault (12-6)
Christopher Shelp, eighth, boys 1,600 (4:35.34)
East Jackson
Shane Shelafoe, seventh, boys 1,600 (4:34.17)
Jackson County
Seth Caylor, second, boys pole vault (13-0)
North Hall
Morgan Mize, eighth, girls 3,200 (13:11.00)
Devan Crow, first, boys 1,600 (4:26.91)
Union County
Zoe Sanchez, fifth, girls 3,200 (12:32.85)
CLASS 2A (Albany)
Banks County
Jackson Ramey, second, boys discus (140-3)
Sean Hall, third, boys pole vault (11-0)
Jimmy Cochran, fourth, boys 1,600 (4:42.30)
AJ Davidson, eighth, boys pole vault (10-6)
Rabun County
Guy Gober, first, boys 1,600 (4:31.00)
Grayson Mitchem, fifth, boys pole vault (11-0)
Trent Miller, seventh, boys pole vault (11-0)
CLASS 1A Public (Albany)
Commerce
Kate Massey, first, girls 3,200 (13:02.48)
Brittany Webb, fourth, girls 3,200 (14:19.20)
Greyson Burke, second, boys pole vault (12-0)
Tucker Flint, third, boys pole vault (12-0)
JJ Morris, third, boys 1,600 (4:52.34)
Shannon Segars, third, boys long jump (20-11.5)
Brandon Morris, fifth, boys 1,600 (4:55.53)
Easley Smith, sixth, boys discus (124-7)
