The 2024 GHSA Track is heating up and will be the second half of last year’s historic season that reshuffled the classifications and led to first-time state champs and new rivalries. Last year, Westlake swept Class 7A state titles for the second time in state history (2017). The boys were fueled by top finishes in the 4×100 relay, 400 meter dash and 4×100 relay to accrue 60 total points—edging second-place Walton and Buford—who tied with 46 points each. The girls accumulated 73.33 points to top second-place Marietta’s 70 and Brookwood’s 62. This is Westlake’s third all-time boys state title and seventh girls title. In Class 6A, the Hughes boys won their first-ever state title and the Woodward Academy girls captured their fourth all-time title and second since 2021.
The Dutchtown boys dominated Class 5A with 99 points to runner-up Tucker’s 51 and got top finishes in the 4×100 meter and 4×200 meter relays. Greater Atlanta Christian took the girls title with 61 points and won the program’s fifth all-time state title in the process. Defending state champion Southwest DeKalb won its 12th all-time state title in Class 4A and the Westminster girls also defended their title and won their fourth championship.
In Class 3A, the Sandy Creek girls won their first-ever state title and allowed the Patriots to sweep for the first-time in history as the boys picked up their fourth all-time championship and first since 2015. Class 2A saw Athens Academy win its first-ever boys state title, while Landmark Christian captured its ninth state crown. The Mt. Pisgah boys took Class A Division I for their first-ever championship and Athens Christian won its fourth all-time boys championship. Class A Division II was swept by Montgomery County as the boys won a third all-time title and the Lady Eagles captured their first in program history.
This season has already showcased emergent stars and the Druid Hills relay team opened the month of March with a record-setting performance at the MTFXCCGA Invitational at McEachern. The Westlake girls earned a top finish with 69 points and were closely trailed by Hillgrove (68.07) and North Atlanta (61.07). On the boys side, Hughes (98) earned first and topped Shiloh (85) and Tucker (81). Druid Hills set a new state-record in the 4x100 meter with a 45.14 finish and then lowered its record at the Christian Coleman Invitational with a 44.84. The Druid Hills girls earned a runner-up finish at state last year in Class 4A to Westminster. Sanaa Frederick was a huge part of Druid Hill’s strong season and has since graduated and enrolled to run track at UGA. Westminster returns senior Grace Smith—a USC-commit- that won state in the 110 and 330 meter hurdles last season.
The Mill Creek girls and Brookwood boys took first in the North Gwinnett Twilight track and field meet on Saturday. Mill Creek won the girls division with 222 points, well ahead of runner-up St. Pius’ 112. North was third at 104. Brookwood’s boys tallied 166 points to get past runner-up Denmark’s 158 and third-place Mill Creek’s 138. North was fourth at 119. First-place finishers for the Mill Creek boys were the 400 relay (41.93), Lawson Kary (110 hurdles, 16.26), Jeremiah Schine (discus, 135-8) and Holden Cammarata (3,200, 10:01.59). Collins Hill’s Jameson Pifer won the boys 1,600 (4:17.26) and North’s Haydn Hermansen won the boys 800 (2:00.23).
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