The 2022 GHSA Track and Field State Championships are just over a month away (May 12-14), and those will be at four separate locations, with A Public and 4A (Hugh Mills Stadium), A Private and 7A (McEachern), 3A, 6A and Adapted (Grisham Stadium) and 2A and 5A (Kinnett) divided into the different venues.
The County Championships meets took place two weekends ago, and the rest of the season will feature a lineup of meets in-state and across state lines before the Region/Area schedule concludes April 30. Sectionals will take place the following weekend on May 7, and then the much-anticipated championships will be here.
Spring break for each district varies, so some counties have been off over the last few weeks. There were some notable performances at the fifth annual GA Spring Break Showdown on April 2 in Marietta. Twenty-nine girls programs and 35 boys programs participated, and the Lowndes girls and Marietta boys earned top team finishes.
Lowndes’ top finish was fueled by a memorable performance by Kaniya Johnson, who clocked a first-place 23.60 in the 200 meters and a first-place 11.88 in the 100 meters. Johnson’s 200 time is among the top 10 in the state this year, and her 100 time is among the top 25. Her top finishes earned her female track and field athlete of the week(s) for March 28 to April by ga.milesplit.
The other finalists were the Westlake girls, who set a state record in the 4x200 relays with a blazing 1:36.31. Westminster’s Palmer Walstad broke the 5-minute mark with a 4:59 in the 1,600 at the Spring Break Showdown, and Marist’s Johna Grisik took first with a 2:13 finish in the 800.
North Atlanta’s Amber Jamison landed a 38-foot, 8-inch triple jump to win the Spring Break showdown. Alexander’s Adaejah Hodge won the 400 in 55.34 and also took first in the long jump with a 20-0 ½ at the Beach Run Invitational. Westlake’s Jasmine Harmon earned a top finish with a 13.78 in the 100-meter hurdles at the Arcadia meet.
On the boys side, New Manchester’s Seth Allen made history with a 198-0 throw in the discus, the fourth-best distance in state history. Ridgeland’s Logan Montgomery won the shot put at the Gordon Lee Invitational with a 60-0, and Southeast Bulloch’s James Hodges cleared 14-8 in the pole vault to win the Rebel Invitational. Creekside’s Dainsus Miller won the Need for Speed triple jump with a 48-8 ¾, and Westminster’s Malik Mixon clocked a 4:11 finish in the 1,600 at the GA Spring Break Showdown.
Shiloh’s Christion Barker has led the Generals this season and captured a top finish in the 300 hurdles with his 37.06 to take the Gwinnett County Championships. Additionally, Heritage’s Rashun Fountain took top finishes in the 100 and 200 at NewRock with a 10.54 and 21.10, respectively. Southwest DeKalb posted a 1:26.66 in the 4x200 meter relay, marking the ninth-fastest time in state history.
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