PEMBROKE – Throughout the season, Richmond Senior High School’s track teams entered each conference meet as one of four competing schools. Each week, the Raiders and Lady Raiders tested their speed and skills against a different combination of athletes from a rotating set of Sandhills Athletic Conference schools.
On Friday, over 300 participants from the conference’s eight schools competed in the 36-event Sandhills Conference tournament held at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Although Richmond only finished fourth in total points in both the boys and girls standings, the Raiders dominated in several events. Overall, the boys tallied 126 points, and Jack Britt won the Championship with 145.5 points. The Lady Raiders picked up 106 points, with Pinecrest High School running away in first with 217 points.
In the boys 100-meter dash, Richmond’s Dante Miller (10.77), Jaleen Baldwin (11.06), Preston Coker (11.08), and Malik Stanback (11.34) all finished in the top five. Hoke County’s Dezwaun Campbell slipped in just ahead of Stanback to finish fourth with a time of 11.33. Miller (21.82), Coker (21.94), and Baldwin (22.23) finished in the top three spots in the 200-meter dash as well.
Other top-five finishers for the boys’ team were Malik Flowers (second in the 110-meter hurdles), Shane Summey (first in the 300-meter hurdles), Jamel Baldwin (third in the high jump), Joerail White (fifth in the discus) and Daryn Mason (first in the shot put).
Perhaps the most impressive performance from the Raiders was in the 4x100-meter relay. Miller, Jaleen Baldwin, Coker and Stanback raced to a 41.68 second finsih, a new school record and according to milesplit.com, that time is currently the fastest in the state in that event this season. The relay team also took first-place honors in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:28.18. That team included Miller, Jaleen Baldwin, Stanback and Flowers.
Miller was also named the SAC’s MVP for the entire 2018 season.
Taliah Wall was the leading scorer for the Lady Raiders’ team. She finished second overall in the 100-meter hurdles, an event that she has performed well in all season. She also holds the school record for in the 100-meter hurdle with the 15.70 second time she posted last season. Wall also took third place in both the long and triple jumps. Kibreeana Stewart also had impressive finishes in the high jump and triple jump – she took second and fourth place, respectively, in those two events.
Other top five finishers for the Lady Raiders were Jakerra Covington (fifth in the 100-meter dash), Dymond McNeal (third in the 200-meter dash), Maddisyn Diggs (fifth in the 200-meter dash) and Tasheka Harrington (fourth in the shot put).
Several of the Raiders and Lady Raiders will now wait to compete in regionals, which will take place on May 11 and 12.
