41st Mason Dixon Games

The 41^st Annual Mason Dixon Games Indoor State Track & Field Championships featured 2245 athletes, middle school and high school, undoubtedly one of the largest high school/middle school athletic events in Kentucky.

In Class AAA the feature race of the day had two of the country's top sprinters going head to head. Tyson Gay of Lafayette was ranked #2 in the country at 60 meters and Ben Kittleson of Oldham County was #5. Kittleson exploded out of the blocks and led by a meter at the 30 meter mark. Gay blew open the last 25 meters to win in 6:37(#2 time in the nation at 55 meters) to Kittleson's 6.42(#10 in the nation). Gay came back and led off Lafayette's winning 4x200 relay team and finished up the triple with a come from behind 52.96 win in the 400 meter dash. St. Xavier's Bobby Curtis broke Daviess County's David Christian's record in the 1500 in 4:02.3 (ranked #2 in the nation at 1500 meters). St. X's Drew Traub in the shot put(50-8.5) and sophomore Chip Heuser in the pole vault (14-0) helped the Tiger's to a runnerup finish behind Henderson County. Wes Alexander won the 55 hurdles(7.94) and Seth Woodward won the high jump (6-4) plus both running on the 4x200 and 4x400 2^nd place relays to help the Colonels to the state championship 66-59.5 over St. X. South Oldham's Isaac Lafond broke the state record in the 3000(8:50.8) which ranks him #9 in the country.

Ballard's girls in Class AAA swept the three relays (1:52.4, 4:19.3, 10:03.8) by wide margins and added wins by Denasha Mondy in the 55 (7.32), Rosalind Goodwin in the triple jump(34-10) and Jordan Wagenseller in the 800(2:25.6) to outdistance South Oldham 84-62.5. Alli Sauer of South Oldham repeated as double winner in the 1500(4:51.31- a new state record) and 3000(10:35.4). Sauer also ran on South Oldham's second place 4x800 and 4x400 relays. Daviess County's Jacey Hughes raised her state record in the pole to 10'1".

Class A results showed the effect of this year's realignment with Fort Knox boys topping Frankfort 80-61. While Fort Knox won only the triple jump(Jamal Folks , 46' 6.50" Class A record jump on his final jump) and the 4x400 Relay(3:44.5), seconds by Brian Redwine in the 55(6.88) and 400(56.4), Torian McLaurin in the 55 Hurdles(9.04) and the 4x200 Relay helped lock up the team title. Double winners included Brown's Jon Walker in the Long jump(21-5) and high jump (5-8), and Michael Congleton of Owsley County in the 1500(4:21.2) and 3000(9:55.9).

Perennial power Bishop Brossart held off Frankfort 96-75 with wins by Sarah Smith in the 55(7.83), Staci Bertram in the 800(2:36.2), Jennifer Hartig in the Pole Vault(new Class A state record 9') and 4x800 and 4x400 relays wins. Frankfort was led by Jackie Gordon's win the the 400 (1:00.6, fastest time of the entire meet in the 400). Sarah Cole of Somerset (1500 m-5:18.5 and 3000m 11:31.7) and Fort Knox' Skye Bennett (triple jump 32-11.25 new Class A record and 55 hurdles (9.48)) and Kelley Bowman of Berea (high jump 5-4 and long jump 15-4) were double winners.

Class AA boys team results came down to the final event, the 4x400 relay. Going in to the event Fleming County nursed a nine point lead of Boyle County and Paducah Tilghman 54-45. Fleming County needed a seventh place finish to win outright and Boyle and Tilghman had to win the event. Tilghman and Boyle County changed leads a number of times over the course of the race. Boyle County, with Casey McCoy, Nate Canavera, Chaz Garcia, and anchor stick Matt Miller, held off Tilghman 3:49.2-3:51.3. Fleming County finished 8^th to pick up 1 point and tie Boyle County for the state championship. Miller also won the 55(6.71). Fleming County won only one event. Brian Edwards on the pole vault(12-6). Double winners included Andre' Perry of Tilghman (triple jump 46-1.75 and long jump 21-7) and Brandon Lancaster of Muhlenberg North in the 1500(4:15.1, new AA state record) and 3000(9:16.4).

Paducah Tilghman's girls rode the strength of the sprinters and jumpers to top Rockcastle County 77-65.

Temi Okojie won the 55 (7.34) and 400 (1:01.0) and Peachie Jones won the 55 hurdles (9.01) and high jump (5-0) and was second in the triple jump as well as winning the 4x200 relay. Seventh grader Pam Bell stunned the shot put officials by by breaking the Class AA record by nearly a foot on her very first throw (36'1.25") Rockcastle County scored in 12 of 14 events with Cheyenne Carmack winning the 800(2:29.0). Carmen Haynes of Western Hills doubled in the long jump(15-10) triple jump(36-5.25 a new AA state record). Leah Eleazer of Mercer County broke the AA state record in the pole vault by one foot, vaulting 8'6".

In the middle school division new meet records were set by Heather Hammond of Rockcastle County in the long jump 15'8" and Pam Bell of Paducah Tilghman in the shot put 34'8.5" in the girls division. In the boys division Trevor Martin of St. Francis tied the 55 meter dash record in 25.64, Titton Kyle Newman of Crawford Middle broke the 400 meter record in 58.6, Steven Hnat of Floyd Central broke the shot put record of Bernard Jackson by 2 feet in 48-6.5 and Adam Berry of Owensboro broke Ryan Knight's 800 meter record in 2:15.97.

Over 600 middle school athletes competed nearly doubling the previous participation record.