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State Champions: Boys Track and Field

Boys Track and Field, First-Time State Champions 

For the first time in school history, the Varsity Boys Track and Field team are the 2023 GHSA A-D1 State Champions. Mount Pisgah Christian School recorded a team score of 70 points this past weekend in Rome, outpacing state runner-up Athens Christian by 10 points. 

The Patriots, though few in numbers, proved to be too much to handle overall. With only seven athletes in total, the team scored in all events, including two individual top place finishers. Individual State Champions are senior Makael Carter in the long jump and junior Max Tucker in the 400M. Ten points each for those two wins contributed greatly to the overall team score. 

Other point contributors were Winston Simmons, Nick Anderson, and Michael Lynch. Winston Simmons, a freshman, was state-runner up in the Long Jump (21’-8.5”), sixth in the 100, and fifth in the 200. Senior Nick Anderson also earned state runner-up in the 300H, with both a personal and school record (39.17 seconds). Senior Michael Lynch finished top four in both of his events with a third place finish in the 3200 and fourth in the 1600.

Individual State Champions

Junior, Max Tucker - “It’s something I’ve wanted since my freshman year. I’ve been in the finals both my freshman and sophomore years, but could never get it done. I was favored to win, but knew that it’s a state meet and nobody’s going to hand the title to me. I had all the confidence in the world and told myself ‘I’m the best in the state.’ When I finally ran that 48.3 this year, I threw my hands up as if a massive weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. It was the fastest I had ever run in that discipline and I did it at the highest level. I was also excited knowing it would help the team in total points, giving us a chance to win the whole state title — which we did! It’s a massive step forward in my journey towards a career in track and field.”

Senior, Makael Carter - “To win my first state title meant everything for me! I joined track my junior year, not really expecting too much, just wanting to get faster for football. I actually competed in state for long jump my first year, but ultimately fell short. I looked at my senior season as my “get back year,” training hard to jump fast and efficiently. Though I was favored to win, I was also favored to win last year which meant that placement really didn’t mean anything with everything on the line. After I won, I felt unbelievably satisfied. It was awesome to end my senior year on a massive W. 


State Championship Coach

Coach Snellings - “To win a state title in my second year and for it to be the first one in school history is so special to me. It’s a testament to the athletes and coaches' hard work and dedication. I’m just so grateful that they trusted me to lead them. This has been such a fun and rewarding season and to accomplish what we did with just seven boys at the state meet is very uncommon. I’m so proud of the way they competed over three days and even more proud of how they represented Mount Pisgah on the biggest of stages when it mattered most.” 

Top Finishes Include:

Makael Carter – 1st place in Long Jump (22-7)
Winston Simmons – 2nd place in Long Jump (21-8.5), 6th place in 100M (11.23), 5th place in 200M (22.66)
Max Tucker – 1st place in 400M (48.32, new school record) & 3rd place in Shot Put (47-7)
Nick Anderson - 2nd place in 300H (39.17, new school record)
Michael Lynch - 3rd place in 3200 (9:54.72) & 4th place in 1600 (4:31)
Boys 4x100 Relay - 5th place (43.18 - Winston Simmons, Alex Medebem, Makael Carter, Nick Anderson)
Boys 4x400 Relay - 3rd place (3:26.32 - Makael Carter, Nick Anderson, Alex Medebem, Max Tucker)


Girls Track & Field, Third Place Finish

Coach Payne - “Small but mighty has been the theme of our Girls State team this season! Coming in with only 5 competing athletes, the Girls team was still favored to podium from the start at the State meet this season. After a shaky start, it looked like things might not go our way. However, on the day of finals our phenomenal team of girls came together to accomplish the near impossible and jump all the way back to 3rd - securing the spot by a single point. Key players were the 4x100m Relay (Keira Yi, Savannah Simmons, Natania Nasieku, & Maddy Childress) - who made an incredible drop in time by over a second to earn a school record and go from 5th in the rankings to State Runner ups. Freshman Ellie Plunkett earned a crucial point in the 3200m that secured the team's 3rd place position. It took grit to come back in the way that these girls did, and to stand on a podium among teams of 20+ girls. Go Patriots!”

Top Finishes Include:

Maddy Childress - 2nd place in Long Jump (18-1), 3rd place in Triple Jump (36-2.5), 2nd place in 100M (12.37)
Savannah Simmons - 3rd place in Long Jump (17-6.5), 6th place in 100M (12.61), 5th place in 200M (25.71)
Natania Nasieku - 2nd place in 100H (15.92)
Ellie Plunkett - 8th place in 3200 (12:43.74)
Girls 4x100 Relay - 2nd place (49.53 - Maddy Childress, Savannah Simmons, Keira Yi, Natania Nasiuku)
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