After so many records were broken in the first day of the Alabama State Indoor Track and Field Championships, many wondered what the athletes would do for an encore.

Those questions were answered by much more of the same. A total of 17 existing records were broken on a day when Hoover flexed its muscle in the 6A girls competition, beating back a strong challenge from Mobile’s McGill-Toolen Catholic to win 112-104. Hoover’s Joy Maniece-Marbury got big wins in the 400 and 60 meter dashes, setting records of 56.18 seconds and 7.65 respectively and also ran a leg on the victorious 4x400 relay team, which set a new state record of 3:57.74.

Those wins were sorely needed, as the Bucs had to fight off McGill-Toolen’s Carmen Carlos, who had another outstanding performance. Carlos won the 1,600 in 4:57.42, and also ran a leg on the record-setting 4x800 meter relay team, which ran 9:26.01.

In the 6A boys division, Spain Park won its first ever track and field title, holding off Hoover 77-71.50. Mountain Brook was third (54) and Smiths Station fourth (49). The Jaguars won despite Hoover winning the 4 X 400 meter relay in a state record 3:21.76. Smiths Station was also under the old record, running 3:23.01. But Spain Park finished third in the race, which enabled them
to secure the team title.

St. Paul’s got quality performances from Lacey Dent, who won the triple jump (36-5) and set a new record in the 60-meter hurdles (9.07), as the Saints trounced Central-Tuscaloosa 149-81.

Scottsboro was third (80), Parker fourth (42) and Vigor fifth (31).

On the 5A boys’ side, St. Paul’s, paced by Kylan Towner’s record setting performance in the 60-meter dash (7.00) held off Central-Tuscaloosa 107-84. Walker and Scottsboro tied for third (81) while Vigor was fifth (58). Central-Tuscaloosa’s most notable performance came from Devon Lockett, who set a new record in the shot (56-8 ½).

UMS-Wright proved once again it was the class of the smaller classifications, sweeping the 1A-4A boys and girls divisions. The girls routed Beauregard 142-64, with Montgomery Academy third (62) and Bayside Academy fourth (54), while the boys outscored Beauregard 83-62.

Westminster at Oak Mountain was third (54) while Guntersville was fourth (43).

Here’s a recap Saturday’s notable performances:

6A: In the end, it came down to McGill-Toolen Catholic and Hoover for the girls’ team title—and for Carlos and Maniece-Marbury it was a matter of giving it their all.

Carlos began her day with another impressive win in the 1,600, missing the state record by a scant .63 of a second. Afterwards, she made no secret that she was going for a sub-5 minute pace.

“I was nervous coming into the race, but I was trying to stay focused so I could break five minutes,” she said. “I knew that some of the other runners in the race (among them teammate Sage Blackwell and Mountain Brook’s Rachael Reddy and Anne Sisson) could come back and challenge me, so I didn’t take anything for granted.”

Carlos and Blackwell, along with Phoebe Lee and Meghan Hawkins, then teamed up later to run away with the 4x800 race.

In the 400, Maniece-Marbury covered the first 200 in around 23 seconds. From that point, it was just a matter of hanging on for the win — and the record.

“I had to push through the pain in the second lap,” she said. “I usually don’t like to get out too fast, but the plan was to get out quickly. Hopefully, if I do that (go around 23 seconds for the first part of the 400), I should do well in the 100 and 200 outdoors.”

After the triple jump competition, McGill-Toolen was up by a point heading into the 4x400 meter relay, but Hoover destroyed the field to seal the girls’ team title.

Spain Park’s boys were on needles as much as Hoover’s girls. The Jaguars led after day one of the competition, but was faced with strong competition from Hoover and Mountain Brook. Spain Park knew that it had to get points however they could, and the
Jaguars got them.

First, Myles Charley won the triple jump (47-11.25), then Brandon Hazouri, who won the 3,200 the day before, edged Mountain Brook’s Payton Ballard in a very exciting 1,600-meter race, setting a new state meet record of 4:21.11 in the process.

Hazouri’s teammate Steven Crain was third in 4:23.70. Hazouri said knew that going against Ballard would be a big challenge.
“I didn’t want it to come down to a last kick, so I tried to take it out from the front,” he said. “Payton challenged me on the back stretch, so I just tried to get away from him. When I saw him come on my shoulder, I tried to sprint to the finish.”

Hoover didn’t go away quietly, as Marlon Humphrey finished second in the 400 (49.56) and first in the 60-meter hurdles (8.08). Humphrey also ran a leg on the record-setting 4 X 400-meter relay (3:21.76). But Spain Park finished third in that event
(3:29.43) to clinch the team title.

“Our relay team did what it had to do,” said Jaguars coach Michael Zelwek. “I knew it would come down to the 4 X 400. For us, we just did what we did all year, because I knew we could compete, and our boys’ team proved to themselves that we could compete.”

Other notable performances included Smiths Station’s Tracy McKinney winning the 60-meter dash in a record-breaking 6.92, and McGill-Toolen Catholic’s Johnny Stiegler winning the pole vault (14-6).

5A: St. Paul’s began Day 2 the way it ended Day 1, with several outstanding performances. Dent and Nanette Weitzman started with a 1-3 finish in the triple jump, and just a few hours later, Dent came back with her record breaking 9.07 in the 60-meter hurdles, breaking the old record of 9.09 set by Northridge’s Laquinta Aaron in 2005.

“I was a little nervous coming into the hurdles finals, and my start was not right,” said Dent. “But I knew I had to push myself, make it through and get points on the board.”

In the last running event of the day, the Saints destroyed the state meet record in the 4x400 meter relay, clocking a 4:09.90 to easily break the record of 4:17.03 they set in 2006.

Towner, who broke the record of 7.05 set in 2005 by Ladrious Woods of Homewood in Friday’s prelims, came back in the finals and ran 7 flat. Hartselle’s Hunter Grantland was second (7.18) and Vigor’s Daire Lewis third (7.22).

“I knew I had to come out and beat my record from yesterday, so I had to push myself,” he said. “I got out of the blocks quickly, because I knew the Vigor guy (Lewis) was pretty good.”

St. Paul’s coach Jim Tate said that everything panned out the way he figured coming into the meet.

“I expected the girls to win, but I knew the boys were going to be in a tight battle,” he said. In the boys’ division, we scored in every event but the hurdles. Yet, we had so many heroes. Even with the kids who placed seventh and eighth, their points all
added up.

Other meet records broken were as follows:

Birmingham-Parker’s Iris Robinson set a new meet record in the girls’ 400 (57.95), breaking the old record of 58.38 by Northridge’s Laquinta Aaron in 2006.

Walker’s Hunter Hawkins, who finished second in the 800 the day before, set a new record of 49.97, breaking the old record of 50.43 by Blount’s Fernada Blakely back in 2000.

Wenonah’s Barry Johnson set a new meet record in the 60-meter hurdles, running 8.36.

Walker’s 4 X 400 meter relay won in a meet-record 3:29.23.

John Carroll Catholic’s Rachael Roberts continued her domination of the longer races, adding to her victory in the 3,200 the day before with a big win in the girls’ 1,600 (5:10.77). Scottsboro’s Evan McGee added to his 3,200-meter win the day before by
outdueling Jasper Walker’s Andrew Harris and St. Paul’s Dan Drew to win an exciting 1,600-meter race. McGee ran 4:31.96, Harris 4:32.37, and Drew 4:32.65.

1A-4A: For UMS-Wright coach Pat Galle, it was a great feeling to sweep the girls and boys division, especially with added competition from smaller schools with equally talented athletes.

“Our girls have been up her (at the Crossplex) twice before, so they had a good feel for the track,” he said. “They knew they could put things together. As for the boys, we knew it was going to be real close with Beauregard. Although we won only two events overall, we placed in all of the other events.

UMS-Wright’s girls got off to a flying start when Kathryn Lazarchick, who shined in the 3,200 and broke the state meet record in the 800 the day before, finished a close second to Katie Brooks Boone of Westminster at Oak Mountain in the 400. Boone won in a meet-record 59.16, and also set a new meet record in the 60-meter dash (7.81).

But Lazarchick came back later and won the 1,600 in 5:14.03 and the Bulldogs won both the 4 X 800 and 4 X 400. They placed in every other event on Saturday to run away with the win.

“Kathryn had a great meet,” said Galle. “She had four individual races, and got three firsts. Allie Parker (third, long jump) also had a great meet, and Claire Kennedy hadn’t ran in two weeks (because of injury), but she wound up doing three events.”

For UMS-Wright’s boys, it wasn’t that easy.

Daniel Zieman’s long jump victory (20-1.75) was the only victory for the Bulldogs, but they were able to score points in very other event. It was enough to offset an upset bid by Beauregard, which scored big in the sprints and hurdles.

“It took a real solid effort, but we were able to win,” said Galle.

Other notable performances included:

Dadeville’s Sedarryen Pulliam winning the boys’ shot put (48-0.50).

Catholic-Montgomery’s Skip Martin winning the boys’ 1,600 in 4:34.38.

Guntersville’s Raven Stewart winning the 60-meter hurdles (9.10) and finishing second in the long jump (16-5.50).