Relay Records
Girls 4x800m Relay
In our preview leading up to the State Championship this race was denoted as the one we wanted to see most. There were several teams in the field that ran All-Time Top 10 marks in the event this season and a host of teams that were more than capable of joining them. With four to five teams running 9:20 or better and everyone fresh for the first race of the meet, the conditions were there for one of them to be pushed to the mark set by Farragut in 1979 of 9:12. The quartet from Centennial consisting of Bethany Wright, Rhys Ammon, Larkin Johnson, and Gabrielle Boulay had not run together since early in the season but sat atop the leaderboard for some time with a 9:43. By the time they came back together again at state, their composite time from open races on paper put them at 9:13. On Thursday they ran 9:06. Boulay, the anchor would go on later in the evening to win the 800m run for the second year in a row, Johnson would place runner up in the 3200m, and Ammon 5th in the 800m and 10th in the 1600m. Boulay and Ammon are the only two seniors on the team and will be attending Mississippi State and Appalachian State in the fall.
Boys 4x100m Relay
Prior to Thursday, Memphis Central had run faster than the State Record of 41.24 set by Oakland in 1983 twice; the first time in 2022 at Texas Relays where they ran 41.17 and the second time at Jack Moran this year where they ran 41.04. That mark would set the All-Time Record while the state meet record would still belong to Oakland. On Thursday the relay team of Yasir Muhammad, Morcellous Harris, Jeremiah Patton, and Jordan Ware consolidate both with their race above of 40.86. Memphis Central now holds both All-Time and State Meet records for the 4x100 and 4x200m relays. Muhammad, Harris, and Patton will all return to the Green and Gold next season. Likewise, the Warrior women set a State Meet record in this event as well with their run of 46.99 which was just off the Memphis East All-Time Record of 46.92 set in 2000.
Eleven All-Time Records
So if you were keeping count, 11 All-Time Records were broken in 2023 that had stood on average for almost 30 years each. Congratulations to all of these athletes, teams, and coaches accomplished these feats.
Next week we'll begin the process of unpacking the rest of the State Championship competitions starting with Division I Class A and working our way forward. By July 4th weekend, all championships will be covered.