Smithsburg's girls repeat as Maryland Class 1A indoor track & field champions

LANDOVER, Md. — With three girls events left in the Maryland Class 1A indoor track and field championships Tuesday night at the Prince George's Sportsplex, defending champion Smithsburg found itself trailing Harford Tech by six points, and Leopards star Grace Ellis found herself needing a bounce-back performance.

After disappointing finishes in the 300-meter dash (11th in 44.70) and the 500 (fourth, a year after winning gold), Ellis stepped to the starting line for the 800.

"I didn't start the day the way I wanted," admitted Ellis, "but I couldn't let that affect this race. I talked to some people, gave myself some time to think, realized I couldn't change anything and had to move on."

"I went up to her right before the 800 and told her, 'You're one of the most competitive kids I know, so go out and lay it down,'" said Smithsburg coach Adam Rudy.

Best of the best: Washington County Indoor Track and Field record-holders

Ellis met the challenge, holding off a late surge by Liberty's Laura Melincluc to claim gold while lowering her school record in the event to 2:25.10.

Combined with teammate Kayla Hawbecker's fourth-place finish, the Leopards added 15 points to their team score, while Harford Tech was held off the board.

Less than an hour later, Smithsburg was celebrating its second straight title, finishing with 92 points to defeat Harford Tech by 15 2/3 points.

"When I think of this season and this team, I think of resiliency," said Rudy. "Harford Tech is really good and they pushed us. We were up against some really good programs. It's hard to perform sometimes when you're the favorites and those expectations are there. It's a lot of pressure, but they handled it.

"They really felt they had something to prove after finishing second outdoors (last spring). They wanted to prove they were the real deal."

Cora Gentzel (1,600) and Alexandria Spithaler (pole vault) also won individual gold for the Leopards after Hawbecker, Michaela Gross, Ella Fisher and Gentzel opened the meet with a victory in the 4x800 relay in 10:12.55, just 0.15 seconds off the school record.

Gentzel was at her best in the 1,600, powering to the finish to win going away in 5:20.92, lowering her school record.

"The plan is always to finish strong … and I always know I need to trust myself in the end because that's what really matters," said Gentzel, who also took fourth in the 3,200 (11:57.47) and ran a leg of Smithsburg's 4x400 relay that included Ellis, Jenna Howe and Taylor King and finished third in an indoor school-record 4:18.05. "The goal isn't to PR, it's just to win."

Spithaler entered the state meet with a personal record of 8 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault. On Tuesday, she exceeded that in the wildest of fashions when, on her first attempt at 8-9, she practically landed on the bar on her way down, only to have it somehow stay on the pegs.

"That was crazy," she said. "I was just waiting for the bar to come down and hit me, and then it didn't."

Spithaler followed by succeeding on her first attempt at 9-3. She was one of three athletes, along with Liberty's Amelia Zagorski and Patterson Mill's Stefani Burns, to clear the height, but Spithaler won the tiebreaker based on fewer misses.

"I didn't expect (to win), to be honest," she said. "I'm so glad it worked out like that."

Gross also had a big day for the Leopards, finishing second in the 3,200 in 11:44.05, lowering the school record she set in the 1A West meet, and taking third in the 1,600 in a personal-record 5:24.95 in addition to her 4x800 leg.

"I wanted to get us as many points as I could," Gross said. "I knew it wouldn't be like regionals, we'd all have to be at our best. I ran three PRs today, including my 4x800 split."

Other Washington County medal-winners were:

• Clear Spring's Jacob Faith in the boys high jump (silver, 6 feet).

• Smithsburg's Howe in the girls 300 (bronze in a school-record 41.55).

• Smithsburg's Michael Wynkoop in the boys 3,200 (bronze, 10:17.42).

• The Leopards' boys 4x800 relay team of Wynkoop, Lucas Reyes, Camilo Mellott and Tyler Younker (bronze, 8:40.29).

• Smithsburg's girls 4x400 relay team of Howe, Gentzel, Taylor King and Ellis (bronze in a school-record 4:18.05).

Other Washington County place-winners were:

• Smithsburg's Hawbecker in the girls 1,600 (fourth, 5:27.51).

• Clear Spring's Kailyn McCauley in the girls shot put (fourth, 32-5).

• Clear Spring's Nick Cullember in the boys shot put (fourth, 43-5 3/4).

• Boonsboro's Breann Reed in the girls pole vault (fourth, 8-9).

• Hancock's Waylon Leach in the boys shot put (fifth, 43-3 3/4).

• Smithsburg's girls 4x200 relay team of Howe, Alaina Pate, Melyssa Bard and King (sixth, 1:54.76).

• Smithsburg's Howe in the girls 55 (seventh, 7.57).

• Clear Spring's girls 4x200 relay team of Madi Dyer, Dana Hammond, Brielle Enow and Grace Shoemaker (seventh, 1:55.41).

• Smithsburg's John Flint in the boys pole vault (tied for seventh, 11 feet).

• Smithsburg's Ella Fisher in the girls 500 (eighth, 1:25.80).

• Smithsburg's boys 4x400 relay team of Ah'Ryan White, Ethan Hurd, Tyler Younker and Mellott (eighth, 3:43.16).

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Smithsburg wins Maryland Class 1A indoor track and field title again