State track: Boonsboro's Caroline Matthews is golden again

Andy Mason, The Herald-Mail

Boonsboro senior Caroline Matthews delivered one of the feel-good stories of the year at the Maryland State Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Wednesday at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex.

Matthews, who was one of the state's top distance runners before dealing with a number of health issues, returned to glory in her final state meet, winning the title in the Class 1A girls 3,200.

"This is really exciting. All of my work paid off," she said. "I'm thrilled. It was definitey a good day."

Washington County's other titles Wednesday came from the Smithsburg girls, who won a pair of relays during first-day action for classes 1A and 2A.

For Matthews, it was her fourth state title in the 3,200. She was the champion indoors and outdoors as a sophomore and indoors as a junior.

Then came this school year, which didn't go anything as planned. Her fall cross country season got derailed by a POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) attack, which put her in the hospital. And she missed the entire indoor season and the first few meets outdoors recovering from a plantar fascia tear in her foot.

"It's crazy to be back racing and winning state titles instead of just watching," Matthews said. "To take (the 3,200 title) back my final time racing it means a lot."

Boonsboro's Caroline Matthews leads the Class 1A girls 3,200 during the Maryland State Track & Field Championships. Matthews won the race in 11:36.64.
Boonsboro's Caroline Matthews leads the Class 1A girls 3,200 during the Maryland State Track & Field Championships. Matthews won the race in 11:36.64.

Matthews took the lead on the third lap and never relinquished it.

"I was chilling in the pack for a little bit, and then the pace slowed," she said. "I was like, 'OK, it's now or never.' I went and I didn't look back."

Her winning time was 11:36.64, a season best by 23 seconds. Bohemia Manor's Skylar Pizzulli finished second in 11:47.14.

"Obviously, I'm not up to par to where I was," said Matthews, who ran her personal-record time of 11:06.75 last spring. "But it's still an insane improvement."

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Leopards off to strong start

The Smithsburg girls got off to a hot start in the pursuit of their first 1A outdoor team title since 2015.

The Leopards not only dominated in the first event on the track, they set a school record as Grace Ellis, Michaela Gross, Cora Gentzel and Kayla Hawbecker won the 4x800 in 9:44.62, leading the entire way.

"We're trying to win the team title so this was a lot of points for us to win," Hawbecker said. "It gets everyone motivated and hyped for their events."

The final track event Wednesday was the most thrilling as Smithsburg's Alaina Pate went from fourth to first during the anchor leg of the girls 4x200, giving the Leopards a photo-finish victory in 1:47.92. Runner-up Brunswick also was clocked at 1:47.92 as it came down to thousandths of a second at the line.

"I was able to see everybody else running the curve, and I had just gotten the baton, so I was a little nervous," Pate said. "But I knew I had to attack the curve to catch up to everybody else, so I just attacked the curve and flew on the straightaway."

Smithsburg won the the Class 1A girls 4x200 relay at the Maryland State Track & Field Championships. From left are relay team members Alaina Pate, Melyssa Bard, Taylor King and Lilian Hade.
Smithsburg won the the Class 1A girls 4x200 relay at the Maryland State Track & Field Championships. From left are relay team members Alaina Pate, Melyssa Bard, Taylor King and Lilian Hade.

The other members of the winning 4x200 relay were Lilian Hade, Taylor King and Melyssa Bard.

The top eight finishers in each event score points -- 10 for first, eight for second and then six, five, four, three, two, one -- and the Smithsburg girls received several contributions as they finished Day 1 in first place with 43 points.

Gross placed third (11:56.23) and Gentzel was sixth (12:06.02) in the 3,200, Alexandria Spithaler finished fourth (9-0) and Lilian Hade was eighth (8-6) in the pole vault, Lily Proctor placed fourth in the discus (103-9) and Emilia Spithaler was sixth in the triple jump (32-2 1/4).

Boonsboro's Derrick Jones competes in the Class 1A boys high jump during the Maryland State Track & Field Championships. Jones placed third at 6 feet, 4 inches.
Boonsboro's Derrick Jones competes in the Class 1A boys high jump during the Maryland State Track & Field Championships. Jones placed third at 6 feet, 4 inches.

Jones breaks out for Boonsboro

The breakout performance of the day belonged to Boonsboro junior Derrick Jones, who placed third in a talented field in the 1A boys high jump at 6-4.

His previous best was 6-0, which he'd only achieved one time.

"I've been watching videos the past couple of days of form, so I used what I saw in the videos here today and it worked perfectly," Jones said.

"I wanted to get 6-2 or at least 6-0," he added. "I was expecting to place maybe seventh or eighth. Hopefully, next year it will be first."

Clear Spring's Jacob Faith also cleared 6-4 but finished fourth with more misses than Jones.

Clear Spring also got a fifth-place finish from Nick Cullember in the boys shot put (45-7 3/4).

For the Smithsburg boys, Jacob Tyler tied for sixth in the high jump (5-10) and Tyler Younker, Dylan Herbst, Lucas Reyes and Camilo Mellott finished seventh in the 4x800 (8:32.67).

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Boonsboro's Matthews, Smithsburg relay teams win 1A state track titles

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