Bishop England track stars sprint to state finals

If the Bishop England High School girls’ track and field team repeats as Class AA state champions, it will be because of the Bishops’ depth and determination.

 

That’s been the formula the Bishops have used all season as they attempt to collect their 15th state title when the Class AA state championships are contested at Lower Richland High School on May 18.

 

Another title would build on the Bishops’ current state record of 14 state titles.

 

The Bishop girls finished second to Hampton County High School by a 140-119 decision in the Class AA Lower State championships over the weekend, while Woodland High School was third with 86.

 

The Bishop boys were also impressive, also finishing in second place as Hampton County posted a 123-93 victory over BE. Academic Magnet was third with 84.

 

“Saturday was a great Lower State meet,” BE coach Tony Colizzi said. “Woodland High School always runs their meets very well.

 

“The girls’ team did very well,” Colizzi added. “We qualified 23 girls for the state meet. We have someone from the team competing in 14 of the 18 track and field events. In eight of those events, they have multiple athletes competing.”

 

Seniors Marlee Asmer, Caroline Edgerton, Catherine Grizzle, Madison Tyler, Emma Muller, and Scarlett Grave provide the senior leadership.

 

The Bishops have a talented group of 10th graders, including Nora Brahim, Grace Buss, Lily Edgerton, Katie Griffin, Juliette Stovall, Kate Tomas, and Addy Wood.

 

The Bishop girls captured gold medals in two of the events. Olivia Allen was first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.02 seconds, while the 4x800-meter relay team won with a time of 10 minutes and 44.05 seconds.

 

Asmer earned silver medals in the 800-meter run and the high jump. Brahim was second in the 1,600 run and third in the 3,200.

 

Buss finished fourth in the 3,200 and was sixth in the hurdles.

 

The Bishops will have to defeat some familiar foes to win.

 

“The girls will be in a battle all day long with Gray Collegiate, Greer Middle College, Hampton County, Fairfield Central, and Oceanside,” Colizzi said. “The girls edged out Gray Collegiate last year for the state championship. So, this will be a good battle at the Class AA state championship before both teams move up to 4-A next year.”

 

The BE boys also had a good day. They qualified 15 boys in 12 events as they look to improve on their 12th place finish from last year. 

 

Colizzi said the boys’ squad has a good chance of making the top five. The boys are led by seniors Michael Fishburne, Jack Leahy, Emmett Reardon, Charlie Tessier, and Aidan Alexander.

 

Leahy scored in all three sprint events and scored a gold medal in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.54.

 

Marc Brahim finished second in the 3,200 and 1,600 runs, while Jackson Muller was second in the 800 run and fourth in the javelin.

 

Lorenzo Palagano won silver in the pole vault, while the 4x400- and 4x800-meter relay teams each captured silver medals.

 

“The state championship should be a fun day and have very good competition,” Colizzi said.