In 2011, the girls of Trinity Christian School and Bulloch Academy competed for the GISA Class AAA state track and field title.
    This week’s state championship meet shouldn’t be any different.
    “We’ve got this love-hate relationship with Trinity,” BA head coach Barbara Conner said. “Krista Meadows (Trinity’s head coach) and I have talked about it often. We love to compete against each other because it brings out the best in our athletes. But we hate losing to each other.”
    Last year, the Lady Crusaders from Dublin scored 122.5 points for the golden trophy, while the Lady Gators netted 85.5 points for the silver statue in the 18-team meet. Last week, Trinity nipped Bulloch by three points for the region track and field title.
    Heading into today’s qualifying and 1600-meter finals at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany, 10 BA girls have a combined 20 entries into the state meet. Nine BA boys have 14 entries. The top four finishers in each event from last week’s Region 4-AAA meet at Augusta Prep advanced to the state event.
    “There were some things which were not in our control,” Conner said about last week’s region meet. “It started raining at the end of the first event (3200m run) in the morning and was rainy and cold the entire day. Conditions on some events were the worst I’ve seen them in several years.”
    While there may have been slower times, shorter heights and distances at region, Conner sees better weather and track conditions in Albany only helping the Gator teams.
    “We are set to score some good points if we do what we are capable of doing,” she said. “We are hoping that our depth is what will put us over the top.”
    BA senior Taylor Collins leads a seasoned bunch of athletes in search of their first-ever Class AAA track and field title. Collins, who recently signed a softball scholarship with Furman University, qualified for three individual events (high jump, discus and shot put) and two team events (4x100 and 4x400-meter relays).
    Juniors Anna Newton and Mary Margaret Reeves and freshman Ashley Burke qualified for four events each. Burke won the region championship in the 3200 and 1600m runs while Newton took the region champion in the high jump. Both are also on the 4x400 relay team. Newton also qualified for the 400m dash and will run on the 4x100m team. Burke will also compete in the 800m run. Reeves will run in the 100m dash, the 400m dash and on both relay teams.
    “Ashley comes in with the best times in the distance events,” Conner said. “Taylor and Anna could go one and two in the high jump.”
    Other qualifiers are senior Haley Burke (triple jump, 4x4 No. 2),  junior Marianna Peebles (pole vault,  long jump), sophomore Danielle Atkinson (pole vault, 4x4 No. 2), freshmen Pate Lomax (long jump, 4x1, 4x4 No. 1), Heather Jacobs (3200m, 4x4 No. 2) and Page Spence (100m, 4x4 No. 2).
    In 2011, the Gator boys were fourth in the state, pulling 56.5 points in the 18-team meet. Stratford Academy of Macon won the state championship with 107 points. Macon's Mount de Sales notched 105 points for second and Bethesda Day School from Savannah had 83 for third.
    BA senior Jaylen Evans and juniors Forrest Spence and Harrison Averitt will lead the Gators’ hunt for the crown.
    Evans qualified in the 100m dash, the long jump and as a member of both relays teams. The senior is the reigning Class AAA long jump champion, coming out of deep in the pack at last year’s meet to explode for a jump of  21-1 ½.
    Spence is region champion in the 300m hurdles and will also compete in the 110m hurdles and on both relay teams. Averitt is the region champ in the 400m dash and will also run on both relay teams.
    “Jaylen could win the state title again,” Conner said. “Forrest and Harrison have very good chances at winning their events. Daniel Hendrix could easily finish in the top three in the pole vault.”
    Other qualifiers include senior Matthew Collins (discus), juniors Bailey Smith (400m, 4x4), Themba Twala (4x4, 4x1), sophomores Matt Sheppard (200m, 4x1,4x4) and Hendrix (pole vault, 4x1, 4x4) and freshman Aaron Best (4x1, 4x4).