Lexington Christian claims Class A girls track title for second year in a row

After breaking through for their first team title at last year’s Class A KHSAA State Track and Field Championships, Lexington Christian Academy’s girls served a strong encore.

The Eagles cruised to a second straight meet title, earning one more event win than a year ago (six) and slightly more points overall (126). More noticeable was the near-50 point gap between it and second-place Beechwood, which edged last year’s runner-up, northern Kentucky rival Bishop Brossart.

Kennedy Moughamian, a sophomore distance star who’s already raced in more state competitions than a lot of seniors, won the 3,200 for a third year in a row.

Moughamian’s 3,200 time, 10:50.85, broke an 11-year-old Class A meet record by about five seconds. She held off Sayre School’s Molly Chambers and LCA teammate June Karls.

“That was my goal for today, to see if I could,” Moughamian said. “The weather made me a little nervous because of all the downpours but it actually ended up being nice for my race, so I’m really thankful.”

LCA began the day with a win in the 4-by-800 relay, a race anchored by freshman Hadley Raisor, who later ran as part of the winning 4-by-400 squad that staved off Beechwood in the meet’s final girls event. Laynie Hopper, one of just a few seniors on LCA’s teams, also doubled up in the win column as part of that relay, adding it to a solo victory in the 300 hurdles.

She pushed past Burgin senior Reagan Taylor after a neck-and-neck race to defend her crown in the earlier event. Hopper’s time, 46.03 seconds, was the best time by any Class A girl this season, a mark previously owned by Taylor (46.63). (Hopper earlier placed fourth in the 100 hurdles, running those in 15.94).

“Usually in practice we work on the last 150, and I think all that practice helped,” Hopper said. “When she got there on my shoulder I was like, ‘OK, it’s time to go.’ Where I won last year, I really wanted that again.”

Mahari Crump anchored LCA’s winning 4-by-100 relay squad. The junior has lived in America for about a decade but hails from Liberia, where she occasionally gets to visit with her family during holidays. (Her parents run a non-profit orphanage back in Africa.)

Her running origin story is a hard one to top.

“I actually started running because of a chicken,” Crump said. “I was getting chased and chickens are one of my worst fears, but my people started telling me, ‘You have to start running.’ So when I came to the U.S. I started doing cross country a little bit but then I got into sprinting.”

Harper Cole, also a sophomore, rounded out LCA’s victors by notching her first win in the pole vault.

Cole had little trouble distancing herself from a pair of runners-up from Bishop Brossart but all of the vaulters dealt with on-again, off-again drama throughout the day. Dreary weather conditions — it rained through the entire meet and temperatures that started in the low 60s dipped steadily — prompted multiple stoppages due to safety concerns. Rain forced the Class 2A vaulters into the indoor facility at UK’s Track and Field Complex during last year’s meet but that wasn’t available Thursday because it was being prepared for use during next week’s NCAA championships.

“The weather was hard to push through but it was nice to get the win,” Cole said. “Watching some people slide down their poles, it’s definitely a little scary because of possible injury. But you’ve just got to stay focused.”

LCA senior Jentry Bertram ran third in the 400-meter dash in addition to contributing to LCA’s 4-by-100 and 4-by-400 wins. Bertram, who also was a basketball and soccer standout with the Eagles, has signed to play soccer at Liberty University.

“It’s been an awesome season,” Bertram said. “This is a great exclamation on the end of my high school sports career.”

• LCA sophomore Paxton Gray left with runner-up finishes in the boys 100 and 200. He finished first by 0.003 in the 200’s third heat, typically the fastest, with a 22.76 but Beechwood senior Brody Aylor posted a 22.73 in the second group of runners. “It sucks, it’s a rainy day and it didn’t feel great,” Gray said. “But hey, he ran a good race and a good time. He was faster than me, that’s all right.” Gray said that he needs to get out of the blocks faster in order to have a chance to give himself a chance to win both races next year. “If you watch all my races, everyone who beats me or I get close to beating gets out before me and I’m catching them in the later part of the race,” Gray said. “I’ve gotta fix that, put the work in and trust the process.”

• Chambers, like Moughamian, is a sophomore, so the two will continue to duel for local and statewide accolades for the foreseeable future. They didn’t grow up running together — Chambers’ family moved from Texas a few years ago (“It was really hot running down there, we’d practice at 5 a.m. every day.”) — but they’ve formed a good bond. “Kennedy always helps me with my races and every time I see her run, I’m amazed,” Chambers said.

Danville’s blurry relay

Trinden Sellers had a hard time seeing by the end of the boys 4-by-200 relay and let up earlier than he should have; the Danville junior mistook where the finish line was.

The Admirals’ anchor leg recovered in time to evade a runner-up finish to Beechwood, who his group bested by 0.05 seconds. That gave Danville its first relay victory since 2018.

“I pushed myself harder than I have in any other race,” Sellers said. “My vision started to get a little blurry, I was tired, and two meters before the finish line I thought I’d seen the finish line and I reached over, but then I realized, ‘Wait, there’s another line!’ So I gave it a little bit more and I pushed it all again.”

From UK to … UK

If the bus back to Beechwood happened to leave Lily Parke behind, she’d still be at home.

The Tigers senior closed her prep career with wins in the 800 and 1,600 (as well as a runner-up showing in the 4-by-400 relay). Next up for her: a college running career at the University of Kentucky.

“It just meant more this year getting to run on what is gonna become my home track,” said Parke, who committed to UK between her junior and senior seasons. “The coaches, the team, there was not one thing when I left my visit that I didn’t love. Everything was like, ‘that’s so awesome, I would love to run there.’”

CLASS A STATE MEET RESULTS

Top 10 teams and top three individual finishes in each event. Complete results available via MileSplit Kentucky and the KHSAA. x-meet record; y-placement based on tiebreaker.

BOYS

Top 10 teams and central Kentucky finishes—1. Beechwood 63, 2. Bishop Brossart 41, 3. Middlesboro 40, 4. Green County 36, 5. Murray 35, 6. Glasgow 31, t7. Harlan 23, t7. Williamsburg 23, 9. Collegiate 22, 10. Raceland; t13. Danville; t13. Lexington Christian Academy 17; t13. Paris 17; t13.

Individuals—4-by-800 relay: 1. Beechwood (Gannon Parke, Elijah Muck, Braton Lindloff, Charlie Skeen) 8:27.88; 2. Bishop Brossart (Evan LaBeau, Parker Litmer, Owen Doyle, Adam Tarvin) 8:36.57; 3. Edmonson County (Tanner Bates, Jack Browning, Aidan Meredith, Blake Head) 8:37.52. 110 hurdles: 1. Talon Sanchez, Livingston Central, 15.44; 2. Logan Blau, Bishop Brossart, 15.64; 3. Max Burton, Raceland, 15.88. 100: 1. Earnest Perry, W.E.B. DuBois, 11.05; 2. Paxton Gray, LCA, 11.10; 3. Brody Aylor, Beechwood, 11.13. 4-by-200 relay: 1. Danville (Shaden Brown, Trinden Sellers, Gavin Walker, Jayvian Meaux) 1:32.05; 2. Beechwood (Nathan Pabst, Chase McDaniel, Westin Wyant, Brody Aylor) 1:32.10; 3. Campbellsville (Aaron Johnson, Gabriel Noyola, Shaiden Calhoun, TiOnda Slaughter) 1:33.21. 1,600: 1. Easton Bourland, Dawson Springs, 4:28.93; 2. Tanner Daniels, Harlan, 4:30.28; 3. Bruce Hayden, Paris, 4:32.30. 4-by-100 relay: 1. Beechwood (Nathan Pabst, Cole Hoskins, Chase McDaniel, Brody Aylor) 44.05; 2. Glasgow (Jaylen Bradley, Keyshawn Austin, Kaebran Jones, Jerrick Martin) 44.09; 3. Campbellsville (Gabriel Noyola, Shaiden Calhoun, TiOnda Slaughter, Lliam Geyer) 44.11. 400: 1. Roman Anderson, Murray, 50.19; 2. Joseph Killion, Middlesboro, 50.65; 3. Kyle Piscitello, Bishop Brossart, 51.87. 300 hurdles: 1. Max Burton, Raceland, 40.38; 2. Andrew Kowcheck, Walton-Verona, 41.30; 3. Dakarai Minor, Bellevue, 41.34. 800: 1. James Gurley, Collegiate, 1:54.79; 2. Easton Bourland, Dawson Springs, 1:56.19; 3. Bruce Hayden, Paris, 1:57.84. 200: 1. Brody Aylor, Beechwood, 22.73; 2. Paxton Gray, LCA, x-22.76; 3. James Hines, Green County, 22.76. 3,200: 1. Chance Collins, Leslie County, 9:39.58; 2. Grant Greenwell, Bethlehem, 9:40.52; 3. Thomas Matthews, Walden, 9:41.88. 4-by-400 relay: 1. Middlesboro (Brent Thompson, Kameron Delph, Aiden Larew, Joseph Killion) 3:31.38; 2. Bishop Brossart (Kyle Piscitello, Reid Thompson, Owen Doyle, Max Leuderalbert) 3:33.98; 3. Beechwood (Elijah Hornsby, Charlie Skeen, Westin Wyant, Anderson Durrett) 3:34.96. Shot put: 1. Ryan Walls, Murray, 51-11.5; 2. Max Watson, Villa Madonna, 48-08.75; 3. Cooper Mobley, Caldwell County, 46-11. Discus throw: 1. Thayer Henley, Mayfield, 154-06; 2. Reed York, Green County, 145-10; 3. Max Watson, Villa Madonna, 139-09. Long jump: 1. Jerrick Martin, Glasgow, 21-05; 2. Nicholi Abbott, Ludlow, 20-04; 3. Zaequan Sharp, Newport, 19-08.5. Triple jump: 1. Darius Anderson, Green County, 42-05.5; 2. Lane Jeffries, Williamsburg, 42-01; 3. Lucas Gayheart, Pikeville, 41-09.75. High jump: 1. Izack Saylor, Harlan, y-6-02; 2. Jarelle Lawrence, Middlesboro, 6-02; t3. Austin Brocket Wesley, Bellevue, 6-00; t3. Tommy Branstutter, Oneida Baptist, 6-00. Pole vault: 1. Zyler Housekeeper, Williamsburg, 11-00; t2. Justin Bezold, Bishop Brossart, 10-06; t2. Cayden Cecil, Green County, 10-0

GIRLS

Top 10 teams and central Kentucky scorers—1. Lexington Christian Academy 126; 2. Beechwood 77; 3. Bishop Brossart 70; 4. Walden School 43; 5. Walton-Verona 33; t6. Green County 24; t6. St. Henry 24; 8. Newport Central Catholic 19; 9. Kentucky Country Day 18; t10. Danville Christian Academy 16; t10. Floyd Central 16; t10. Glasgow 16; 13. Danville 15; 17. Sayre 12; t31. Frankfort Christian Academy 5; t36. Trinity Christian Academy 3

Individuals—4-by-800 relay: 1. LCA (Isabella Brown, Annie Sewell, Nina Tibbs, Violet Griese) 9:49.40; 2. Bishop Brossart (Tessa Hafer, Addison Geiman, Callie Ochsner, Larah Callahan) 9:53.00; 3. Newport Central Catholic (Caroline Rust, Grace Mumper, Maggie West, Ava Willen) 10:19.87. 100 hurdles: 1. Natalie Svidal, Walden School, 14.67; 2. Xyahne Wilkinson, Danville, 15.39; 3. Carolina Jones, Hancock County, 15.43. 100: 1. Caroline Nordman, Beechwood, 12.73; 2. Eleanor Beam, KCD, 12.83; 3. Anna Reese Hopper, LCA, 12.88. 4-by-200 relay: 1. Walton-Verona (Abrielle Hooten, Maci Pettit, Josie Holtzapple, Maggie Meyer) 1:47.50; 2. LCA (Laynie Hopper, Mahair Crump, Lilly Meyer, Anna Reese Hopper) 1:49.70; 3. Bishop Brossart (Brooke Lehman, Larah Callahan, Peyton Trauth, Mackinley Scott) 1:51.25. 1,600: 1. Lily Parker, Beechwood, 5:01.58; 2. Kennedy Moughamian, LCA, 5:04.44; 3. Elizabeth Matthews, Walden School, 5:11.36. 4-by-100 relay: 1. LCA (Lilly Meyer, Jentry Bertram, Anna Reese Hopper, Mahari Crump) 50.88; 2. Walton-Verona (Abrielle Hooten, Maci Pettit, Josie Holtzapple, Maggie Meyer) 52.07; 3. Glasgow (Danica Stephens, Keauna Brown, Taylor Wilson, Aniston Young) 52.56. 400: 1. Caroline Nordman, Beechwood, 58.58; 2. MaHayla Garcia, Floyd Central, 1:00.36; 3. Jentry Bertram, LCA, 1:00.45. 300 hurdles: 1. Laynie Hopper, LCA, 46.03; 2. Raegan Taylor, Burgin, 46.81; 3. Carolina Jones, Hancock County, 48.04. 800: 1. Lily Parke, Beechwood, 2:18.03; 2. Hadley Raisor, LCA, 2:1934; 3. Annie Sewell, LCA, 2:21.53. 200: Eleanor Beam, KCD, 25.84; 2. Caroline Nordman, Beechwood, 25.88; 3. Maggie Meyer, Walton-Verona, 26.12. 3200: 1. Kennedy Moughamian, LCA, x-10:50.85; 2. Molly Chambers, Sayre, 11:03.24; 3. June Karls, LCA, 11:11.80. 4-by-400 relay: 1. LCA (Jentry Bertram, Laynie Hopper, Hadley Raisor, Annie Sewell) 4:14.23; 2. Beechwood (Sammy Grubish, Lily Parker, Ella Schneider, Caroline Nordman) 4:14.36; 3. Bishop Brossart (Larah Callahan, Aubrey Bevan, Tessa Hafer, Mackinley Scott) 4:15.26. Shot put: 1. Ava Walters, Bishop Brossart, 38-00; 2. DeMyiah Allen, Russellville, 37-11; 3. Amauri Blackford, Danville Christian, 35-01.5. Discus throw: 1. Ava Walters, Bishop Brossart, x-133-09; 2. Scout Brockman, Green County, 127-01; 3. Logan Boyd, Highlands Latin, 122-06. Long jump: 1. Natalie Svidal, Walden School, 17-09; 2. Stella Flick, St. Henry, 16-07; 3. Anna Reese Hopper, LCA, 16-06.75. Triple jump: 1. Natalie Svidal, Walden School, 37-05; 2. Lilly Paradis, Collegiate, 34-05; 3. Camera Hunt, Mayfield, 33-00. High jump: 1. Ansley Ova Turner, Monroe County, 5-06; 2. Payton Burgess, Menifee County, y-4-10; 3. Carly Goff, 4-10. Pole vault: 1. Harper Cole, LCA, 9-00; 2. Anna Curtsinger, Bishop Brossart, 8-06; 3. Paislee Litmer, Bishop Brossart, 7-06.