In the last regular season appearance for both Lincoln track teams, the Bulldogs did what they normally do - dominate.

Both teams cruised to team titles at the Pinnacle Conference Meet last Thursday, as the teams will now prepare for regionals this weekend, followed by the state meet on May 9-10.

The girls team completely ran away with the team championship, as Lincoln scored 222 team points, well-ahead of runner-up Holland Hall, which totaled 84 as a team.

The boys also outlasted Holland Hall, as Lincoln finished with 181 team points, clear of the 154 from the runner-up.

"I was really happy with how we performed at the Pinnacle Conference meet," said Lincoln head coach Stephen Lewelling. 

The Bulldogs, as usual, were helped out big time by the relays on both teams, as most ran season-best times, just before regionals, which is exactly what Lewelling wanted to see.

"All of our sprint relays had a season best for the boys and the girls 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400," he said. "That's what we want heading into regionals this week."

The boys 4x800 relay (Asher Ragland, Gabe Sword, Braxton Ferguson, Grady Allen) ran 8:25 to take 1st place.

Meanwhile, the boys 4x100 (Darian Gertner, Caleb Peterson, Kylan Schultheis, CJ Wright) ran 42.79, finishing 2nd and setting a school record in the process.

"Kylan Schultheis stepped into our 4x100 and with just a couple days of practice we were able to set the school record along with Darian, Caleb and CJ," Lewelling said.

The boys 4x200 (Brian Washington, Creed Nail, Schultheis, Cam Reed) finished 2nd with a time of 1:30.

Finally, the boys 4x400 relay took 3rd, as Sammy Farris, Ty Brooks, Peterson and Wright ran 3:29.

"Having set ourselves up well with a few key athletes stepping up I think we're in a great spot to qualify who we need for state," Lewelling said. "All season long we've been building to these last couple weeks and and it's nice to see it come together how we planned."

Brooks took 1st in the 3200, running 9:29, while Garner McAfee also won the 800, running 1:58.

"Ty nearly set the 3200M school record in his first time to run it this season and got the win," said Lewelling. "Garner McAfee ran a very strategic 800M then broke two minutes again to win that event."

McAfee also took 3rd in the 400, running 50.61. Wright was 2nd in the 100 with a time of 11.02.

The boys also had a great day field wise, as several throwers performed well.

Cason McDaniel won the shot with a throw of 46-08. He also won the discus, throwing 141-04.

Rain Ragland was the runner-up in the shot with a mark of 42-11, while Carson Elix was 3rd in the disc at 125-08.

Gertner took 1st in the long jump, marking 20-06 to bring home gold.

For the girls, the relays were also a huge part, as the 4x200 relay, 4x400 relay and the 4x800 relays all took 1st.

Jayla Albert Gracie Atkinson, Brynlee Durborow and Ally Huxtable took home the mile-relay title with a time of 4:05.

Lesley Taylor, Kayli Atkinson, Gracie Atkinson and Albert combined to run 1:47 in the 4x200 relay to win that event.

Baylee Woodrich, Tennyson Housley, Isabella Dionne and Bentley Stewart ran 10:02 in the 2-mile relay to take home 1st.

"The Atkinson sisters have been game changers as both of them have been on three of relays and are a big reason why we're setting season bests," said Lewelling. 

Taylor, the Atkinson sisters and Drue Froelich ran 50.52 in the 4x100 to take 2nd.

Huxtable, who recently came back from injury, had a big day individually, as well.

The senior took the 400 title with a time of 57.63. She was also 2nd in the 100, running 12.63.

Housley, who also recently came back from an absence due to an injury, was back in state champion form, taking the 1600 with a time of 5:23.

Woodrich and Stewart finished 1-2 in the 3200, as the senior ran 11:44 an the sophomore finished at 11:59.

"Ally and Tennyson came back from injury and both won their event, which was great to see," Lewelling said. "Baylee Woodrich and Bentley Stewart are steady and consistent as anyone we have."

Durborow was 3rd in the 400 with a time of 61.83. Molly Taylor was also 3rd in the 300 hurdles, running 53.21. Eliza Fears was a 3rd in the 100 hurdles with a time of 17.28.

The girls were also well-represented in field events, led by familiar faces.

Senior Ellie Stine took home the discus title, throwing 139-01. Kabry Kiger was 2nd for Lincoln with a mark of 120-09. Tegan Shenfield completed the top-3 sweep for the Bulldogs with a throw of 86-02.

Lincoln also went 1-2-3 in the shot, led by freshman Niya Wiloby. 

Wiloby threw 35-08 to take home 1st, followed by Shenfield, who was 2nd at 33-feet. Kiger was 3rd for the Bulldogs with a throw of 31-10.

Fears came in 2nd in the long jump with a mark of 16-03.

And now, after a challenging regular season at a number of high-level events, Lincoln prepares for the final two meets - regionals and state.

First comes regionals, which will take place this Saturday in Jay with a 9:30 a.m. start. 

"Regionals will be a great place for us to PR for some and simply get through to state for others," Lewelling said. "I'm looking forward to the next couple weeks to see the harvest of what we've been sowing."

The state meet will be held May 9-10 in Plainview.

The girls will be looking for the program's 4th state title and to go back-to-back after the first title since 2017 last spring.

The boys will be seeking the program's 7th state title and 4th in five years, as the Bulldogs narrowly finished as runner-up last spring.


Photos by Lee Talley