Some of the top track and field athletes in the state will compete in Summerville Saturday during the 18th annual Outback Steakhouse Azalea Invitational.
This year’s Azalea Invitational meet at Summerville High School will feature 25 teams, including a team from Canada. The rest of the field consists of teams from high schools around the state.
“I’m sure the team from Canada will have some good athletes,” Summerville coach Steve Wilson said. “I think they are bringing club athletes who participate in track and field year round. We won’t see every team throughout the state, but it gives you a good benchmark for where your team is. Spring Valley is coming and every year their boys’ team is real good. Richland Northeast, Bluffton and Beaufort are coming.”
Among the local schools participating are Wando, which includes the defending South Carolina Boys’ Class AAAA championship team, and Bishop England, which includes the defending girls’ state championship team for Class AA.
If the results from the Sandlapper Classic Invitational held last Saturday in West Ashley are any indication, the Summerville and Fort Dorchester teams should also be in the running for the Azalea tiles. The Summerville and Fort boys’ finished tied for first place in that meet, which featured more than 30 teams. The Summerville girls claimed first place outright.
Briunna Jones was named the field MVP at the Sandlapper and Brianna Blanton set a meet record in 800-meter run.
Summerville has won 12 out of the prior 17 Azalea Invitational girls’ championships and eight boys’ championships.
The meet kicks off at 9 a.m. with the girls’ 100-meter hurdled and field event heats. Sections for the relay events are scheduled for 10 a.m. The finals for the shorter distance races and hurdle events are scheduled to begin at noon. Finals for the field events will begin around 1 p.m. Sections for the longer distance races are scheduled from 1-5 p.m. and the event will close with the 1,600-meter relay races scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Local Top 3 results from 2010 Sandlapper Classic March 6

Girls
100: 1. Tolliver, Cane Bay, 12.63. 200: 2. Tolliver, Cane Bay 26.74; 3. Pinckney, Berkeley 27.16. 400: 3. Gadsden Woodland 1:02.26. 800: 1. Blanton Summerville, 2:19.09. 1600: 1. Hazel, Summerville, 5:22.91; 2. Morrison, Berkeley, 16.05. 400H: 2. Cunningham, Summerville, 1:12.24; 3. Morrison, Berkeley, 1:13.49. 4x400: 1. Summerville A, 4:17.61; 2. Berkeley A, 4:19.47. 4x800: 2. Berkeley A, 10:40.98. 4x1600: 2. Stratford A 23:33.71; 3. Summerville A, 23:41.39. Distance Medley: 1. Summerville A, 13:19.72; 2. Stratford A, 13:23.64. High Jump: 1. Glover, Summerville, 5-0; 3. Summers, Cane Bay, 4-10. Long Jump: 1. Jones, Summerville, 17-9; 2. Emanuel, Fort Dorchester, 17-2.75. Triple Jump:1. Jones, Summerville, 37-8; 2. Emanuel, Fort Dorchester, 36-0; 3. Glover, Summerville, 35-4. Shot Put: 1. Britt, Woodland, 38-4.50; 2. Sullivan, Fort Dorchester, 37-4.50. Discus: 1. Britt, Woodland, 118-10; 3. Sullivan, Fort Dorchester, 98-3.

Boys
100: 1. Quinn, Fort Dorchester, 11.26; 2. Thomas, Summerville, 11.39; 3. Gilliard, Fort Dorchester, 11.42. 200: 1. Quinn, Fort Dorchester, 22.47; 2. Gilliard, Fort Dorchester, 22.83; 3. Reese, Summerville, 23.07. 400: 1. Nkanta, Summerville, 50.22. 800: 1. Grant, Summerville, 2:03.00; 3. Beckley, Fort Dorchester, 2:04.46. 1600: 3. Buehring, Fort Dorchester, 4:43.74. 110H: 2. Sievert, Fort Dorchester, 16.04. 400: 3. Sievert, Fort Dorchester, 1:00.61. 4x100: 1. Summerville A, 42.51; 2. Fort Dorchester A 42.53. 4x400: 1. Summerville A, 3:31.79; 2. Fort Dorchester A 3:32.77. 4x800: 2. Fort Dorchester A, 8:32.12. 4x1600: 3. Stratford A, 19:24.92. Long Jump: 1. Brown, Woodland, 21-5.75. Triple Jump: 1. Wilkinson, Summerville, 45-9. Shot Put: 3. Taylor, Summerville, 46-6.50.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.