Zoe got more gold, Chase had the rest of the field chasing her mark in the triple jump and Fairyn fared better than her competition in vaulting her way to the top.
That summed up the performance of the girls track and field team at Tennessee High on Tuesday as Zoe Arrington, Chase Wolfenbarger and Fairyn Meares won state championships and helped the Vikings finish as runner-up in the Class AA team standings at Dean Hayes Stadium in Murfreesboro.
"What a day," said THS coach Brad Stubbs. "We had so many good performances from so many different people. We brought 11 girls and they all scored points somewhere and they all contributed in some way."
THS finished with 76 points, well behind winner Martin Luther King (117) of Nashville, which won its fourth state title in program history. Signal Mountain (65), Page (43) and Volunteer (38) rounded out the top-five.
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“Everyone really showed up today and did their part,” Arrington said. “The atmosphere around the team today was incredible, because we all were working to achieve something together. I can’t wait to see what these girls will do in the years to come.”
Arrington had already established herself as the top distance runner in the history of Tennessee High and she added two more first-place finishes to her extensive resume.
"I was so happy that her last meet as a Viking was such a memorable one," Stubbs said. "It's one we're going to remember for a long, long time. She just did a stellar job."
Arrington opened the day with a win in the 3,200, blitzing the field in 11:15.89.
“Winning this morning was definitely bittersweet,” she said. “Being able to run the 3,200 for the last time in a Tennessee High jersey and win, was just awesome and means the world, especially after winning my sophomore year and coming up a tad short last year!.”
Anderson County freshman Ava Moody was runner-up in 11:28.53.
“The key for me today was just to relax, have fun, stay strong mentally and to run my own race,” Arrington said. “I always tend to run my best when I focus on doing those things. I was confident that I could win today if I ran smart, but I was also fully aware that anything can happen on any given day. The pace went out fast with some younger runners, but I stuck to my plan, and ended up reeling them back in. It wasn’t until the last few laps that I for sure knew that I had it. I had my coaches telling me where I was mid-race which helped quite a bit.”
Arrington later claimed the 1,600 in 5:07.31. Page County’s Gabrille Boutros was runner in 5:11.23.
“Winning the 1,600 on top of the 3,200 was beyond special,” Arrington said. “The 1,600 was just so much fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my high school running career. It truly has been such a journey and one heck of a ride. I’m so thankful for all of my coaches, trainers, competitors and teammates that have helped me achieve something that I will forever be proud of.”
That added to the 3,200-meter title she won in 2021 and the TSSAA cross country crown she claimed in November.
Wolfenbarger leapt to the triple jump title with a top distance of 33-10 ¾. Second-place finisher Amaya Warren of Central Magnet came in at 33-8.
"It came on my last jump," Wolfenbarger said. "I was kind of getting worried through all my jumps. It was such a good feeling."
Meares edged Volunteer’s Aliah Laster in the pole vault with a top mark of 10-6.
“It feels great and is super rewarding,” Meares said. “I was pretty confident the whole time. I’ve cleared 10-6 all year consistently. ... I can never go into a meet and for sure know. Anybody can have a good day and anybody can have a bad day. I just made sure i tried my best.”
Keely Canter (fourth in discus, 103-3; seventh in shot put, 31-5), Liz Rouse (third in long jump, 16-10 ¼; fourth in 110 hurdles, 16.53), Keeyanah Foote (eighth, triple jump, 31-4), freshman Jeena Reecher (third in 800, 2:22.86), Kendall Cross (fifth, 300 hurdles, 49.15), the 4x200 relay team of Foote, Wolfenbarger, Cross and Abigial Littleton (sixth, 1:51.20) and the 4x100 relay team of Hamman Plumbar, Wolfenbarger, Littleton and Foote (seventh, 52.72) and the 4x400 relay team of Littleton, Cross, Reecher and Arrington (seventh, 4:22.10) also competed.
It was the second time the Vikings have had a second-place finish in girls track and field at the state meet as they were Class AAA runner-up in 2012.
“It definitely has been a big and exciting day for our girls track team,” Arrington said. “It’s not often that you have three state champions all on the same team. Everyone has worked super hard and deserves to be here. I’m so proud of them all and am even more proud to be a part of the team.”
Cody Robinson (fourth, shot put, 47-2 ¼) and Thomas Slater (fourth, triple jump, 40-6 ¾) represented Tennessee High on the boys side.
