Riverside girls produce thrilling finish

TAYLORS – It was a fantastic finish. Then again, the finish looked like the rest of the race.

Riverside's freshman trio of Cate Ambrose, Abigail Smith and Ashley Fallow ran together for 3,200 meters Tuesday, the first day of the Greenville County Track and Field Championships at Eastside High School.

The three sped at the end and finished at just about the same time -- Ambrose (11:21.55) just ahead of Smith (11:21.61), who was barely in front of Fallow (11:22.07).

"We set a pace to go 10:48, which would have put them 10 seconds under the meet record," Riverside coach Eric Cummings said. "We went out a little hard at the beginning, but that was by design, and then they just fought and they just went.

"To have three girls that fast, that quick, is fun."

Riverside's girls also won the 3,200-meter relay, which helped them into second place after five events. Greer leads with 36 points; Riverside has 34.

The meet concludes today, with events scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m.

Greer freshman Annabelle Workman won the triple jump with a leap of 35 feet, 8 inches. The runner-up was teammate Keanan Johnson, a junior who reached 35-5.

"She pushes me to do better, and I know she looks up to me," Johnson said. "This is my junior year, and I want her to be able to compete as hard as I did and work as hard as I did to get to where I am now."

Greer eighth-grader Kaiya Bradford placed first in the high jump by clearing 5 feet. Eastside's Biqualia Scott won the shot put with a throw of 35-11.

Riverside's boys won the 3,200 relay, giving the Warriors a good head start. They took the first-day lead with 31 points. Wade Hampton has 21 and Eastside 20.

Riverside also had one individual champion as junior Kolbey Brush established a personal-best in the pole vault by clearing 11-6.

Hillcrest senior Isaiah Lewis, a Shrine Bowl defensive back who signed to play football at Appalachian State, won the long jump with a distance of 22 feet.

Lewis said his main events are the 110 hurdles -- he took first in the prestigious Taco Bell Invitational -- and the 400 relay. The long jump?

"It's just something I'm doing on the side," he said. "I guess I probably have a knack for it."

Berea's Thomas Sullivan won the county title in the discus with a throw of 130 feet, 4 inches.

Christ Church senior James Quattlebaum won the 3,200 in 9:25.21 -- less than two seconds off the county record. A year ago, Quattlebaum set the county mark in the 1,600.