Spartans earn runner-up trophy at state indoor

BIRMINGHAM – Mountain Brook High School’s girls team posted a runner-up finish at the Class 6A state indoor track and field meet Saturday afternoon at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

Chelsea scored 86 points to win the program’s first indoor state title, with Mountain Brook posting 76 points. Chelsea's stellar day snapped the Mountain Brook girls' two-year title streak.

Mountain Brook’s boys finished third. Homewood dominated the event with 99 points and Northridge scored 49.5 points to claim second. The Spartans finished with 43.5 points.

Annie Kerr delivered a historic performance in the girls pole vault, clearing 13 feet, 1 inch, to set a new state record and win the event. She also secured another individual state title in the triple jump, landing a mark of 37-9.25.

In the girls 3,200 meters, Anna Erdberg claimed the state championship with a time of 11:14.17, leading a strong distance squad. Kennedy Hamilton joined her on the podium, finishing third in 11:28.61.

The Spartans dominated the relays, winning four state titles. The boys 4x400-meter relay team of Owen Dayhuff, Turner Ezelle, Cayden Hofbauer and Tate Hoffman took first place in 3:26.63.

The girls 4x400-meter relay team of Liza Holley, Hamilton, Kerr and Ava Kinney also claimed the win in 4:03.61. Mountain Brook’s girls 4x200-meter relay team placed sixth in 1:48.23, adding three points to the team total.

The boys 4x800-meter relay team of Joseph Chapman, Luke Cribbs, Hoffman and Hudson Rukstalis-Williams won in 8:09.11, while the girls 4x800-meter relay team of Hamilton, Cate Russell, Grace Stuckey, and Emelia White won in 9:46.72. White also finished fifth in the 800.

Mountain Brook’s middle-distance squad was exceptional, led by Rukstalis-Williams, who finished as the runner-up in the boys 800 meters with a time of 1:55.74. Hoffman also contributed with a seventh-place finish in 1:59.46.

In the boys 400 meters, Dayhuff finished fifth in 50.43, while Hofbauer placed seventh in 50.64.

The distance team continued to shine with Ethan Schniper finishing fifth in the 1,600 meters in 4:23.64. Mange added a seventh-place finish in the boys 3200 meters with a time of 9:52.04.

White placed fourth in the girls 1,600 meters in 5:12.73, with Hamilton finishing sixth in 5:25.34.

In field events, Stephen Meadows tied for seventh in the high jump by clearing 5-8.