The Gatewood girls' track and field team delivered one of its strongest performances of the season on May 2 at the GIAA Class AA state meet at Strong Rock Christian, finishing third overall while setting multiple school records and earning several podium finishes along the way.
Head coach Jeff Ratliff praised the team’s effort after a meet in which the Lady Gators competed at a consistently high level across both individual and relay events.
“We had a really good state track meet,” Ratliff said. “I was very proud of our efforts.”
Gatewood’s success was fueled by depth throughout the lineup and standout performances in several marquee events. The Gators landed on the podium several times, highlighted by runner-up finishes from Presley Moss in the 400-meter dash, Lily Arthur in the shot put, and all three of the team’s primary relay squads.
Moss turned in one of the top performances of the weekend in the 400 meters, placing second with a school-record time of 59.25 seconds. She also played a key role in all three relay teams that earned second-place finishes.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Moss, Lanie Nistler, Natalie Sills, and Delaney Ball finished second with a school-record time of 51.81 seconds. Gatewood’s 4x400-meter relay team of Sills, Lily Piper, Nistler, and Moss also broke a school record while placing second in 4:09.87.
In the distance relays, the quartet of Piper, Bela Smith, Katelyn Hall, and Moss claimed another runner-up finish in the 4x800 relay with a school-record time of 10:53.11.
Each of the three relay teams established new school marks during the meet, adding another layer to an already historic weekend for the program.
“We competed at a high level,” Ratliff said.
Arthur delivered a strong performance in the field events, taking second in the shot put with a throw of 31 feet, 6.5 inches. Sills also contributed valuable points in the event with a fifth-place finish. Ellie McMillian added another top-four finish in the discus, placing fourth with a throw of 92-6.
Riley Roberts scored in two events for the Gators, finishing eighth in the long jump and seventh in the high jump. Lily Piper also added points in the pole vault with a seventh-place finish.
On the track, Nistler turned in a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 51.80 seconds.
Gatewood also picked up additional relay points from its secondary relay teams. The second 4x100 squad of Chloe Stephens, Lily Piper, Kasey Mendez, and Riley Roberts placed sixth, while the second 4x400 team of Kasey Mendez, Bela Smith, Bowie King, and Delaney Ball finished seventh.
By the end of the meet, the Gators had piled up points in nearly every phase of competition, securing a third-place team finish and capping off one of the most successful state meet performances in recent program history.