Junior Balkis Lyiola had a hand in all 38 points Willingboro scored on the track Wednesday with three firsts and a second as the Chimeras won their state-record 11th state relays title.
Willingboro outscored second-place Audubon 43-26 to win the Group 1 title at the Bennett Center in Toms River.
Lyiola ran on Willingboro’s winning 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams and winning shuttle hurdles team. She anchored the 4-by-4 and shuttle hurdles and also anchored the second-place sprint medley.
Willingboro won the 4-by-200 by more than four seconds in 1:49.81, the 4-by-400 by more than five seconds in 4:14.77 and the shuttle hurdles by more than two seconds in 33.38. The sprint med ran 4:30.29, finishing second to Audubon, which ran 4:28.09.
Senior Tamia Welch (4-by-4, shuttles), senior Mikell Dolo (4-by-2, shuttles) and freshman Samiyah Williams (4-by-2, 4-by-4) each ran on two winning teams.
Sophomore Jadah Grant also ran on the 800-meter relay team, sophomore Aleshia Mendez ran on the 4-by-4 and sprint medley and senior Afusat Iyiola ran on the shuttles team. Dolo and Welch joined Lyiola and Mendez on the sprint med team.
The Chimeras previously won Group 4 in 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1997, Group 3 in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and Group 1 in 2010 and last year.
Coming into this year, Columbia, Hopewell Valley and Willingboro had each won 10 state relays titles. Columbia and Hopewell Valley haven’t competed yet this season, but as of right now Willingboro is the only one with 11.
For more on the history of Willingboro’s boys and girls programs at the state relays and other state championship meets, click here: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4oV
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 