Cherokee – Even with a conference championship not being in the cards this year, both Murphy track and field teams made the most of their opportunities, finishing in second place at the Smoky Mountain Conference championships.
On the girls side, Murphy edged Robbinsville out for second by five points, with 119.5. Swain County took first with 239 points. Junior Jersey Schwalm took first in the shot put, while freshman Aidan Smith took first in the discus.
Sophomore Jordan Oliver came out on top in the wheelchair shot put, discus and 100-meter dash. Schwalm also finished third in the discus, and was named most outstanding female field athlete.
“We knew that Swain was gonna be way out in front,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Penny Johnson said. “So our goal was to do the best we could, which was going to be second today, and they did great.”
On the boys side, senior Austin Woody won the 200-meter dash, while junior Cameron Grooms won the 400-meter dash. The Bulldogs also took first in both the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relays. Murphy was 18 points clear of Hayesville for second with 114 points, while Swain County, also won the boys conference championship scoring 217 points.
After watching Johnson figure out how to maximize points on the girls side, boys head coach Davis Bryant said he just tried to do the same thing.
“The last few years I’ve watched how she moves to get and score these points,” Bryant said. “It’s amazing how she does it. I’ve just kind of followed her lead and did what she did, and it worked out.”
Andrews junior Isaac Weaver was the other top finisher among local athletes, taking first in both the long jump and 100-meter dash. The Wildcats took sixth, while the Lady Wildcats took fourth, led by second-place finishes from freshman Kylie Donaldson in the long jump, senior Kaylin Ellis in the 100-meter hurdles and the 4x100-meter relay.
Both Tri-County Early College and Hiwassee Dam’s boys and girls teams finished in seventh and eighth, respectively.