The Paint Branch girls indoor track team won the 3A state championship Tuesday night in thrilling fashion at the PG Sportsplex.
The team took first in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays to storm from behind to defeat second-place Hereford. With only five girls competing at the state meet, the Panthers needed to make the most of their opportunities and they did just that!
In the 300 Meter Dash,
Arielle Statham took second and
Vanessa Jules finished fourth. After her performance in the 300, Jules won the state championship in the high jump. Statham won the state championship in the 55 meter dash and Korine Duval finished 5th in the 500 meter dash.
With two events remaining, the Panthers had 34 points and trailed first place Hereford by 15 points. The Panthers needed to put together two top finishes in the 4x200 and 4x400 and that is exactly what they did. The 4x200 team finished first behind
Korine Duval, Jules,
Jasmine Jones, and Statham. The 4x400 team also won the state championship with Duval, Jules, Arielle and Madina Diao.
With these performances, the Panthers won the 17th team state championship in Paint Branch history. Congratulations to Coaches Lynette Hopkins and Dessalyn Dillard and to the Panthers' state champions - Statham, Jules, Duval, Jones, and Diao.
