St. Charles scored 46 points in the Division 4 girls state track and meet and had to share the title with Hart, but the Bulldogs were more than happy not to settle for a close second place, although sole possession of first would have been sweet.
Every point was important. Mikayla Williams covered 17-3/4 in the long jump for second place; Najiyah Holden took first in the 200 meter dash (25.61) and third in the 100 meter dash (12.73); Holden, Hope Kushion, Erica Garcia and Celine Whiren combined for 1:44.97 in the 4×200 relay for first. It was the same foursome, except for Williams taking Whiren’s place in the 4×100 relay for first and a new state record.
Coach Andre Williams said he went into the meet basically thinking his team had a chance to score points.
“We were in the top five in both of the relays,” he said. “We knew we could score some points, and do a little better than 50th, which is where we were last year.”
In 2017, St. Charles girls tied for 50th place with two points.
The track program has come a long ways at St. Charles, as is evident with the state title. But Williams would like to see more numbers on his squad. There were 15 girls on the team. Only five qualified for the state meet, but they notched 46 points.
“Next year we’re losing one senior (Holden) and she’ll be hard to replace,” Williams said. “We’ve got more going up from the middle school and they’re getting better every year.”