Lady Bengals Make It a 4-Peat Enroute to Dominating the Final Division I Championship

Thomas Grant, Jr. • May 15, 2026

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By Thomas Grant Jr.


Harry Parone Stadium has served as a fitting site for the S.C. High School League track and field championships.


The past four years has seen main resident Spring Valley and fellow Richland District Two schools Blythewood and Ridge View come away with Class 5A boys and girls’ titles.


On Thursday, the Lady Bengals made it a 4-peat enroute to dominating the final Division I championship. Their 125 total points exceeded second place Dorman by 50 points and produced gold medals by sisters Peyton (400 meters) and senior Hayley Hightower (800 meters).


This marked their second repeat title team up at the school. Back in March, they helped Blythewood win its second straight girls’ basketball title.


“This journey has been really amazing,” said younger sister Peyton Hightower, who’s a junior. “I’m just blessed to share with my sister and run with the same track team. I really love her and I’m super proud we’re both state champions in our last year.”


The Lady Bengals also won both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays in building a large lead. Junior Alexis Jones placed second and third, respectively, in the long jump and high school and Brooks Bramlett (100-meter hurdles) and Romell Garway (triple jump) added to the point total with runner-up finishes.


Head coach Aleshia Hawkins credited her team with maintaining their intensity and overcoming the pressure of a 4-peat.

“Our girls are real committed,” Hawkins said. “The goal is to just always give something to our young girls to look up to and so, with the older girls and mid-age girls, they just keep coming.”


While Dorman finished a distinct second place with 75 points, it was a record-setter. Senior hurdler Rebecca Okebe became the first female at the S.C. High School League track and field championships to finish the 400-meter hurdles in under a minute.

Her time of 56.70 seconds broke the previous mark by Summerville’s Imagine Patterson by four seconds.


“I like it because it’s what I’ve been working on for the past four years of high school,” said Obebe, who also won the 110-meter hurdles. “Especially the previous two years and the summer, we’ve been working really hard to perfect my race and kindly get me the right things to work on alternating and staying consistent in my hurdles. So, I get to see all the hard work pay off.”


Other multi-medalists were A’zedah Anderson (Summerville), Ella Nighbor (Clover) and Riley Vaughn (Spartanburg).


The boys’ title quite literally came down to the final two field events. Wando had developed an early lead on defending champion Ridge View before winning by a small margin.


The Blazers were looking to make it five straight years a Richland Two school was boys’ champion. Spring Valley had won champion from 2021-24.


“It’s a battle to the end and we knew it was going to be that way coming into this meet,” head coach Jason Doorman said. “And it was awesome to see. We had pretty step up in places we didn’t expect. We had people just bring their ‘A’ game throughout the entire meet and it was an awesome finish.


“Taking out Ridge View is something because they’re a very good team and they’ve been beating the state over and over and over. So, to be able to defeat them, hey that’s an honor to take them down and be able to be in the ranks there on top of the state.”


Junior Dylan Carey was the lone individual champion for the Warriors in the 400 meters. Wando did have several medalists in the field events that helped in its points total.


Multi-medalists in the boys’ division included Chanin Harris (J.F. Byrnes) and Luke Hurley (Boiling Springs).


S.C. HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE CLASS 5A TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (Top 5 Finishers)


GIRLS

100 METERS

1. A’zedah Anderson (Summerville), 2. Jordayn Ratliff (Dorman), 3. Trinity Jones (Summerville), 4. Oliver Taylor (Blythewood), 5. Ciara Williams (Lexington)

200 METERS

1. A’zedah Anderson (Summerville), 2. Ciara Williams (Lexington), 3. Kendell McFadden (Fort Dorchester), 4. Olivia Taylor (Blythewood), 5. Alexandra Francique (Blythewood)

400 METERS

1. Peyton Hightower (Blythewood), 2. Patience Grant (Stratford), 3. Olivia Taylor (Blythewood), 4. Akyra Webster (Spartanburg), 5. Zy’keyia Halley (Spring Valley)

800 METERS

1. Hayley Hightower (Blythewood), 2. Ana Laurient (Wando), 3. Rowyn Martens (Wando), 4. Gretchen Kale (Mauldin), 5. Marley Wall (Dutch Fork)

1600 METERS

1. Ella Nighbor (Clover), 2. Ava Jagielski (Clover), 3. Callie Rohm (Mauldin), 4. Kendra Miles (Lexington), 5. Taylor Blackwelder (Summerville)

3200 METERS

1. Ella Nighbor (Clover), 2. Taylor Blackwelder (Summerville), 3. Avery Griffith (Mauldin), 4. Anna Cavallon (Wando), 5. Anna Kelly (Blythewood)

110 METER HURDLES

1. Rebecca Okebe (Dorman), 2. Brooke Bramlett (Blythewood), 3. Gabrielle Cherry (Blythewood), 4. Romell Garway (Blythewood), 5. Sidra Berry (Ridge View)

400 METER HURDLES

*1. Rebecca Okebe (Dorman), 2. Katelyn McNeil (Spring Valley), 3. Arriana Dooley (Mauldin), 4. Tatiana Dooley (Mauldin), 5. Madison Ross (Blythewood)

4x100 METER RELAY

1. Blythewood, 2. Summerville, 3. Dorman, 4. Spartanburg, 5. Spring Valley

4x400 METER RELAY

1. Blythewood, 2. Spring Valley, 3. Dorman, 4. Ridge View, 5. Wando

4x800 METER RELAY

1. Wando, 2. Mauldin, 3. Blythewood, 4. Spartanburg, 5. Dorman

HIGH JUMP

1. Miracle McLean (Carolina Forest), 2. Danabella Jackson (Sumter), 3. Alexis Jones (Blythewood), 4. Trinity Hall (Clover), 5. Oprah Tchuendem (River Bluff)

LONG JUMP

1. Ciara Williams (Lexington), 2. Alexis Jones (Blythewood), 3. Alahna Valentine (Ridge View), 4. Simone Wells (Sumter), 5. Jordayn Ratliff (Dorman)

TRIPLE JUMP

1. Jordayn Ratliff (Dorman), 2. Romell Garway (Blythewood), 3. Naadia Rampersant (James Island), 4. Miracle McLean (Carolina Forest), 5. Oprah Tchuendem (River Bluff)

DISCUS THROW

1. Addilyn Elrod (Summerville), 2. Olivia Parker (Spartanburg), 3. Maddie Sanders (Mauldin), 4. Emmie Otto (Carolina Forest), 5. Darcy York (Rock Hill)

POLE VAULT

1. Riley Vaughn (Spartanburg), 2. Skylar Singleton (James Island), 3. Emiya Victor (James Island), 4. Mattie Bandy (Dorman), 5. Harmoni Harris (Spartanburg)

JAVELIN THROW

1. Elle Cocco (Wando), 2. Morgan Carter (Fort Dorchester), 3. Hailey Greatrex (Fort Dorchester), 4. Kyleigh Moore (Fort Dorchester), 5. Jaylyn Maley (Lexington)

SHOT PUT

1. Riley Vaughn (Spartanburg), 2. Emiya Victor (James Island), 3. Harmoni Harris (Spartanburg), 4. Lainey Myers (Lexington) 5. Elle Cocco (Wando)

TEAM SCORES (Top 10)

1. Blythewood (125), 2. Dorman (75), 3. Summerville (60), 4. Wando (59.50), 5. Spartanburg (53), 6. Lexington (45), 7. Mauldin (42), 8. Clover (36), 9. Spring Valley (33), 10 (tie). James Island and Fort Dorchester (30)

* S.C. High School League record


BOYS

100 METERS

1. Chanin Harris (J.F. Byrnes), 2. Grant Garrick (Lexington), 3. Jeremiah Calhoun (Boiling Springs), 4. Ke’Shon Tate (Spring Valley), 5. Thaddius Rush (Ridge View)

200 METERS

1. Chanin Harris (J.F. Byrnes), 2. Jeremiah Calhoun (Boiling Springs), 3. Grant Garrick (Lexington), 4. Devan Erby (Rock Hill), 5. Aidyn Wiggins (J.F. Byrnes)

400 METERS

1. Dylan Carey (Wando), 2. Larry Davis (Blythewood), 3. Jaderion Moore (Rock Hill), 4. Brody Johnson (Wando), 5. Jaden Davis (Wade Hampton)

800 METERS

1. Josh Voegele (Lexington), 2. Ari Laurient (Wando), 3. Wesley Heimbach (Lexington), 4. Joseph Robinson (Spring Valley), 5. Jack Butler (Wando)

1600 METERS

1. Luke Hurley (Boiling Springs), 2. Jacob Powers, 3. Joseph Robinson (Spring Valley), 4. Sammy Joudeh (J.L. Mann), 5. Evan DeMassi (Dutch Fork)

3200 METERS

1. Luke Hurley (Boiling Springs), 2. Jacob Powell (Blythewood), 3. Hudson Kennemore (J.L. Mann), 4. Ben Elliott (Mauldin), 5. Noah Taylor (Spring Valley)

110 METER HURDLES

1. Grayson Crowe (Boiling Springs), 2. Quency Grant (Ridge View), 3. Elijah White (Ridge View), 4. Justin Elliott (Mauldin)

400 METER HURDLES

1. Elijah White (Ridge View), 2. Quency White (Ridge View), 3. Justin Elliott (Mauldin), 4. Andy Metz (Spartanburg), 5. Grayson Crowe (Boiling Springs)

4x100 METER RELAY

1. J.F. Byrnes, 2. Spartanburg, 3. Ridge View, 4. Carolina Forest, 5. Ashley Ridge

4x400 METER RELAY

1. Ridge View, 2. Blythewood, 3. Wando, 4. Carolina Forest, 5. Spring Valley

4x800 METER RELAY

1. Lexington, 2. Wando, 3. Spring Valley, 4. Clover, 5. Summerville

HIGH JUMP

1. Cameron Hughes (Spring Valley), 2. Evan McCullough-Bryant (Dorman), 3. Jamarius Brown (Dorman), 4. Jonathan Wilson (Carolina Forest), 5. Isiah Kennedy (Ridge View)

LONG JUMP

1. Torrean Davis (Spartanburg), 2. Gage Stewart (Dutch Fork), 3. Jahmari Malone (Wando), 4. Jamier Gaston (Dorman), 5. Miles Williams (Carolina Forest)

TRIPLE JUMP

1. Jamarius Brown (Dorman), 2. Jahmari Malone (Wando), 3. Torrean Davis (Spartanburg), 4. Amari Stevenson (Ridge View), 5. Jamier Gaston (Dorman)

DISCUS THROW

1. Aiden Graham (Rock Hill), 2. Jaden Roberson (Dorman), 3. Jay Morris (James Island), 4. Collin Ash (River Bluff), 5. Preston Iagulli (Carolina Forest)

POLE VAULT

1. Lukas Kowlok (Stratford), 2. Mayson Samuel (Cane Bay), 3. Caleb Berry (Mauldin), 4. Luke Lasher (James Island), 5. Walker Ferguson (Mauldin)

JAVELIN THROW

1. Walker Ferguson (Mauldin), 2. Ben Eikenberry (Wando), 3. Gryson Greenberry (Summerville), 4. Zach Teachman (Wando), 5. Nate Dixon (Lexington)

SHOT PUT

1. Aidan Graham (Rock Hill), 2. Henry Camps (Wando), 3. Collin Ash (River Bluff), 4. James Porter (Dorman), 5. Jimmy Jones (James Island)

TEAM SCORES (Top 10)

1. Wando (84), 2. Ridge View (78), Dorman (52), 4. Lexington (50), 5 (tie). Spring Valley (48), 7. Mauldin (41), 8. J.F. Byrnes (40), 9. Blythewood (38), 10. Spartanburg (35.50)

 

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