GHSA GIRLS STATE MEET — DAY 1 ROUNDUP: Lady Bearcats primed for historic state run

ALBANY — If Tandria Phillips is smiling a little more these days, it’s for a good reason.

She’s been the girls track & field coach at Bainbridge, where she once set a couple of school records herself, for a dozen years.

That even dozen has never looked better as Bainbridge heads into Day 2 of the GHSA Class AAAA state track & field meet today at Hugh Mills Stadium, where Albany is playing host to the girls championships for the 25th consecutive year.

The three-day meet for all five classifications began Thursday by running prelims for Class AA, AAAA and AAAAA. Prelims for Class A and AAA will be held today, starting at 5 p.m. after the field events, which begin at 9 a.m.

“I feel really good about this year,” Phillips said late Thursday night at the end of the first day of running prelims. “We got the people in the finals that we thought we would get in, and I think they will perform well in the finals on Saturday.”

Bainbridge has never finished higher than 13th in the state meet, but the Lady Bearcats have a chance to break into the Top 10 this weekend.

“Out of the 12 years, this is probably the most athletic group I’ve had,” Phillips said. “And we have more depth.”

And they have Nancy Session, who had a big day Thursday by not only qualifying in the 200 and 400, but running near the top of the field in both. Session had the third-fastest time (24.73) in the 200 and ran the second-best time (56.8) in the 400, and is expected to score 14 points or more in those two events in Saturday’s finals.

Jerisha Sutton ran the third-best time in the 300 hurdles, and she could get Bainbridge points today and Saturday. Sutton will be on the track early today, competing in the long jump. All the field event finals in all classes will be held today.

Bainbridge’s 4×400 relay team also qualified for Saturday’s final, and the Lady Bearcats expect to add some more points today with Diamond Bouie in the high jump and Khadeedra Sparrow in the shot put.

“I’ve had talented kids and I’ve had good kids before,” Phillips said. “This is such a good group and they have had great senior leadership. And I have quality athletes.”

They are looking for their best finish at Bainbridge, and they feel the same way at Mitchell County, where the Lady Eagles brought a formidable group to the Class AA meet.

“In the past, we have brought two girls to the state meet,” second-year coach Dontreal Williams said. “But we are looking for a big turnaround this year.”

Williams has more kids — and better kids — than ever before.

The Lady Eagles, who will have a chance to score some points today in the field, got out of the blocks Thursday as Aschia Davis qualified in both the 100 (12.63) and 200 (26.1) and Mitchell County’s 4×400 relay team also qualified for Saturday’s final. They should now have some serious points going into the finals.

“We’re expecting a lot in the field (today),” said Williams, who has three girls who could score points today.

Tiona Burley, who was an All-State and All-Area basketball player, has a chance to win the discus, and Davis should score points in the long jump. Twyla White could also give Mitchell County points in the high jump.

“This could be our best year,” Williams said.

Monroe’s girls will begin defense of their Class AAA title today when they hold the running prelims for GHSA’s Class AAA and Class A.

There was one final in Class AAA on Thursday and Westover’s Ericka Taylor, a freshman who has had a sensational season, finished 10th in the 1,600-meter run. Taylor will also run in the 3,200-meter final on Saturday.