BHS junior Holly Van Grinsven stands atop the podium after winning the 400-meter AAA state championship. Kelly Bickel, left, was sixth. Photo by Peg Fredi)

BA wins two DII girls relays; Peoples third in 1600 for RHS  

Brentwood Home Page news reports
Brentwood High junior Holly Van Grinsven won the state championship in the 400-meter run and led the Lady Bruins girls track team to a runner-up finish in the TSSAA Class AAA division Thursday.

BHS sophomore Eric Hoff, who already had one runner-up finish in the decathlon, took second in the pole vault Thursday by clearing 13 feet. He earned another 8 points for the Bruins, giving defending boys champion BHS a leading 26 points going into Friday’s finals.

Brentwood's girls track team celebrates its second-place finish in the Class AAA state meet. (Submitted photos by Kathy Bickel)

In Division II, Brentwood Academy’s girls 4x100 ran the only sub-50 seconds to win the state meet in 48.90, and the 4x200 took the championship in 1:42.95. The Lady Eagles’ 4x800 team ran third and the 4x400 fifth as BA finished fifth.

BHS junior Amber Sudzius placed second in the Class AAA discus throw Thursday, with a toss of 132 feet on her third of six tosses to finish runner-up behind Hunters Lane senior Michelle Cumings’ 143-07.

Senior Amy Nelson earned a seventh-place medal at 111-07, giving the Lady Bruins a total of 10 points in the discus.

Van Grinsven, third in the AAA pentathlon on Monday, outraced Oakland senior Emily Davis in the 400 by .06 of a second to win in 56.68. Lady Bruins senior Kelly Bickel finished sixth to pick up points and a medal.

Bickel came in third with a 25.26 in the 200 meters, which saw a photo finish between the top two runners at 24.73. Van Grinsven was fifth in the 200, and also turned in fifth-place in the 100 hurdles at 14.93.

The Lady Bruins were third in the 4x800, with Ravenwood finishing sixth. The Lady Raptors 4x400 relay, which won its heat on Wednesday, was also sixth.

Ravenwood junior Erika Peoples took third in the 1600-meter race in 5:10.81.

RHS 10th-grader Zach Gilroy medaled in eighth place in the pole vault at 12-6.

In DII, Brentwood Academy freshman Abbie Whitehurst was runner-up in the 100, while sophomore Breanna Tate took third and twin sister Deanna Tate finished sixth.

Breanna Tate clocked a 25.22 second-place finish to USN senior Jordan Lavender’s 24.61-second time in the 200, while Whitehurt was next at 25.31 and her sister fourth at 26.31.

BA freshman Allison Cheeseman was seventh in the 3200.

Brentwood resident Abbie McKinney, a senior at Franklin Road Academy, was third in the DII triple jump at 37-2.50 and fifth in the long jump at 16-11.50 after finishing runner-up in the pentathlon on Monday.

McKinney also was third in both hurdles events, at 15.18 in the 100 and 45.57 in the 300 high hurdles.

BGA senior Chloe Tillman, of Brentwood, placed fourth in triple jump at 36-4.75 despite suffering a broken nose during a fall in the decathlon. Brentwood Academy junior Caylyn Harvey medalled in sixth at 34-4.25.

Christ Presbyterian freshman Megan Roach won the A-AA girls pole vault at 11 feet, 1 inch, while junior teammate Ellie Clayton was fourth at 8-6.

In AAA boys preliminaries Thursday, new decathlon state champion Jake Lazas of BHS qualified fifth for the 300-meter hurdles in Friday night’s running event finals. The Brentwood 4x400 also advanced from prelims in sixth.

Senior Kelly Bickel, third in the 200, scored 9 points and junior Holly Van Grinsven had 25 individually for BHS.

Bruins sophomore Eric Hoff was second in pole vault after being runner-up to teammate Jake Lazas in decathlon.

DI-AAA girls top team scores
Knoxville West 62.50, Brentwood 54, Tennessee 39

Thursday’s AAA girls finals results
Long jump: 9 Bickel, Kelly (BHS) 15-10.50
Shot put: 15 Leath, Kennedie (RHS) 30-00
Triple jump: 13 Williams, Emma (BHS) 32-08.75
Discus throw: 2 Sudzius, Amber (BHS) 132-00; 7 Nelson, Amy (BHS) 111-07
100 hurdles: 4 Van Grinsven, Holly (BHS) 14.93
4x800: 3 Brentwood 9:47.50; 6 Ravenwood  9:55.92
1600: 3 Peoples, Erika (RHS) 5:10.81
400: 1 Van Grinsven (BHS) 56.68; 6 Bickel 59.13
300 hurdles: 8 Hampton-Flowers, Sarah (BHS) 48.34
800: 6 Alexander, Brittany (BHS) 2:22.25
200: 3 Bickel (BHS) 25.26; 5 Van Grinsven (BHS) 25.49
4x400: 6 Ravenwood 4:04.13

Wednesday’s AAA girls finals results
Pole vault: 10 Vorhaus, Abby  8-00
3200: 13 Peoples, Erika (RHS) 12:03.41 

Wednesday’s AAA girls preliminaries results
100 hurdles: 4 Van Grinsven, Holly (BHS) 16.30Q
100: 11 Van Grinsven (BHS) 13.12; 12 Bickel, Kelly (BHS) 13.13
400: 5 Van Grinsven, Holly  (BHS) 57.70Q; 6 Bickel (BHS) 59.14Q
300 hurdles: 8 Hampton-Flowers, Sarah (BHS) 47.33; 15 Lindley, Maddie (RHS) 50.10
800: 4 Alexander, Brittany (BHS) 2:20.80Q; 11 Arnette, Allie (RHS) 2:23.25
200: 4 Van Grinsven (BHS) J25.52Q; 8 Bickel (BHS) 25.83q
4x400: 2 Ravenwood  'A'  4:03.12Q

DII top girls scores
Baylor 134.50, GPS 95, Brentwood Academy 76

Thursday’s DII girls finals
4x100: 1 Brentwood Academy 48.90
4x800:  3 Brentwood Academy 9:47.64
100: 2 Whitehurst, Abbie (BA) 12.22; 3 Tate, Breanna (BA) 12.29; 6 Tate, Deanna (BA) 12.69
4x200: 1 Brentwood Academy 1:42.95
200: 2 Tate, Breanna (BA) 25.22; 3 Whitehurst, Abbie (BA) 25.31; 4 Tate, Deanna (BA) 26.31
4x400: 5 Brentwood Academy 4:10.21
3200: 7 Cheeseman, Allison (BA) 11:54.19    2  
Triple jump: 6 Harvey, Caylyn (BA) 34-04.25

Thursday’s AAA boys preliminaries
300 hurdles: 5 Lazas, James (BHS) 40.13
4x400: 6 Brentwood  3:26.86Q 

The 4x800 team of Elizabeth Scott, Emily Thornton, Emily Stack and Brittany Alexander was third.	Holly Van Grinsven poses with the other medalists, including Kelly Bickel, after winning the 400.