Members of the North and South track and field teams competed in the Section 2AA meet Saturday at Riverdale High School with berths to the state meet on the line.

The top two finishers in each event advanced to the Class AA middle school state meet with nine local athletes reaching that qualifying mark for the day.

South had two athletes qualify for the state meet in throwing events with both of them setting new school records in the process.

Sawyer Mayes finished first in the boys shot put with a throw of 44 feet, 6.5 inches, beating DuPont Hadley’s Brandon Bass by 9.5 inches for the top spot. Mayes will be competing in the state meet for the second time after qualifying in the discus throw in 2025.

Kyleigh Johnson also recorded a first-place finish for the day as she led the field in the girls discus throw with a toss of 84 feet, 4 inches. She finished 1 foot, 8 inches ahead of Hixson’s Mila Rivers for first place as she qualifi ed for the state meet for the first time.

The North Gators and Gatorettes had seven total athletes qualify for the state meet across five events with each of them earning the first state berths of their athletic careers.

North’s girls 4×100-meter relay team of Vivian Baggett, Amirykal Johnson, Adriana Wilkerson and Kinley Fergerson recorded a first-place finish for their school as their time of 52.68 seconds put them 0.15 seconds ahead of Madison Middle’s time for the top spot.

Baggett also advanced to the state meet as an individual in the girls 100-meter hurdles as she took second place in the event with a time of 16.69 seconds. John T. Moore’s Reese Arnold finished first with a time of 16.1 seconds.

In the field events, Dalton Brown placed second in the boys high jump as his height of 5 feet put him 2 inches behind DuPont Hadley’s John Fleming for first place.

Loralie Mason also punched her ticket to the state meet in the high jump as she finished second in the girls version of the event with a height of 4 feet, 6 inches. John T. Moore’s Arnold finished first at an even 5 feet.

Karley Butler secured a state berth by finishing second in the girls shot put with a top distance of 32 feet, 3 inches. Soddy Daisy’s Bailey Stephens took first place with a throw of 32 feet, 6.5 inches.

Amirykal Johnson narrowly missed out on qualifying in the girls 800-meter run as she placed third in the event with a mark of 2:41.81. Brown’s Sophia Luttrell finished less than three seconds ahead of Johnson, and Central Magnet’s Adelyn King placed first with a time of 2:36.94.

Wilkerson also finished one spot away from an individual state berth in the girls 100-meter dash with her time of 13.27 seconds leaving her just 0.09 seconds behind John T. Moore’s Kyndal Buckner for the final qualifying spot. Jere Baxter’s Alexandria Hollis finished first with a mark of 13.11 seconds.

Wilkerson ran in the girls 200-meter dash as well and finished fifth with a time of 28.04 seconds while Apollo’s Ma’Laisia Anderson led the field with a mark of 26.67 seconds.

Cayla Evans represented North in the girls 100-meter hurdles alongside Baggett and finished fourth for the day with a time of 18.54 seconds.

Colter Burt and Kiptyn Moore both competed in the boys long jump for North as they finished fifth and sixth, respectively, with distances of 17 feet, 3.5 inches and 17 feet, 1 inch. Rose Park Magnet’s Darius Weaver finished first with a jump of 19 feet, 7 inches.

South’s girls 4×800-meter relay team of Vivianne Brewer, Aliza Jackson, Ellie Walker and Nym Tiner finished fourth in their event with a time of 13:21.71. Cumberland County placed first in the event with a mark of 11:53.62.

The qualifying athletes will next compete on May 18 in the Class AA state meet at the University of Tennessee. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EDT.