Last weekend, the Starr’s Mill track and field team participated in the Coaches Invitational in Atlanta. Hosted at Lakewood Stadium, both the boys and girls teams had outstanding performances that re-wrote the Starr’s Mill record books.

“We have got some kids who have been pretty dominant in their events since they started on the varsity level,” head coach Chad Walker said. “This year we also have a lot of seniors and experienced runners which is a good mix.”

The girls record-breaking event was the 4×1600-meter relay, which was completed by senior Mary Valli, junior Zemmie Steger, sophomore Megan Dobso, and freshman Audra Daniel. To go along with this outstanding finish, senior Tracy Kanya, and juniors Bree St. Julian, Lea Duben, and Tara Davis, placed third in sprint medley relay and the 4×400-meter relay.

“We only get one chance to run that relay, so we wanted to break it,” Dobso said. “It was time to do it before our senior, Mary Valli, left.”

One event featuring both boys and girls in the same race also went well for the Panthers. Seniors Katie McCormick, Cara Clements, and Zach Stellman, and sophomore Seth Miller, combined to finish third in the coed SMR.

For the boys, this weekend proved to be one of the best in Starr’s Mill history. Combining for three new school records in just two days, the Panthers saw dominant performances from both individuals and teams. Beginning with the 4×1600, juniors Nick Nyman, Ty Duben, Harrison Fultz, and Rhett Perry secured their record easily. Senior Cole Elrod, Duben, Fultz, and Perry also broke the school record in the 4×800-meter relay. The final record of the meet was smashed when Nyman, a state champion in cross country, broke the school record in the 1600-meter race with a 4:19 time.

“Coaches Invitational is the only meet with the 4×1600-meter relay and we knew we had a chance to break the school record if we ran well,” Nyman said. “Two of our guys, Rhett and Ty, both ran near their personal best times and we ended up breaking the record by 12 seconds.”

Starr’s Mill’s next meet will be the Carrollton Invitational at Carrollton High School on March 24. The Region Championship Meet, hosted by Starr’s Mill, is scheduled to begin on April 19 and will conclude on April 20.