Track And Field

Carroll County's spring sports season concluded with two state team championships and several individual crowns for high school athletes. A miracle finish earned the Liberty softball team its first state title, while the Lion girls' track and field team added to its championship tradition. In softball, Liberty trailed McDonough, 2-0, in the bottom of the seventh inning in the Class 2A state championship game at the University of Maryland softball complex. Then the Lions converted a bases-loaded, no-out situation into a title.

Catholic's Ellie Gonzalez was selected as the Gatorade Maryland Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, according to a news release, adding to her list of accomplishments during her junior year. Last month, Gonzalez was named The Baltimore Sun's Girls Athlete of the Year. She also swept The Baltimore Sun's top honors for cross country last fall (Runner of the Year), indoor track last winter (Performer of the Year) and outdoor track and field in the spring (Performer of the Year)

Following up on their UCBAC track and field crown, the Perryville boys won the Class 1A north region title last Saturday at Owings Mills High School. Led by seven first-place finishes the Panthers racked up 134 points to easily out-point runner-up Owings Mills' total of 77. The Perryville girls, meanwhile, placed third with 70 points. Harford Tech won with 149 and Western Tech was second with 138. Perryville, a well as athletes from Aberdeen and Havre de Grace, will compete in the Maryland State Track and Field Championships at Morgan State University today (Friday)

Vince Ciattei Perry Hall, senior After earning a spot on the All-Metro first team for cross country in the fall and indoor track in the winter, Ciattei took an extra step this spring. The senior dominated the competition in outdoor track and field, winning all of his 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs in his final high school season. Ciattei won the Class 4A races for the 800 and 1,600 in the state championships at Morgan State last month, but he didn't take part in the 3,200 at that meet.

Century senior Julian Woods doesn't have time to reflect on his sensational four-year career or think ahead to graduating and running at Mount St. Mary's next year. There's no time for that right now. Woods, who owes a large part of his success to his diligent preparation, is focused on helping the No. 1 Knights win the program's first boys outdoor track and field state championship starting Thursday at Morgan State. Century dominated the Class 2A West region last weekend - with Woods once again taking the lead role - defeating second-place Liberty by a 174.5-83.5 margin.

The sophomore sprinter added to an already impressive running resume with four gold medals in leading the No. 1 Eagles to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland track and field championship. She won the 100 and 200 meters and ran legs of the winning 800- and 1,600-meter relays. Undefeated in the 100 and 200, she has won seven IAAM titles in two years. An All-Metro first-team selection during the indoor track season, she helped the Eagles take that team title, too, by winning the 55 and 300 meters and anchoring the gold-medal 800 relay.

The senior sprinter won two races and was part of two winning relays for the Comets at Saturday's Howard County Invite. Whittington established a new meet record in the 400-meter dash, coming across in 56.31 seconds. She also won the 200 (25.12 seconds) and was part of the team's winning 400 and 1,600 relay teams. A first-team All-Metro performer last year, Whittington won the 400 at the Class 3A state meet, was part of the winning 1,600 relay and finished second in the 200 and third in the 100. She is set to run at Pittsburgh on a track scholarship.

Shedrick Elliott Western Tech In recent years, Elliott has built the Wolverines into a strong program that consistently competes in Class 1A. Western Tech relied on All-Metro first-team selection Sharon Dorsey this season, but she had plenty of help as the Wolverines narrowly lost to Boonsboro, 112-111, in the state championship meet at Morgan State last month. Before that, the Wolverines placed second at the Baltimore County meet and second in the North regional meet using the formula that Elliott has emphasized for years: balance and production from different spots.

Carrington Akosa, Western Tech, junior Ryheim Brockington, W.E.B. Dubois, senior George Flaviano, Digital Harbor, senior Brennan Hardesty, Chesapeake-AA, senior Jon Luckin, Hereford, senior Jibri McLean, Gilman, senior Corey Mendez, Digital Harbor, junior Jordan Palmer, Atholton, senior Josh Poole, Centennial, senior Danny Rau, Howard, senior Andrew Robinson, McDonogh, junior Jarid Ryan, Severn, junior ...

Teyarnte Carter Mount Hebron The Vikings boys won the Class 3A state championship at Morgan State last month, the first outdoor track and field team title in school history. Under Carter and coaches Leigh Langmead and Paul Ulrich, No. 3 Mount Hebron edged No. 4 Hereford, 58-55, at the meet. The Vikings had won the Howard County and East regional meets earlier in the spring. Carter, the All-Metro Performer of the Year and Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year for girls track and field as a senior at Long Reach in 2000, helped the Mount Hebron boys come together this spring.

The senior pitcher closed out his four-year career in dominating fashion, tossing a two-hit shutout to lead the Seahawks to a 6-0 win over Catonsville in Friday's Class 4A state championship game at Ripken Stadium. It was the program's first state title as the Seahawks closed out the season with a 20-5 mark. Mitchell finished with eight strikeouts and also had an impact at the plate, smacking two doubles to drive in two runs and score another. On the mound, he finished the season with an 8-0 record, pitching six complete games and two shutouts.