The Hilltoppers Girls Team with their State Championship banner and trophy. The girls team took the 4A state title for the fourth straight year, despite only having a #3 seed going in. “The overall ‘theme’ of the State Meet was that all our athletes came through with spectacular performances when it really counted. All us coaches couldn’t be more proud of them!” Asistant Coach Blake Wood said. Photo by Blake Wood

Amy Neal hands off to Chase Ealey in the 4×100 m relay final. Chase Ealey was 4A high point athlete of the meet, winning individual State Championships in the 100 m, Shot Put, and Javelin, and relay State Championships in the 4×100 and 4×200. She set new State Records in the shot put (throwing nearly 8 feet farther than the runner-up), 100 m, and 4×100 m relay. Amy Neal was State Champion in the 200 m and was part of the State Champion 4×100 and 4×200 teams (as anchor in the latter). She was not expected to score any points in the 200! Photo by Blake Wood

Sean Reardon at the finish of the 1600. The Hilltoppers Boys Team more than doubled their seed score of 16 to accumulate 38 points, improving their #12 seed to finish only one point out of third. Sean Reardon outsprinted the best distance runner in the state (Del Norte’s Jackson Thomas) with a 61.5 second final lap to win the 1600 m, and then returned to anchor our State Champion 4×400 relay. The Hilltoppers Boys Team were not seeded to score in the 4×400, and barely made it into finals. On Friday, Sean finished 2nd to Jackson Thomas in a gutsy 3200. Photo by Blake Wood