MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Blistering. Both the conditions at Friday's TSSAA Division I Small Class state track and field meet and the times turned in by Chattanooga's sprinters can be summed up best by that one word.
With temperatures hovering in the low 90s as the running events began, a pair of Arts & Sciences juniors scorched the competition as Brevin Sims and Alayah Dozier combined to win five individual events. Chattanooga-area athletes won nine events in all Friday.
Sims won state titles in the 300- and 110-meter hurdles with a meet-record time of 13.80 seconds in the 110. He won the 300 hurdles in 37.20 and finished sixth in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, events that were held immediately after each hurdles race.
"I've been running them all for training, so I just thought 'why not now' and tried to run them all since I was here. Knowing myself, I would've been mad if I didn't try," said Sims, who set a 110 state record earlier this season with a 13.68, which currently ranks as the sixth-fastest time in the nation. "I'm proud that I have the state record and the state meet record. I think that's a pretty good accomplishment for this season.
"It was so hot out here. I think that affected my race. Plus I may have had too many goals, trying to do too much, but I did get the record, which is what I wanted coming in. And I medaled in all my events, so I'm pretty happy."
Dozier swept the three individual sprint events - 100, 200 and 400 - and also helped her team win the 4x400 relay as the Lady Patriots finished third in the overall team standings.
"I couldn't really push myself as much as I wanted, because I knew I had a lot of events to go and it was really tough in the heat," said Dozier, who ran the 100 in a personal-best time of 12.11, the 200 in 24.88 and the 400 in 57.36.
"This is what I've been working for all season," Dozier said. "I wanted to come in and get all three, and I got them. It feels really good."
Tyner sophomore Antwonike Jennings won the girls' 100 hurdles in 15.33 and finished second in the 300 hurdles in 47.52.
"This was my goal coming into today and I got it, so I'm really happy," Jennings said.
Brainerd's 4x200 girls' relay - made up of freshmen Jalaya Mack and Ahniyah Careathers and juniors Tyra Bell and Damiyah Thompson - won the title with a group-best time of 1:45.61.
"It seemed like a lot of people from Chattanooga were sitting together and cheering for everyone from back home," Thompson said. "That was a good feeling and kept pushing us."
Signal Mountain's team of Charlotte Harrison, Mattie Parker, Sophia Gibby and Tara Jessen won the 4x800 with a time of 10:15.58, nearly 25 seconds ahead of the second-place finishers. Jessen, a freshman, also placed second in the 1600, and Parker was second in the 3200 as the Lady Eagles finished runners-up in the overall team standings.
"We really try not to look over the shoulder to see how far ahead we are, and our coach kept yelling that they were right behind us, so the adrenaline pushed us," Parker said.
Tyner's boys had a strong showing as Jeremiah Batiste finished second in the 200, fourth in the 100 and fifth in the long jump, while teammate Jordan Perkins finished third in the triple jump and fifth in the high jump and Anthony Goodwin placed second in the shot put.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.