Tiger duo leads T&D All-Area track team
By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports WriterMonday, June 16, 2008Individually, Allendale-Fairfax’s Lennel Elmore and Michael Kirkland have performed liked ‘superheroes’ in track and field.
Together, the two seniors are the ‘dynamic duo’ who made history in helping the Tigers cruise to a second consecutive Class A boys’ track and field championship.
Collecting four gold medals each, Elmore and Kirkland outpointed distant second-place finisher Lamar at the S.C. Track and Field Championships held May 10 at Harry Parone Stadium.
For their efforts, the Tiger tandem are this year’s All-T&D Region Track and Field Athletes of the Year.
“Just those two alone did enough for us to win at the state,” said head coach Wayne Farmer, who’s coached three teams to Class A titles since 2005. “They worked real hard. All the honors and accolades they get, they deserve. They’re very humble kids.”
In Elmore, Allendale-Fairfax had a specialist in both track and field. The South Carolina State football signee was a ‘triple crown’ threat in the jumping events, having dominating the long jump, triple jump and high jump the past two seasons both regionally and statewide.
So confident in his abilities entering the S.C. Track and Field championships the man nicknamed ‘Superman’ predicted a sweep of all three events. He backed up those words by outdistancing the competition in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
His high jump of 6-6 was the longest among all classifications.
“The coach says I have springs,” said Elmore about his jumping prowess.
Further displaying his versatility, Elmore helped the 4x100 meter relay team win the state title.
While Elmore lived up to his moniker, his teammate was equally ‘super’ in putting his name in the S.C. High School League history books. After sweeping the 800, 1600 and 3200 meters and helping the Tigers win the 4x800 meters, the long-distance specialist who’s headed to Benedict College repeated the feat to become the first South Carolina athlete to win four gold medals two straight years.
In the process, Elmore and Kirkland became the first teammates in state history to have two athletes in the same day with four gold medals.
“You can’t replace them,” Farmer said. “We’ve got some young kids like Michael’s (younger) brother (Eliakim) and we’ve got a lot of young athletes. The tradition is there and I think we continue to move on.
“All of the kids know what it takes to get it done. They stride to be better than what Michael and Lennel were.”
BOYS
Jamie Bull, Chance Shelley, Alexander Way and Nick Martin - All of Holly Hill Academy
GIRLS
Mary Auburn Shuler, Meredith Jenkins and Tresa Hutto - All of Holly Hill Academy
Sallie Covington and Hillary Thackston - Both of Orangeburg Prep
BOYS
Lennel Elmore, Michael Kirkland and Bashaud Joyner - All of Allendale-Fairfax)
Terry Close - Bamberg-Ehrhardt
Marcus Young - Edisto
Phillip McCreary - Hunter-Kinard-Tyler
Jeffrey Rivers and Freddie Martino - North
Eric King - Orangeburg-Wilkinson
Shane Kyzer and Erik Mobley - Pelion
Andrew Johnson and Justin Wolfe -both of Woodland
Jamie Bull, Chance Shelley, Alexander Way and Nick Martin - All of Holly Hill Aca.
GIRLS
Mary Auburn Shuler, Meredith Jenkins and Tresa Hutto - All of Holly Hill Academy
Sallie Covington and Hillary Thackston - Both of Orangeburg Prep
Shanace Isaac - Allendale-Fairfax
Chelsee Driggers -Bamberg-Ehrhardt
Crystal Robinson - Lake Marion
Zapporah Sutton - North
Nevada Minard - Pelion
Te’shell Britt and Janet Gaddish - Both of Woodland

