The 2018 All-Bi-City Girls Track team is here. Check out who made this year’s squad.

The outdoor track season season began with a lot of hype for many female athletes in the Bi-City. It ended with impressive performances and even more attention than before.

Three local track athletes won individual events at their respective state meets and have been named Track Athletes of the Year.

Columbus senior Tiondra Grant ended her time as a Lady Blue Devil with the highest note possible at state. Grant not only took fifth in discus in Class 4A, but she prevailed in the shot put with a distance of 39-4.

“It was actually kind of scary. The girl who was runner up, She threw a 39-3 on her last throw. I threw a 39-4,” said Grant, who has signed with Kennesaw State. “It was gritting teeth, and then when I won everything was just quiet. I hugged my coach, and we were so excited we were jumping up and down. It was like a heart-racing moment when I won.”

Grant’s state title was her first. The same cannot be said for Marion County’s Ansley Whitley, who came through yet again in the discus.

Whitley conquered the competition in Class A-Public, taking first in the discus with a distance of 139-00. The win gave Whitley her third straight state championship and placed her on the podium alongside twin sister Ashley, who finished second in the event.

“It was crazy because a lot of people came up to me and knew who I was, and I had no idea who they were,” Whitley said. “After I had already been on the podium, (the P.A. announcer) called me back and told me to stand at the top, smile and look pretty. He said it was an honor to have someone win three years in a row and he’d never had someone win three years in a row.”

Like Whitley, Smiths Station’s Alonie Sutton returned to her championship form this spring. Sutton won state championships in the long jump and triple jump for the second straight year and set new state records in both events. Sutton’s teammate Kennedy Brown took second in the triple jump, beating the previous state record in the process.

Sutton, who has already headed to Knoxville, Tennessee, to join the Lady Volunteers track team, leaves Smiths Station with six state titles.

“Alonie works hard, so it’s always great to watch an athlete step it up from even the year before. She always got better,” Smiths Station coach Cassidy Stecenko said. “Her and Kennedy, they fought back and forth all year long. I think that’s what made this year great — watching them taking turns winning.”

The close of the season was a bittersweet one for Stecenko, who saw her Lady Panthers finish eighth in Class 7A. After guiding the team to yet another strong effort at state, Stecenko has opted to step away from coaching. She said she kept her decision a secret from her athletes until after state, only making their triumphs that much more emotional.

“It’s hard anytime you step away from them, and I still struggle with it,” Stecenko said. “For them to end the way they did, give their all and leave it all out there, it’s the best feeling. To know we had lost as many athletes as we did and for them to still compete at the level they did, I couldn’t have been more proud of them.”

Track Athletes of the Year

Tiondra Grant, Columbus; Alonie Sutton, Smiths Station; Ansley Whitley, Marion County

Coach of the Year

Cassidy Stecenko, Smiths Station

First Team

Jozalyn Albright, Hardaway

Gabrielle Bookman, Hardaway

Kennedy Brown, Smiths Station

Adley Burkes, Central

M’Kiyah Conner, Central

Staci-Ann Cox, Spencer

Kayla Davis, Central

Kenyanna Davis, Shaw

Morgan Ficklin, Central

Venessa Frank, Central

Abigail Garner, Central

Nayana Geisler, Shaw

Dailyna Hall, Central

Eryn Johnson, Central

Jada Lester, Central

Davorne Lindo, Central

Kennedy Lynn, Central

Raylan Martin, Central

Khayla McKeller, Shaw

Karmen Shipp, Central

Brelyn Snipes, Shaw

Timia Patton, Shaw

Cydney Thomas, Shaw

Tanryn Thorn, Central

Shamohre Witchett, Shaw

Second Team

Deja Allen, Shaw

Madison Brown, Smiths Station

Kayla Cox, Kendrick

Deja Delaine, Chattahoochee Co.

Miriam Embola, Shaw

Tianna George, Shaw

Akia Humber, Shaw

Kinadee Kinard, Central

Kayla Marsh, Hardaway

Alexis Morris, Central

Kiley Murphy, Central

Sommer Nelson, Central

Brenaysha Rivers, Hardaway

Devarier Robinson, Jordan

Sandra Stevens, Hardaway

Thilia Sutherland, Shaw

Ary'onna Thomas, Jordan

Ashley Whitley, Marion County

Honorable Mention

Brookstone - Antonia Nunley; Central - Mariah McCord, Alexis Morris; Hardaway - Kayla Marsh, Brenaysha Rivers, Sandra Stevens; Harris County - Dai'jah Chandler, Lakisha Henderson, Devin Helms; Kendrick - Timeah Epps, Aalonnah Lee, Jameshia Smith, Talicia Williams; Marion County - Terri Crawford, Brittany Foster, Diamond Franklin, Febbie King, Lillie McCorkle, Torri Myers; Northside - Samyzia Sears; Shaw - Ashlee Corbett; Smiths Station - Mya Brooks, Jenna Dawson; Spencer - Tina Adams

This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 3:30 PM with the headline "The 2018 All-Bi-City Girls Track team is here. Check out who made this year’s squad.."