Alison Stone eyes the high jump bar, an event that saw Tift finish first and second.

TIFTON — Lowndes High swept the Region 1-AAAAAAA track and field meet Wednesday afternoon, with the girls championship coming down to the wire. Tift County was second in both the boys and girls titles.

Lowndes’s Vikettes had 183 points for the afternoon, with Tift scoring 179, a finish even closer than its four points.

The Vikettes and Tift each had 167 team points going into the final girls event of the afternoon, the 4×400 relay. The “A” and “B” teams were neck-and-neck for the first two laps before Lowndes began to break away. Tift’s “A” squad managed a second place finish in the race, behind Lowndes, but the Lowndes “B” squad finished third to wrap up the title. Tift’s “B” squad was fifth.

“I’m proud of these girls,” said Tift head coach Gregg Segraves. “They put themselves in position to win. They gave it all they got.”

The boys’ standings were not as close; Lowndes scored 213 points, with Tift amassing 161.

Colquitt County finished third in boys competition with 119.5 points and were fourth in girls at 102. Camden County was third in girls at 132 points and fourth in boys at 111.5.

The Lady Devils’ run was fueled by qualifying an athlete in every event except one. In total, 16 different athletes qualified for sectionals in 15 events.

Cali Conner had the squad’s lone win for the day, a 5’2” height cleared in high jump, but the team compiled 10 more second place finishes. That included Ali Stone’s second place in high jump, also at 5’2”.

Emily Golden was part of three second place finishes, coming in the 1,600, the 3,200 and as a member of the 4×400 team with Syeedah Harris, Dasia Flanders and Shadiamond McIntyre.

McIntyre and Flanders also each qualified for three events in sectionals. The two were part of a 4×100 team that qualified in third (with Amaya Bryant and Shavonna Morris) and Flanders additionally made it as runner-up in the 200 and McIntyre was fourth in the 400.

Stone had another second place in the 300 hurdles, running in 48.43 seconds. The winner, Kelsea Collins of Camden County, ran it in 48.36 seconds.

Kiera Green was second in both the shot put and discus. Rylee Watson will go to sectionals in both hurdles races, having finished second in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 300.

The Lady Devils’ other second place team was the 4×100 squad of Harris, Divinity Mitchell, Nicky Jones and Shamiah Johnson, which shaded their teammates in the race.

Other sectionals qualifiers were Keishonna Branner (fourth place in the 800), Kaliya Taylor (third in the 100), Jones (third in triple jump), Caitlin Carr (third in pole vault) and Conner (fourth in pole vault).

Besides the feats of the Lady Devils was a record-setting day for Elizabeth Funderburk of Colquitt County.

Funderburk won two races, the 1,600 and 3,200. In the former, she set a new Region 1 record, completing the course in 4:58.69 seconds.

Tift’s boys had three winners on the afternoon, one in a real photo finish.

J.D. Bengston and Darryl Griffin of Lowndes appeared to cross the finish line in the 800 meters simultaneously. The region head coaches were called to the press box to review the video, with the decision going to Bengston. Bengston’s time was given as 2:09.50, Griffin’s 2:09.51.

Mike Jones won the 110 hurdles in 14.82 seconds. Chad Williams won the shot put with a distance of 48’4.25.”

The 110 hurdles were part of a one-two finish, Jones winning and teammate Danny Hill crossing the line in second place. The two also qualified for sectionals in the 300 hurdles, Hill again finishing second with Jones coming in third.

Braye Pellegrino and Jacob Redd were second and third in the pole vault. Pellegrino’s height was 11 feet. Shamel Johnson was second in the 400 and Ronald Jackson was second in high jump. J.D. Bengston had a second place result in the 1,600, crossing the finish line in 4:46.83.

Other sectionals qualifiers were Javian Nelms (fourth in the 100), Beau Bengston (fourth in the 3,200), Wajaya Royster (third in long jump), Otis Jackson (third in triple jump) and Antonio Howard (third in shot put).

Track sectionals will take place April 28 at Hoschton’s Mill Creek High.