1 of 7

Vicksburg High's Layla Carter competes in the girls' triple jump at the MHSAA Region 2-5A meet Monday at Memorial Stadium. Carter won the event with a leap of 36 feet, 11 1/2 inches. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vicksburg High's Jelisa Tyler prepares to throw the shot at the MHSAA Region 2-5A track and field meet Monday at Memorial Stadum. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vicksburg High's Nicholas Mickey lands in the pit during the boys' long jump competition at the MHSAA Region 2-5A track meet Monday at Memorial Stadium. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vicksburg's McKenley Williams runs in the girls' 4x800 meter relay Monday at the MHSAA Region 2-5A track and field meet at Memorial Stadium. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vicksburg High's Diamond Jackson runs in the girls' 3,200 meters at the MHSAA Region 2-5A track meet Monday at Memorial Stadium. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vicksburg High's Tyler Henderson competes in the boys' triple jump at the MHSAA Region 2-5A meet Monday at Memorial Stadium. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vicksburg High's Rodrianna Hall lands in the pit during the girls' long jump competition at the MHSAA Region 2-5A track meet Monday at Memorial Stadium. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Nothing less than a victory would do in order for Vicksburg High to claim the MHSAA Region 2-5A girls’ track championship.

And a victory was exactly what it got.

The 4×400 relay team of Gewel Porter, Terri Boyd, Mckenzy Edmond and Shaniyah Walker raced home to the win in the final event to give the Missy Gators the team title at the Region 2-5A track and field meet on Monday.

Vicksburg edged Ridgeland by one point, 138-137, for the team title.

Ridgeland finished fourth in the 4×400 with a time of 4:41.71. Vicksburg won it in 4:35.55, about a half-second ahead of Jim Hill’s relay team.

The 4×400 was Vicksburg’s fourth event win of the day. The other three came courtesy of Layla Carter.

The senior finished first in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, as well as the triple jump. She was also second in the high jump.

Carter posted times of 16.75 and 48.24 seconds in the 100 and 300 hurdles, respectively. In the triple jump, she leaped 36 feet, 11 1/2 inches.

The top four finishers in each event advanced to the Class 5A North State meet on May 1 at Hughes Field in Jackson. The Missy Gators had eight individual athletes and all four relay teams — the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400 and 4×800 — move on.

Rodrianna Hall qualified in three events, the high jump, long jump and triple jump. She jumped 35-8 in the triple jump to finish second to Carter.

Kristiana Nevels (100 hurdles) and Terri Boyd (800 meters) had second-place finishes. Amiya Hall (200 meters), Edmond (300 hurdles) and Walker (400 meters) finished third in their events, while Jelisa Tyler placed fourth in the shot put.

In the Region 2-5A boys’ meet, Vicksburg won one event and had three athletes move on to North State.

Tyler Henderson won the triple jump with a leap of 46-2, and also jumped 21-7 to finish fourth in the long jump.

Koury Vample qualified in two events as well, with a second-place finish in the 110 meter hurdles and a third in the 300 hurdles.

Malachi Drake was third in the discus, and the 4×100 relay team finished fourth.

The Gators placed fourth out of eight teams in the team standings, with 48 points. Ridgeland won the team title with 173 points, Callaway was second with 144 and Canton third with 114.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

More by Ernest

More Sports

Girls basketball roundup: Missy Gators, St. Al win season openers

Boys basketball roundup: St. Al, Vicksburg cruise to early-season wins

Game Plan: Nov. 5-10, 2024

Who’s Hot: Nick Anderson