South Pointe High School hosted the 2026 Battle of the Rock track and field meet on April 15 and 16, bringing together several Rock Hill area programs for one of the region’s signature rivalry invitationals. South Pointe, Northwestern, and Rock Hill dominated the competition across all events, with Riverwalk Academy and Westminster Catawba Christian School also fielding athletes throughout the two-day meet.
Sprint Dominance
South Pointe junior Devin Isley put on a show in the sprints, winning the boys 100 meters in 10.95 seconds and the 200 in 21.54, establishing himself as the clear top sprinter in the field. His teammate Cash Truesdale, a freshman, finished second in both events with times of 11.34 and 22.72 respectively, a strong showing for an underclassman competing against older athletes.
Northwestern freshman Julia Cherry mirrored that sprint success on the girls side, taking second in both the 100 (12.67) and 200 (26.55) behind South Pointe junior Azyah Adams, who swept those two events in 12.65 and 26.29.
In the boys 400, South Pointe junior Christopher Jones won in 52.21, with Rock Hill’s Olin Pitters close behind at 52.75. Northwestern’s Kylie Gilmore, a freshman, took the girls 400 in 1:00.81 ahead of Rock Hill seniors KeMiya Mobley and Adalyn Newberry.
Distance Events
South Pointe senior Keller Brown was the standout distance performer of the meet, sweeping the boys 1600 and 3200. Brown won the mile in 4:28.47, a comfortable margin ahead of a group of competitors that included Rock Hill’s Caleb Akins and South Pointe’s Felix Cassidy, who finished second and third at 4:42.22 and 4:42.44. Brown then came back to win the 3200 in 9:36.77, with South Pointe sophomore Copeland Crawford second in 10:09.21 and Akins third in 10:12.31. South Pointe placed five of the top eight in the 3200, reflecting significant depth in their boys distance program.
On the girls side, South Pointe junior Elizabeth Faircloth and Northwestern junior Grace Harvey staged a close battle in the 3200, with Faircloth edging Harvey 11:19.79 to 11:20.87. Faircloth also won the girls 1600 in 5:20.92. Rock Hill junior Jaylen Ramirez finished second in the 1600 at 5:22.13 and third in the 3200 in 11:51.97.
In the boys 800, Rock Hill senior Dalton Neely won in 2:01.55. South Pointe’s Jayden Finney, Reece Adams, and Felix Cassidy claimed the next three spots, giving South Pointe three of the top four finishes in that event. On the girls side, Riverwalk Academy sophomore Emme Herring won the 800 in 2:37.75, with Northwestern’s Skyler Laval and Bristol McKinnon finishing second and third.
Hurdles and Field Events
Northwestern junior Andrew Morton was the dominant force in the boys hurdle events, winning the 110 hurdles in 15.44 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 58.05. Morton also cleared 2.9 meters in the pole vault for second place.
In the girls hurdles, Northwestern sophomore Makayla Kirk swept both events, winning the 100 hurdles in 16.68 and the 400 hurdles in 1:11.24. Rock Hill senior KeMiya Mobley was just behind in the 100 hurdles at 16.73.
Rock Hill senior Aidan Graham was the dominant field event competitor of the meet, winning the boys discus with a throw of 52.4 meters and the shot put with a heave of 18.15 meters. Both marks were well clear of second place. Rock Hill’s Ethan Missaggia won the boys javelin at 40.7 meters.
Northwestern junior Xavier Wright-Meeks led the horizontal jumps, winning the long jump at 6.82 meters and the triple jump at 13.39 meters.
On the girls field side, Rock Hill sophomore Darcy York won the pole vault at 3.04 meters, clearing a mark that would be competitive at most invitationals in the state. Northwestern juniors Alexis Nyegaard and Irie Morton went back and forth in the throwing events, with Nyegaard winning the discus and shot put and Morton taking the javelin.
Northwestern freshman Kai McClain swept the girls long jump and triple jump, marking 5.27 meters and 10.01 meters respectively.
Relays
The relay events added another layer of intrigue to the rivalry meet. Northwestern’s boys 4×100 team edged Rock Hill 42.52 to 42.71, with South Pointe third at 43.58. The boys 4×400 was the closest relay of the day, with South Pointe winning 3:31.37 over Northwestern’s 3:31.40, a margin of just three hundredths of a second. South Pointe took the boys 4×800 in 8:26.34.
On the girls side, Northwestern edged South Pointe in the 4×100 at 48.57 to 48.76 and dominated the 4×400 in 4:10.51, with South Pointe second at 4:29.28. Northwestern also won the girls 4×800 in 10:34.97.
Looking Ahead
The Battle of the Rock served as a strong mid-season test for all three programs before region competition heats up in the coming weeks. South Pointe showed particular depth in the sprints and distance events, Northwestern demonstrated versatility across track and field disciplines, and Rock Hill produced standout individual performances in the throws, distance, and sprints. All three schools figure to be in contention when region championships arrive.
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