McBride podiums for Chestatee distance at Hall County Championships

 

GAINESVILLE, GA - It was deceptively cool out for the Hall County Track & Field Championships as bluebird skies and a cold breeze still left no relief from the overhead sun.  In the meet, the Lady War Eagles struggled to make headway against the rest of the Hall County Schools as the team finished in 4th place overall.  The girls distance team was missing freshman Bella McClenathen and junior Vanessa Valdez due to a band/chorus trip and freshman Emma Dobson was a last minute scratch in the 1600m and 3200m.  The boys team finished in 8th place.

But the one shining moment for the distance team was senior Kayleigh McBride making the podium by taking 3rd place in the 3200m with a PR of 12:19.64 and, while Chestatee's distance team saw several PRs, McBride's finish amounted to the only distance medal for the War Eagles.  For the boys, freshman Andrew Laborde finished in 14th with a 13:14.91 and freshman Miguel Valdez finished close behind in 15th.

In the 4x800 relay, the girls finished 4th with a time of 10:58.65.  While several of the girls improved their leg, the team was forced to sub in an junior Leilani Moreno as an alternate runner due to the absence of McClenathen.  The team looks forward to having all runners back as they continue to run down the school record.

In the 800m open, freshman Emma Dobson finished in 4th with a season best time of 2:28.69 after scratching out in the 1600m.  Senior Kayleigh McBride finished in 9th and freshman Ximena Garcia finished in 19th.  For the boys, freshman Andrew Laborde finished in 20th with a 2:36.66 followed by freshmen Miguel Valdez in 22nd and Braden Keller in 23rd.

In the 1600m, senior Kayleigh McBride led the girls with a 5th place finish and PR of 5:41.95, followed by junior Leilani Moreno in 11th.  For the boys, freshman Andrew Laborde finished in 15th with a PR of 5:39.17, followed less than a second behind by Miguel Valdez in 16th and Brayden Keller in 26th.

The War Eagles will look to regroup this week for the Low Country Table Invitational at North Oconee HS in Bogart, GA on April 2.

Meet Results: https://www.chestateexc.com/results/outdoor-track/3-28-hallco
Photos: https://www.chestateexc.com/coverage/photos
Articles: https://www.chestateexc.com/coverage/articles-archive
Schedule: https://www.chestateexc.com/schedule/outdoor-track-2026

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