Early struggles leave 4x800 relay girls off podium

 

ATHENS, GA - This is it.  The State Track Finals are here and this year we are running on the brand new Spec Towns Track at the University of Georgia.  This state of the art facility just opened for competition a month ago and the first major competition comes in the form of the 2026 GHSA State Track & Field meet.  These athletes have been pushing their limits since the season opened in February, and for the distance runners, they have been training since XC season ended in November.  Of all the Chestatee athletes that saw competition this year, only 5 qualified for the State Finals, and all 5 of them are Lady War Eagles.

The first to qualify was our 4x800m relay team, which was on the radar ever since finishing their first meet within 10 seconds of a school record that had been untouched since 2014.  Despite setbacks of inconsistent weather, illness, and injury, these girls kept at it and finally broke the school record at 6-3A Regionals while qualifying for Sectionals.  At Sectionals, the girls again threw down another school best time, but this time, earning the team's first State Finals berth ever.  The relay team is led by Senior captain Kayleigh McBride, who runs the 3rd leg.  Freshman Bella McClenathen carries the baton first for the team while Junior Crystal Vaca, a soccer convert, runs second.  The relay team is anchored by Freshman Emma Dobson who is no stranger to being the final push in a relay team, running the anchor leg of the 4x400m relay all 3 years of middle school.  Emma also qualified for the 800m and 3200m finals.  

The fifth War Eagle to quality was junior sprinter, Elisa Beharry, who qualified for the 400m finals.

4x800 RESULTS

After a strong push to qualify for State, the Lady War Eagles relay ends in disappointment.  The girls started slow and were not able to gain any ground against the 15 other teams looking to medal in one of the top 8 spots.  The girls finished with a 10:38.52, well over the 10:25.95 they posted at Sectionals.  While simply qualifying to compete at State seems like a consolation prize right now, these girls did accomplish breaking the 2014 school record twice and appeared in the State meet for the first time in school history.

Next up, Emma Dobson will compete in the 800m and 3200m finals this afternoon starting at 4:20pm.





Meet Results: https://www.chestateexc.com/results/outdoor-track/5-14-state-meet-3a
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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