The 2023 MPSSAA Track and Field State Championships were held at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex on May 25-27.  The meets began with a state record already falling on Day 1 when Ava Allen of Middletown improved her previous year’s state championship winning height in the pole vault by seven inches.  Her record height of 12’ 7” bested the previous record by a whopping three inches!  On the final day of the meets, Brody Buffington of Catoctin broke the 100m state record in lightning fashion, sprinting to a time of 10.35 in the final, after already breaking his own Class 1A record of 10.60 by running a 10.57 during his qualifying race on Day 1. 

One of the more impressive performances that stood out was that of runner Mary Delaney from Mountain Ridge.  The senior won the Class 1A state championship in all three individual distance events (800m, 1600m, 3200m), breaking the classification records along the way.  She also helped her team secure a second-place finish in the 4x800m Relay.

Read on to see the team champions and all the records broken at the state meets.

Team Champions - Girls

Class 1A – Western STES

Class 2A – Oakland Mills

Class 3A – River Hill

Class 4A –Urbana

Team Champions - Boys

Class 1A – Catoctin

Class 2A – Oakland Mills

Class 3A – Governor Thomas Johnson

Class 4A – Bowie

A few things to note on the girls’ side:

• Western STES was able to continue their hold on the Class 1A title, successfully defending it for a three-peat.
• Both Oakland Mills and Urbana won back-to-back championships.
• River Hill claimed their first championship trophy after previously finishing as runner-up three times, most recently in 2018.

And on the boys’ side:

• Catoctin won back-to-back titles.
• Oakland Mills ran away with their third championship in a row.  This is their record 16^th title.  Fairmont Heights who dominated the 1970s by winning every year but two, is in second place with 12.

Records Broken 

*Previous record holder in parenthesis.

• 2A Girls Pole Vault – Ava Allen, Middletown, 12-07                                                                     (Jackie McNulty, Oakdale, 12-04, 2015)

• 1A Boys 100m– Brody Buffington, Catoctin, 10.35                                                                     (TIE: 10.42 - Devon Smith, Westlake, 2008 / Kamel Winfield, Jr., Old Mill, 2022)

• Girls 800m – Mary Delaney, Mountain Ridge, 2:14.25                                                          (Rebeka Holt, Western STES, 2:15.62, 2012)

• Girls 1600m - Mary Delaney, Mountain Ridge, 5:01.28                                                          (Haley Wright, Boonsboro, 5:01.43, 2016)

• Girls 3200m - Mary Delaney, Mountain Ridge, 11:03.02                                                      (Korin Miller, Rising Sun, 11:06.29, 1998)

• Boys 100m – Brody Buffington, Catoctin, 10.57Q                                                                  (Brody Buffington, Catoctin, 10.60, 2022)

* Broken again during the 100m final by Buffington, also establishing a state record at 10.35.

• Boys 200m – Brody Buffington, Catoctin, 21.06                                                                      (Kyle Farmer, Oakland Mills, 21.51, 1999)
• Boys 4x800m Relay – Mountain Ridge:  Ackerly Mulcaster, Brendan Kline, Will Haberlein, Casey Culler, 8:04.72                                                                                                (Northwestern-B:  Donald Salmond, Ahmed Idris, Jose Miranda, Kenneth McCuin, 8:05.33, 2011)

• Boys Discus – Carter Hess, Fort Hill, 168-00                                                                              (Ryan Martin, Williamsport, 166-10, 2003)

• Boys 4x100m Relay – Oakland Mills:  Trevin McHargh, Shane King, Xavier Doctor, Mife Osinubi, 42.03                                                                                                                   (Howard: Matt Harvey, Marcus Rudolph, Anthony Elliott, Chris Brewington, 42.18, 2007)

• Boys Discus – Ruichen He, Glenelg, 172-00                                                                              (Quincey Sutton, Frederick Douglass-PG, 167-10, 2012)