from: The Charlotte Observer
Sunday - Feb 10, 2002

3 Meck athletes win indoor titles

Lucas time of 2 minutes 56.73 seconds broke the record of 3:06.08 set by Fuquay-Varina's Mandy Becker in 1996.

Two other Mecklenburg County athletes won titles. North Mecklenburg's Jeff Gosselin won the 3,200 meters in the second-fastest time in meet history, running 9:22.25 for his first state track title. He edged teammate Kalib Wilkinson, who finished in 9:23.07. Butler's Vonteena Knotts won the long jump with in 17-feet, 9 3/4 inches.

It was the second straight year a North Meck runner won the event and only the second time in history a Mecklenburg County runner won. Stephen Haas, a freshman at Indiana this season, won last year's title.

Four other Observer area athletes won titles: South Caldwell's Mitchell Pope won the boys' shot put in 57-feet, 1/2 inch; Northwest Cabarrus' Tempess Stark repeated as champion in the girls' 55-meters (7.20) and West Rowan's Sherina Steele won the triple jump in 38-1.

Northern Durham's A.J. Davis, a Parade All-America football player, won meet most valuable with wins in the long jump (24- 1/2) and triple jump (48-1).

The girls' most valuable went to Mount Tabor's Carly Matthews, the N.C. 4A cross country state champion this past fall. She won the 3,200 meters (10:52.67) and was second in the 1,600 meters in 5:06.21 behind Hendersonville's Erika Schneble who set a state meet record of 5:06.16 in the event.

The two other individual records broken were by Raleigh Broughton All-American Jesse Williams in the high jump (7-0) and Mount Tabor's Mike Loyd in the 55-meter hurdles (7.23) and 300 meters (34.90).