Harwell leads Spartans at state

The Mountain Brook High School track and field teams concluded their season at the Class 7A state meet, held May 2-4 in Gulf Shores. 

The Spartans boys totaled 43 points to place seventh, while the Spartans girls totaled 27.5 points to place ninth. The Hoover boys and James Clemens girls took first in their respective divisions. 

Hunter Harwell paced the Mountain Brook boys at state. The senior finished second in the 3,200 meters and third in the 1,600 meters. He posted personal-best times of 9 minutes, 22.56 seconds and 4:20.56, respectively. 

Both races came down to the wire. Harwell rounded the final turn near Vestavia Hills’ Ethan Strand and sprinted alongside him for as long as he could. Strand emerged by narrow margins each time. 

“I just kicked as hard I could,” Harwell said after the 3,200. “I thought of all the people that have gotten me here and just kind of wanted to put forth the extra effort for them.”

Harwell also contributed to the Spartans’ 4x800-meter relay that placed second in 7:57.96. Henry Hartley, Joseph Pitard and Gram Denning ran the other three legs. 

Harwell finished his high school career as both an individual and team state champion. He won the 3,200 at February’s state indoor meet and played a key role in Mountain Brook’s 2017 state cross-country championship. 

Harwell will continue his career at Auburn University. 

“I’m just thankful that God’s put me in this position,” he said, “to make the most of the gift He’s given me.” 

Denning, another senior, capped his career with a strong showing as well. He ran a season-best 1:55.86 to place fifth in the 800 meters. 

Thomas Renneker, meanwhile, led the Spartans in the field events. The sophomore took second in the pole vault with a clearance of 14 feet. Teammate Zach Bass was seventh at 12-6. 

Mark Waller, a junior, placed fifth in the high jump by clearing 6-4. That was two inches higher than his previous personal best. Baynes Autrey, a senior, was sixth in the javelin with a personal-best heave of 169-6. 

On the girls side, sophomore Grayson Scott had Mountain Brook’s best individual performance at state. She finished third in the high jump with a clearance of 5-4 and sixth in the long jump with a leap of 16-9. 

Mountain Brook’s 4x800 relay of Lily Hulsey, Tessa Allen, Anna Balzli and Virginia Webb led the way on the track, placing third in 9:38.5. Balzli, a senior, was sixth at this year’s state cross-country meet and has signed with Mississippi State University. 

Holli Chapman recorded the highest finish in an individual track event. She took fourth in the 400 meters in 57.8 seconds. A senior, she plans to run at the U.S. Military Academy. 

Reagan Riley, on the other hand, is a few years away from making her college decision. The eighth-grader has her whole high school career ahead of her, and it looks incredibly bright. She finished fifth in the 3,200 meters in 11:34.34. The race capped a memorable year that also included a runner-up finish at the state cross-country meet. 

Seniors Ellis Henley and Ella Cobbs finished seventh and eighth in their respective events, javelin and high jump.