A well-balanced performance in the running and field events provided the Pinecrest girls with a first place finish in Thursday's first Mid-Southeastern Conference quad meet of the season.

The Patriots came in second, two points behind Hoke County, in the boys' competition also held at Reid Ross Classical School in Fayetteville.

Lexie Schustrom led the Patriot girls with first place finishes in the 1,600 and 800 meter runs. She was also a member of the first place 3,200 meter relay quartet that included Ashley Brock, Madison Hart and Fay Chu.

Patriot runners captured first place in three of the four relay events and came in second in the other. Breanna Quick, Candice Seagraves, Courtney Rainey and Shaniqua Knight made up the team that won the 800 meter relay. Quick, Rainey, Knight and Taylor Morris combined to win the 400 sprint relay.

The team of Ceci Weibert, Rainey, Knight and Mickelie Roy took second in the 1,600 meter relay event.

Individual winners for the Patriot girls also included Weibert in the 300 meter hurdles and Seagraves in the triple jump. Other top finishes included seconds by Seagraves in the long jump, Roy in the 300 hurdles and Jenna Wornoff in the 1,600. Brock grabbed a third place finish in the 800.

The team totals for the girls were - Pinecrest, 85, Jack Britt, 72, Douglas Byrd, 58 and Hoke County, 46.

The Hoke County boys won with a total of 87 points, followed by Pinecrest, 85, Jack Britt, 61 and Douglas Byrd, 41.

The Patriot boys piled up points in the long and medium distance races.

The 3,200 meter relay team of Craig Baggett, Scott Whitecar, Derek Whitescarver and Dalton Allen started the day with a first place finish. Individually, Whitecar won the 1,600 and anchored the first place 1,600 meter relay quartet that included Rapheal Alston, Herron Carson and Aaron Shamberger.

Carson was second in the 300 meter hurdles, Conner Kelly was second in the 1,600 and Whitescarver was the runner-up in the 3,200. Shamberger was third in the 400.

There were also strong performances by Patriot athletes in the shorter races and field events.

Carson was the winner in the 110 meter hurdles. Shamburger finished second in the 200. Alston won the long jump. In other the field events, Dylan Gaffney was second in the shot putt with teammates Jeremy Harris and Darian Harris, taking fourth and fifth, respectively.

Gaffney was also second in the discus with Daniel Keith picking up points in fourth place. Brandon Shaw was the runner-up in the triple jump.

"We have a lot of people that have stepped up this year and there are a lot of great athletes that are new to track and field," first-year coach Dan Matthews says. "The ones that are contributing the most are the ones that were involved in indoor track and have worked the hardest."

The next conference quad meet hosted by Jack Britt will be held at UNC-Pembroke on Thursday.