BHS junior Jacob Britt takes the gold in 3,200-meter race

The Brookhaven Lady High Panthers captured the MHSAA 5A runners-up trophy Friday at the state track and field meet hosted by Pearl High School.

BHS was edged out by Long Beach High for the top spot.

The 4 x 800 relay team of Ayanna McNairy, Abby Roberts, Ellie Slay and Miyah Miller took gold in their event by running a time of 10 minutes and 27 seconds. They defeated the second-place team from Germantown by over 11 seconds. Roberts and Miller are seniors, McNairy is a junior and Slay is a freshman.

Another top spot on the podium was earned by sophomore Ah’Menya Rancifer. For a second straight year no one in 5A could match Rancifer in throwing the shot put. Her winning throw this year was 37 feet, 4.75 inches. Last year as a freshman, Rancifer won her first state title with a 38 feet, .05 inches toss. As she did last season, Rancifer also won second place in the discus.

The 4 x 200 relay team of Genesis Frazier, Kaylon Levi, Tiyuna Harris and Kyja Willis finished second in their race. The freshman Willis was third in the 100-meter dash. Another freshman — Harris — was third in the 400-meter dash. Miller finished third in the 800-meter run and third in the 1,600-meter run.

The 4 x 100 team of Frazier, Willis, Levi and Aniyah Cook finished third in their relay. Frazier is a sophomore, Levi is a junior and Cook is a freshman.

On the boys’ side, BHS got a championship effort from junior Jacob Britt in the 3,200-meter run. Britt won gold with a time of 10:11 and his teammate freshman Grayson Childress followed in second place with a time of 10:25. Britt also was second in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:47.

Tonya Johns is the girls’ track coach and Steven Keys coaches the BHS boys. Darien Dorsey and Shannon Knott serve as assistants.