By JAKE POTTER

One step spelled a world of difference for members of the East Columbus High School girls’ track team.

The members of the 4x200 relay team—Ashley Bracey, Megan Lennon, Jasma Miles and Reneshia Baldwin—were busy celebrating their first-place finish in the 2006 state 1A finals race when an official disqualified the team because the baton had been passed one step outside the proper hand-off zone.

The girls lost 10 points because of the decision—points that would have established them as the second-best team in North Carolina. The 33 points the girls earned at the meet, held at North Carolina A&T University last Friday, placed them eighth in the state.

Had the disqualification not occurred, a score of 43 would have put them behind only West Wilkes, who amassed a staggering 53 points.

“They ran their hearts out,” Coach Travis Conner said of the Lady Gators. “(The disqualification) was questionable. We wanted to protest the call, but you can’t protest an official’s judgment call, only a rule issue.”

But if there’s one point not up for debate, it’s this—the Lady Gators, including fellow state finalist Jasmine Young, are the real deal. This year’s team gave one of the best statistical performances the school has seen in the past decade.

“In the state meet, it all comes down to quality of performance,” Conner said.

Remarkably, the five state finalists aren’t even seniors. This year was the first for some of the girls.

“Oh, we’re a young team,” Conner said with a little grin. “I don’t know where they picked it up… maybe they just ran around their neighborhoods a lot as kids.

“We’ve got a great shot next year.”

Young, a sophomore, racked up a laundry list of accolades at the event. She finished second in the long jump (17-3.75), third in the 100-meter dash (12.89) and fifth in the 200-meter dash (27.08).

Baldwin, a freshman, finished just ahead of Young in the 100-meter, earning a second-place finish (12.76).

Miles, a junior, finished seventh in the 300-meter hurdles. She nearly eclipsed both Young and Baldwin’s 100-meter finishes before tripping and falling.

“Jasma is kind of a leader to the team,” Conner said. “She had been telling them what to expect at the state meet.”

The team also placed fourth in the 4x100 relay, finishing in 52.17 seconds.

Conner pointed out that the team’s Waccamaw 1A-2A Conference opponents provided healthy competition for the small squad.

“Being in a 1A-2A conference, your expectations get skewed,” he said. “Every track meet, they’re trying to compete with teams like North Brunswick (a 2A school).

“We’ve just got really good track in this league.”

Though the 4x200 team was disqualified, Conner said he was pleased that the girls finished nearly a full second ahead of the next team to cross the finish line.

“The big thing I saw Friday was when the girls went from being joyous and high-fiving each other for winning the race to becoming the maddest group of five girls I’ve ever seen,” he said. “They still held their composure. They had to run a race right after that and performed just as hard.”

A textbook example of a clutch performance?

“I guess you could call it that,” Conner said with a laugh. “I was impressed.”