The Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lady Cats track teams turned in some strong individual performances at Saturday’s L.C. Smith Winfred Benson Relays at the Hugh Mills Memorial Stadium Track in Albany.

Monroe’s Tornadoes and Lady Tornadoes were meet champions. The Bearcats finished fourth and the Lady Cats finished thirteenth in the 16-team field.

The meet sponsored by Albany’s Monroe High School Tornadoes and Lady Tornadoes and named for two of the school’s former outstanding coaches, annually features some of the top individual track performers and teams in the state.

Bearcats coach Larry Cosby and Lady Cats coach Tandria Phillips said they were pleased with the competitive efforts of their performers on Saturday.”

“When you consider the strength of the competition Saturday I thought we performed pretty well,” coach Cosby said.

“Improved our times in several events,” added coach Phillips.

Monroe’s Lady Tornados, who finished second in the State in Class AAAA a year ago, returned several of their top athletes from that team. They include sprinter Jahari Williams who is the defending state champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes,

She finished first in both events Saturday.

Bearcat Victor Bodison won the long jump competition with a leap of 21-feet-7-inches. Cervantes Jackson was second in the high clearing the bar at a height of 6-feet-2-inches. Chase Harris was second in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs in times of 4:32.68 and 10:17.59.

The Bearcats 4-by-100-meter relay team of Shawn Herrings, Elijah Tyler, Lorenzo Mitchell and Dameon Pierce was fourth in a time of 43.37 and their 4-by-200-meter relay team Derrell Dukes, Jean Jenty, William Johnson and Lorenzo Mitchell was fourth in a time of 1:34.80.

The Bearcats had two 4-by-400-meter relay teams in the meet. The team of Poncherella Leonard Shawn Herring, Cervantes Jackson and Lotenzo Mitchell was fourth in a time of 3:31.75 and their team of Isaiah Brown, Jeremiah Hodge, Atarius Shuman and Jarvis Freeman was seventh in a time of 3:38.97. Cervantes Jackson was fifth in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.41 and eighth in the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 42.58.

Poncherella Leonard was fifth in the 800-meter run in a time of in a time of 2:04.50. Perry Waddell was eighth in the 1600-meter run in a time of 5:21.97.

Lady Cat Uriyah Davis was third in the 3200-meter run in a time of 13:13.94 and fifth in the 1600-meter run in a time of 6:11.47.

The Bearcats and Lady Cats will return to action Saturday in the Lowndes County High School Invitational Meet in Valdosta.