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Tag: Griffins Track and Field

  • Fairfield’s Sharmelle Holmes Named SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week

    Sharmelle Holmes. Day one of the Rod McCravy Memorial. Photo by Caleb Bowlin | UK Athletics

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Former Fairfield Central  High School standout turned University of Kentucky Track & Field athlete Sharmelle Holmes earned the Southeastern Conference Women’s Freshman of the Week award of the 2025 season, the league office announced Tuesday. Holmes earned the honor after her performance at Kentucky’s Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational last weekend where she set a new Kentucky freshman record in the 60m dash.

    Sharmelle Holmes. Day two of the Rod McCravy Memorial. Photo by Caleb Bowlin | UK Athletics

    The Winnsboro native, competing in only her second collegiate meet, stormed to a personal best time of 7.29 seconds to win the preliminary round of the 60m dash on Friday. In addition to shaving a near-tenth of a second off her personal best—set in her collegiate debut in December—Holmes broke the Kentucky Freshman Record in the event, a mark of 7.30 seconds set by NCAA and World Champion Abby Steiner in 2019. Holmes would win the semifinal round on Saturday before finishing third in the final.

    Holmes currently holds the seventh fastest 60m time in the nation and is ranked second in the league in the event, including first among freshmen.

    The Wildcat debutante also took home a third-place finish in the 200m on Saturday, stopping the clock at 23.96 seconds for her second personal best of the weekend. She ranks 15th in the NCAA in that event and second in the conference, including first among freshmen.

    Holmes enters her freshman season at Kentucky after a stellar prep career at Fairfield Central High School, highlighted by winning the 2023-24 Gatorade South Carolina Girls Track & Field Player of the Year award. Holmes won four individual state titles her senior year—100m, 200m, Long Jump, and 4x100m—and was named an All-American via her fourth-place finish in the 100m at the 2024 New Balance Outdoor Nationals.

    The Wildcats will return to the track this weekend as sprinters and jumpers compete at the Corky Classic in Lubbock, Texas while throwers and distance runners compete at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville. Both meets will take place from Friday, January 17 to Saturday, January 18.

  • Griffins Ink College Plans

    • Photos: @FCHSGriffins

    WINNSBORO – Three Fairfield Central student-athletes signed their letters of intent on Wednesday, March 2. Pictured at left, Stephon Gadsden, quarterback for the Griffins, made his plans to play football at South Carolina State University official. According to stats on Maxpreps, Gadsden averaged 99 passing yards per game and 65.2 rushing yards per game in his career as a Griffin.

    At right, twins Tamerra and Tanisha English signed their letters of intent for track and field at Oakland City University. Tamerra English was a part of last season’s 4×100 relay team, which finished first in the region. She also placed third at region in javelin. Tanisha English placed second at region in 100m hurdles and fifth in high jump and shot put.

  • Fairfield Central competes at State

    Joshua Mosley | Photos: Anthony Montgomery

    HOPKINS – Last Friday’s Track and Field championships may not have been the finish that the Griffins’ wanted, but it was a good one nonetheless. Sharmelle Holmes, Tamerra English and Joshua Mosley represented Fairfield Central in their respective events last Friday at the SC High School League AAA State Championships.

    Sharmelle Holmes

    Holmes took home second place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.41. Ja’Lencia Griffin of Manning took first place at 25.14. Holmes also finished fourth in the 100m dash with a time of 12.48. Griffin also took first at 12.33.

    Joshua Mosley finished fourth for Fairfield in the 3200 meter run finals with a 9:53.66 finish, a new personal best for him. Pendleton’s Ronan O’Neill finished first in the event at 9:35.39.

    Tamerra English finished seventh in javelin at 70-08.00. Bishop England’s Hope-Elaine Stowell took first place.

    The Griffin girls team finished second in the region this season.

    Tamerra English

  • Griffin girls finish 2nd in region

    COLUMBIA – At the Region 4-3A meet, the Griffin girls team finished in second place behind Mid-Carolina, while the Griffin Boys placed last, but junior Joshua Mosley continued to dominate in the distance events, pulling first place finishes in the 800m run (2:11.12), the 1600m run (5:01.97) and the 3200m run (10:42.20).

    Other top-five finishes for the boys were:

    • Evelino Reyes-Hawes finished second in high jump for the Griffins at 5-8.
    • Tydarion Grier: 100m dash (5th place, 11.13) and long jump (5th place, 19-4.5)
    • 4x100m relay team: Stepheno Gadsden, Stephon Gadsden, Christopher Jackson, Tydarion Grier (3rd place, 43.92)
    • 4x800m relay team: Evelino Reyes-Hawes, Hank White, Derek Cammon, Owen Wilson (4th place, 9:50.41)
    • Mosley, Reyes-Hawes, and the 4×100 and 4×800 relay teams qualified for Upper State this weekend

    Sharmelle Holmes highlighted the Griffin girls team with first place finishes in the 100m dash (12.09), the 200m dash (25.33) and the 400m dash (1:00.88).

    Fairfield’s relay team of Tamerra English, Natalia Gray, Anaya Peay and Holmes placed first in the 4x100m relay finals with a time of 50.53.

    The Griffin girls also saw a handful of second place finishes. Tamerra English placed second in the 100m hurdles. The 4x400m relay team of Celysha Jackson, Teairra McDuffie, Anaya Peay and Ericka Kelly placed second, and the 4×800 relay team of Jackson, McDuffie, English and SaKira Hayes also finished second.

    Other top-five finishers for the girls were:

    • Natalia Gray: 100m dash (5th place, 13.17)
    • SaKira Hayes: 1600m run (3rd place, 6:26.26) and 3200m run (5th place, 16:42.58)
    • Tanisha English: high jump (5th place, 4-2) and shot put (5th place, 26-6)
    • Tamerra English: javelin (3rd place, 67-2)
    • Ericka Kelly: shot put (3rd place, 28-6) and javelin (5th place, 56-9.5)

    Holmes, Hayes, Tamerra English, Gray, Kelly, Tanisha English, and the 4×100, 4×400 and 4x800m relay teams qualified for 3A Upper State.

    The Griffins head to Upper State this weekend in hopes of qualifying for the State meet next weekend.

  • Mosley takes 1st at Falcon Invitational

    Mosley

    COLUMBIA – Joshua Mosley represented Fairfield Central at the Ben Lippen School’s George Johnson Falcon Invitational on April 10. Mosley took first place in the 3200 meter run finals with a time of 10:13.54, two seconds ahead of second place finisher Judson Taylor of Lexington High School.

    Mosley, a junior, set his personal record in the 3200 meter run at the March 6 Diamond Hornets Invitational with a time of 10:03.09.

    The Griffins were set to compete in Lugoff Elgin’s meet on Wednesday, but scores were not available at press time. They will travel to Keenan for the Raider Twilight Invitational on April 16 and to Columbia International University on April 17 for the Rams High School Invitational.