COLUMBIA --- The Daniel High School Lions girls’ team earned runner-up at the Class AAA State Championship Track and Field meet held Saturday at Spring Valley High School in Columbia. After holding an eight point advantage over rival Seneca in Day One, the Lions cruised to an easy second place finish.

Winner JL Mann set a record of 167 points, the highest ever recorded by a team in the state of South Carolina. Seneca finished with a strong fifth place.

To ensure Daniel would not lose the spot in the field, the Lions had a number of competitors in events on Saturday. Senior Lisa Hill got things started for Daniel placing seventh in high jump. In the triple jump, sophomore Sherece Smith placed second. In the 4x100 meter relay the Lions earned sixth. In the 4x400 meter relay, they finished in fourth.

In the 100-meter hurdles, sophomore Nish Dotson finished with a second place run and also placed second in the 400 meter hurdles. Freshman Sinead Haughey placed fifth in the 1600-meter run and also finished third in the 3200. Freshman Katherine Dickey also competed in the 3200 and placed seventh. In the 800 run, sophomore Erica Segars finished in second and right behind her in fourth was senior Lauren Droddy.

Seneca got strong performances from junior Brytannia Sears, who finished fourth in the 400 hurdles, and eighth grader Tameka Jackson, who placed third in the 800 run.

In Boys competition, Seneca and Daniel both finished in the Top 20 overall in team scores. Seneca placed ninth, while Daniel finished 20th. Seneca got its help from seniors Leavell Wall and Chris Black, and also sophomore Perry Rogers. Wall placed seventh in the 400, while Black also finished seventh in the 110 hurdles. Rogers took home third in Pole Vault.

Daniel had most of its help from Friday night when junior Jerrod Williams finished fourth in Long Jump and senior Graham McWilliams placed eighth in the Pole Vault. The lone competitor for Daniel on Saturday afternoon was junior Freddy Williams who took home third in the triple jump.

Top 10 AAA Girls Team Rankings: Top 10 AAA Boys Team Rankings:

1. JL Mann-167 1. Blythewood-60

2. Daniel-88 2. Chester-53

3. Greer-44 3. Chapin-48

4. Chester-35 4. Crestwood-45

5. Seneca-28 5. JL Mann-43

6. Bluffton-26 6. Pickens-32

7. Dreher-25 7. Hilton Head-28

8. Blythewood-23 8. Lugoff-Elgin-26

8. Myrtle Beach-23 9. Midland Valley-23

10. Carolina Forest-22 9. Seneca-23

20. Daniel-14