RALEIGH - It was a event hosted by a Tri-Nine school, so it was only natural that several Tri-Nine track and field athletes came away with individual victories at Saturday’s Wake County Championships at Athens Drive.

The strength of the conference came from its distance runners and field participants.

But the key to winning this year’s meet came in the sprints and relays. Wakefield’s girls and Knightdale’s boys dominated in both.

The Wolverine girls blew away the field with 138.5 points – almost as many as second-place Millbrook (73.5) and third-place Southeast Raleigh (68) combined.

Apex (55) and Green Hope (50) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

“Most of my kids are sophomores and the strength of all them combined, they tend to take one, two or three in those events so that helps us out a lot,” Wakefield coach Ann Graham said.

The Knightdale boys were dominant as well, finishing with 104 points – well ahead of second-place Wakefield (69.5) and third-place Fuquay-Varina (68).

Apex had three winners with Audrey Diener (pole vault), Brianna Heilsnis (shot put) and the 4-by-200 relay team of Jazmiene Brown, C.J. Bunch, Shannon Thomas and Gabby Robinson.

“We competed well in a few areas, but I think our attention was split between the meet and the prom,” Apex coach Roy Cooper said. “I still think that we have better out there.”

Cary’s Sheridan Jordan won the 800 dash and was a part of the Imps’ winning 4-by-800 relay team.

UNC football recruit Shawn Underwood won the shot put and discus, the only two events he entered. He’s the defending state champion in the shot put, but said his skills in the discus were catching up.

“Last year I was pretty good at discus and was looking forward to going to states in discus, but only went in the shot,” Underwood said. “I think they’re about the same now that I’ve been focusing more in discus and have the shot downpat.”

Athens Drive’s Kevin Vincent (100 hurdles), John Mangum of Green Hope (pole vault) and Holly Springs’ Josh McClam (long jumper) also won titles while representing Tri-Nine schools.

Wakefield’s Olicia Sharp won the unofficial title as the county’s fastest girl with a time of 12.13 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Sharp also won the 200 dash.

Ariah Graham finished first in the 400 dash, while Wakefield teammate Tiana Patillo took second. Wakefield also won the 4-by-100 meter and 4-by-400 relay.

Millbrook’s Samantha George won the girls 1600 and 3200.

Wildcats teammates Crystan McLymore (triple jump) and Onya Daye (shot put) also won individual championships.

Southeast Raleigh’s Dannielle Davis (100-meter hurdles, long jump) and Wake Forest-Rolesville’s Sarah Graham (300 hurdles, high jump) also won two events.

On the boys side, Knightdale’s most well-known runner, Mar-Keo Jones, missed most of the early events as he was taking the ACT. Not that it mattered much on this day.

Burkheart Ellis Jr. won the 100 dash (11.01) and came in two-hundredths of a second from winning 200 dash, which was taken by Knights teammate Da’Quan Smalls.

Joshua Dunston of Knightdale won the 300 hurdles, and the Knights won three of the four relay events (4-by-100, 4-by-200 and 4-by-400).

Second-place Wakefield had winners in Aaron Covington (400 dash) and Mitch Mallory (1600, 3200).

Broughton’s Alvin Martin won the 800 dash and helped the 4-by-800 relay team win first as well.

Garner’s Daryl Saunders won the high jump and Sanderson’s Carl Marant won the triple jump.