Christian Balcer, Chanice Spicer Earn Outstanding Performer Awards In Mobile

By Arthur L. Mack for DyeStat

MOBILE, Ala. — A year after the Mobile Challenge of Champions was postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak, people wondered what sort of performances to expect in this year’s edition of the popular early season meet.

Thankfully, it was a return to normal.

East Central MS standout Christian Balcer and Montgomery Brewbaker Tech AL’s Chanice Spicer, along with numerous other athletes, turned in stellar performances at the Invitational Division held at St. Paul’s Episcopal School’s E. E. Delaney Stadium.

Balcer set the lone meet record, in the mile run, clocking 4 minutes, 13:28 seconds to not only win the event, but to break an 18-year-old record of 4:14.27 set by Anthony Chuili of Memphis Christian Brothers in 2003.

Helena AL’s Brady Barton was also under the old record, running 4:14.19. Balcer came back and finished third in the 800 (1:57.08), behind Huntsville’s Grant Scales (1:56.03) and Birmingham Parker’s William Shelton (1:56.72).

RESULTS

Spicer, meanwhile, won the 100 meters (11.88) and the 200 (23.86), defeating John Curtis LA’s Raven Nunnery (12.10/24.39) in both events.

Spicer and Balcer were named the meet’s Outstanding Performers.

“I feel really humbled, and I really feel humbled,” Balcer said. “I didn’t know they were going to present something like this after the meet. It just shows that hard work really pays off.”

Spicer ran in the meet as a sophomore.

“I had a lot of fun,” said Spicer, a University of Alabama signee who also has a 4.2 grade point average.

“I always enjoy coming to this meet. I came here when I was in the 10th grade, and I was planning to come last year, but I couldn’t because of the COVID crisis. I wasn’t sure if I was going to win the award, because there was another girl who also won two events.”

Balcer was in a pack of six runners in the early stages of the mile, but picked up the pace with less than a lap to go. His stride appeared effortless, but he said the race was really anything but.

“Coming into the meet, I was very nervous because I wasn’t sure what I was shooting for, but I wanted to compete,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to start my kick with about 600 meters to go, but I knew it was going to be a race with 400 (meters) left.”

Spicer had no such worries — after coming off a big performance at the Florida International Meet the week before, she came into Saturday’s meet with a lot of confidence.

“I felt really good and healthy coming off a big meet last week, where I ran 11.48 and 23.44,” she said. “I came into this meet just focusing on my start, because I knew Raven had some pretty good times.”

Meet director Steve Schoenewald was relieved to see the quality of the meet come back after last year's vacated date.

“These were some of the best performances so far this season,” Schoenewald said. "We had four guys under 4:20 in the mile, and seven guys under 9:30 in the 2-mile. It was great to be back after COVID kept us from running the meet last year.”

Balcer and Spicer were not the only athletes with strong performances. Ariel Pedigo of Baton Rouge’s Parkview Baptist won the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 6 inches, as well as the long jump (17-7). She also had second-place finishes in the javelin (128-4) and the 100-meter hurdles (14.66).

Another Louisiana athlete, St. Michael-Baton Rouge’s Heather Abadie, won the Invitational girls pole vault, clearing 13-0, with Alexis Gratia of Fontainebleau (12-6) finishing second and Fairhope’s Holly Foley, the Alabama state Class 7A indoor champion, third (11-6). A tricky crosswind made things difficult for the vaulters, who were satisfied to get some good clearances.

“At least it wasn’t as bad as the weather in Louisiana,” Abadie said. “But I wound up nine inches off my personal best.”

Gratia was one of many who missed out on last year's meet. 

“I was supposed to come here last year, but couldn’t because of COVID,” she said. “But today, I felt great, and I was very excited.”

Foley, who came in with a best of 12-6, said "the competitition was the best I've seen all year."

Other Louisiana athletes who had first-place finishes were Brandon Green of Ruston in the boys triple jump (47-10.75), Diamond Smith of New Orleans Warren Easton in the girls triple jump (37-8.25), and Laila Guy of Baton Rouge Magnet in the girls shot put (42-5.75).

Several in-state athletes had stellar performances, particularly from the Mobile area.

Two St. Paul’s Episcopal athletes — Bestor McFadden and Mac Conwell, had career performances. McFadden won the javelin with a school-record and personal best 189-5, while Conwell, only a sophomore, won the 2-mile with a time of 9:11.92.

A pair of Mobile Baker athletes scored big wins in the hurdles — Aaliyah Brown-Muhammad won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.61, while Chandler Love — who earlier in the day finished second in the boys long jump (22-11.75) behind Hattiesburg MS’s Camrun Norman (23-5), won the 300-meter hurdles in 37.84.

Leon Ellioe of New Orleans’ Warren Easton defeated Birmingham Parker’s Jakovan Rhetta in a photo finish in the boys 100. Both were clocked in 10.51. Rhetta, however, got a measure of revenge, winning the 200 in 21.34, leading an Alabama sweep with Opelika’s Jarell Stinson second (21.80) and Central Phenix-City’s Antonio Crisco third (22.04).

Hoover’s Levi Arroyo won the boys pole vault, clearing 16-4.75. Central-Phenix City’s Malik Johnson won the high jump at 6-6.

Alabama athletes also did well in the girls distance events. Chelsea’s Cady McPhail followed her win in the mile run (4:59.69) with a third-place finish in the 800 (2:18.77), behind two Louisiana runners, Breanna Becerra of Hammond St. Thomas Aquinas (2:15.04) and John Curtis’s Laila Jackson (2:17.59). In the 2-mile, Auburn’s Abby Merner held off Vanderbilt Catholic’s Ella Chestnut, 10:52.48 to 10:53.24.

Other highlights included Huntsville winning the girls 4x800 in 9:42.58, Ruston winning the boys 4x800 (7:59.62) and the girls 4x100 (47.71), and Central-Phenix City winning the boys 4x100 (41.92).