MOULTRIE – Colquitt County High junior Elizabeth Funderburk, by the numbers, is a sure favorite to claim not one, but two GHSA Class 7A girls track and field championships.

On Saturday, four 7A regions – including Colquitt’s 1-7A – sent their student-athletes to Mill Creek High School for one of the two sectional meets which are the step between region competitor and the GHSA finals in mid-May.

Funderburk, the 1-7A champion of the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, ran both races on Saturday and was a dual winner once again. The top eight out of 16 in any sectional event earns a spot in the GHSA championships.

In the 1,600-meters (or one-mile run), Funderburk timed her personal best of 5:06.6. This was tops over McKenzie Ellison, a Brookwood senior, who ran the distance in 5:07.04. In third place was another Brookwood senior, Lauren Flynt, in 5:08.79.

This sectional included Regions 6, 7 and 8. Also on Saturday, Regions 2, 3, 4 and 5 went to McEachern High in Powder Springs for the other sectional meet. Half of the 1,600-meter field finished within inches of each other, but none of them better than Flynt’s time. Brynne Sumner, a Woodstock sophomore, was first there at 5:08.91, and Abigal Robinson, a sophomore from Walton, was next at 5:08.92. Liz Galarza of West Forsyth came in third at 5:08.96.

Four others timed between 5:09.13 and 5:09.39.

In the 3,200-meters (or two-mile) at Mill Creek, Funderburk won in 10:50.78, five seconds better than Flynt. At McEachern, Elizabeth Rice of Kennesaw Mountain was first at 11:19.14.

Class 7A goes to Berry College outside of Rome for the GHSA meet beginning May 11. The 3,200-meters is slated to begin at 6:40 p.m. that day. The 1,600-meter final is Friday, May 12, at 7 p.m.

From the Colquitt County boys track and field team, senior Shawn Shamburger placed in the top eight two times at sectionals. He was sixth in the long jump at 21 feet, 3.5 inches. That was half an inch from fifth place.

Shamburger also ran in the 110-meter hurdles, coming in eight place by 0.06 seconds at 15.26. That was .05 seconds from seventh place.

Junior Za’Nautica Downs earned a state finals spot in the girls high jump. She was among a number of girls who jumped five feet, and she placed seventh based on number of attempts.

Adrian McCray ran the 800 meters at sectionals in 2:28 for her a personal record. For the meet, she placed 10th.