Lake Norman Publications

Cline No. 1; East Lincoln track team third




by Chris HuntAt the Class 2A state track and field championships in Greensboro on May 21, East Lincoln boys star Brather Cline brought home a state 1,600- meter title with a time of 4 minutes, 30.36 seconds.“I was so happy to see Brather Cline win the 1,600,” Mustangs coach Lonnie Custer said. “He missed half of his junior year with a stress fracture in his leg, and to see him come all the way back and win a state title as a senior is special.”It was a strong overall day for the Mustangs, who finished in a third-place tie in the team standings. Several athletes played key roles.Dylan Belles took second place in the 3,200 with a personal-best time of 10:06.28. Marcus McDowell broke the school record in the 400 (50.61 seconds) on his way to bronze. The 4×400 team of Brandon Williams, Will Krehnbrink, Cline and McDowell, finished third (3:26.42) and cut 2.5 seconds off the previous school-record time.The meet marked East Lincoln’s third top-three finish at the state meet in the last sixyears. This season’s Mustangs squad also won the Lincoln County, Southern Piedmont Conference and the 2A West Regional titles.“We had team goals set for the 2011 season of winning the county, conference, regionals and maybe a top-20 finish at the state meet,” said Custer. “These guys exceeded even my expectations, and I try and set the bar high. The leadership that this group of seniors provided made this season one of the most enjoyable and definitely the most stress-free in my 13 years of coaching.”

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