One of Steve Oury’s lifelong dreams has finally been fulfilled.

After years of coaching, the boys’ track and field head coach has finally achieved his goal of coaching a state championship team. Not only did the boys team win a state championship, but it is the first boys track and field overall state title in school history.

The boys and girls track team competed at Ramey Junior High School in Fayetteville May 7 for the 7A Track and Field Championship. The boys finished first overall and the girls finished fifth overall.

Team members said Oury invested a lot of time into the team to help them win state, but Oury said that his guys are the one to praise.

“I can’t say that there is anything in particular that I’ve done,” Oury said. “I think the credit goes to the kids. A lot of the seniors on this year’s team were successful in middle school, and they loved to run track.”

Senior track runner Steven Murdock is one of the runners who helped win the first state track championship. Murdock finished second in the 200-meter dash, first in the 200-meter dash and first in the 4 X 4 relay meter dash.

The other three runners who ran with Murdock to win the 4 X 4 relay meter dash were seniors Brendon Young, John Winn and junior Pierce Finney. Murdock said he is proud of all of his teammates, but he contributes his motivation of his personal success to his close friend and top competitor John Winn. These two do not allow competition to interfere with their friendship.

“We have never made it a destructive relationship,” Murdock said. “It’s always been something to build on. When I win, he congratulates me and when he wins I congratulate him. We don’t let winning first individually get in between us because we know that the bigger picture is winning for the team.”

Oury said he could not be more proud of the hard work of his team. He said there is one thing that truly stood out to him about this year’s group: resilience.

“Last year, we had a horrible state meet, and it seemed like we couldn’t do much right,” Oury said. “This year was just the opposite. We kept having brilliant performances throughout the meet, and the boys never backed away from the challenge and never gave in to the pressure. It seemed that the longer the meet went on, the stronger we got. They obviously used last year’s experience as a source of motivation.”

The team is not the only team that had success on the state level.

Seniors Feniece Boone, Rachael Owens, junior Haley Hood and sophomore Jadyn Lewis are the four runners who brought home a state title in the 4 x 4 relay meter dash. This is not the first time though the girls’ team has brought home state titles. They won two overall state championship finishes, two runner-up finishes and numerous titles in individual events.

Eight year track star Boone is not only proud that her relay team won state her senior year, but is happy her team won state for Westbrook.

“We gave our coach something he has been wanting for years,” Boone said. “I feel accomplished. We came to state to get a ring in the 4 x 4, and we did it. It is really overwhelming.”

Westbrook said that they have had obstacles to overcome, but their teamwork is what got them through it.

“We have had some injuries throughout the season that really hurt in terms of physical endurance, but we are coming around here at the end of the season,” Westbrook said. “Our season is not over. We still have the Meet of Champions this Saturday, May 16.”

Sophomore discus and shot put thrower Serenity Bridges finished fifth overall. She said she enjoys track for the unity among the team, unity she believes is what helped her team to do so well.

“We like to build each other up,” Bridges said. “The people I’m surrounded with is the best part about doing track.”