TSSAA track and field: Abby Faith Cheeseman leads Webb to championship

MURFREESBORO – Ask Junior Ward, a longtime TSSAA track and field official. He'll shake his head and tell you he's never seen it before.

Ask his close friend and fellow track and field official Jim Barr. He'll join in and tell you he's never seen it.

They have never seen an athlete take over a meet in the fashion that Webb School - Bell Buckle sophomore Abby Faith Cheeseman did Wednesday night at Dean A. Hayes Stadium.

Cheeseman won four TSSAA Division II-A state titles — but in a way not seen before in Tennessee. She won the 800-meter run, 1,600, 3,200 and then capped it by running a leg in the 4x400 relay team that placed first to help Webb School win its first TSSAA girls track and field championship.

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How weird was this combination of state titles? Cheeseman was literally coming off the TSSAA medal stand announcing her 3,200 win when the 4x400 relay was lining up to start. She didn't have a chance to put her medal up from the two-mile race. She literally gave it to a TSSAA track official working the state meet and asked them to hold it for her until she was done running.

"She held it for me until I was done," Cheeseman said.

Cheeseman first won the 1,600 in 4:52.57. She followed with a win in the 800 (2:18.50) and then the 3,200 (10:29.92), winning by more than a minute over the second-place finisher. She then helped power the Lady Feet to a win in the relay in 4:04.33.

"I knew I had to run and really compete," Cheeseman said. "I was just wanted to have a last hurrah (for the meet) and finish really strong."

Cheeseman's mom, Webb School coach Cathy Cheeseman, approached her daughter after the 3,200 to confirm she wanted to still run the final relay of the night. There was an alternate ready to step in. But Abby Faith said no.

She wanted to run it.

"I think she was just kind of asking me if I wanted to do this," Abby Faith said. "I wanted to do it. I wanted to do this last relay with my team."

Webb won with 83 points, five more than second-place University School of Nashville.

Cheeseman accounted for 30 points from individual events, and the relay she was part of collected 10 more.

That relay, though, included a pair of Power 5 college basketball signees in DII-A Miss Basketball Angelica Velez (LSU signee) and Michigan State signee Bree Robinson. The two helped power Webb to a third straight state championship earlier this year.

"This was just heart," Velez said of the team championship. "We did it for each other. I mean Abby Faith literally just ran the 3,200. That's just heart."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or [email protected] and on Twitter @Kreager.