VALDOSTA — What the Lowndes girls track and field team thought would be a rebuilding year sprouted into a Region 1-7A championship.

Nothing like a pleasant surprise.

“We had a really young team coming in and we really didn’t think we’d win region. But we pulled it off at the last minute,” said Katelin Stecz, the first female pole vaulter in Lowndes’ history.

And the win really was last-minute.

In the final race, Makenzee Page, Taylor Hopkins, Tanija Turner and Jordyn Brown-Bailey teamed in the 4×400-meter relay to beat Tift County by 6 seconds, clinching the region title April 18 at Tift County High School in Tifton.

The girls look to add to their success at the Class 7A sectional meet at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The majority of the team are freshmen and sophomores, and only three of the 17 who qualified for Saturday’s sectional are seniors.

Sophomore Madicyn Robinson won first place in discus throw at the region meet in Tifton and will be competing to help Lowndes have a shot at a state title. She ranks second in the state in the event.

“It feels good but it’s also nerve-wracking, because everybody expects you to do good and you have no room for mistakes. The bar’s pretty high,” she said.

Although the girls have fielded larger squads at the sectional over the past few years, the 17 who advanced this year have coach Joseph Robinson encouraged about what’s ahead.

“I’ve been impressed with the resilience they’ve had,” he said. “It’s a really young group of girls and we didn’t start the season the way we wanted. The way they bounced back from the first couple of track meets we’ve had up to now was just a huge testament to the hard work they’ve put in through the entire season.

“… I’ve had the privilege of seeing my girls get faster in the 100-meters and 400-meters. Seeing my daughter throw the discus the way she’s been throwing has been extremely impressive. Seeing Da’jah Ellis compete in the 300-meter hurdles and watching her time improve from the beginning of the season until now has been impressive.”

Being the first female pole vaulter in the school’s history, Stecz holds the school record of 9-6. She said she hopes to set a new personal record of 10 or 10-6 Saturday and advance to the state competition.

At the start of the year, the Lowndes girls set a goal to win the region championship. After accomplishing that, their coach said everything that’s achieved afterward will be a bonus.