The State Indoor Track Meet is in the books and for Sparkman, it brought new records and some break-through performances. (RESULTS HERE)
We had THREE SHS Athletes finish in the points this year.
For the boys, Sr. Rob Russell rose to the challenge in the Boys Pole Vault. He came into the meet seeded 7th but earned a 5th place with his SHS, Indoor Record jump of 13′ 6″! In last year’s Indoor State Meet, Rob finished 14th with a jump 2feet lower than his new record. Rob’s 5th place finish earned Sparkman 4 points giving us a 19th place finish in 7A Boys competition. Last year they failed to finish in the points.
For the Girls, Soph Gabrielle Griner stepped up her game as well. She was seeded 7th in the Girls Pole Vault but hadn’t cleared more than 9-6 indoors this season, partially due to equipment issues. She got a new pole at the last minute and having never made more than one jump on it in practice, had to learn it’s timing during the State Meet! She did it well though, setting a NEW Sparkman Girls Record with a Jump of 10′ 6″ and missed getting the bronze medal by just one jump, clearing 10-6 on her 2nd try instead of her first. 4th place improved her performance from last year by 2 spots and scored 6 points for our Girls Team!
Freshman Lauryn Hall might have been a new comer to the State Indoor Meet but she has announced her arrival with authority. Lauryn cranked it up in the 60m, running it in 7.96 seconds, securing her place in Sparkman’s record book and capturing 6th place over all! Her finish scored 2 more points for our girls team.
We had 8 NEW INDOOR RECORDS set in this meet!
Sr. Kelsey Johnson set 2 new, solo Indoor records and was part of a record setting relay Team!
In the Triple Jump she went 31′ 6.25″ beating her previous best Indoor Record by over 10″. This jump gave her a 10th place finish.
In the 60m Hurdles Kelsey ran a 10.14 lowering her previous best by almost a half a second, setting A New SHS Indoor Record and missing the finals but just one place!
Our 4x200m Team – Fresh. Zariah Trammell , Sr. Kelsey Johnson, Fresh. Lauryn Hall and Fresh. Alessea Rice also set a New Record with a time of 1:53.60, lowering the old record by almost 2 seconds and finishing in 10th.
In the Long Jump, Freshman Lauryn Hall missed tying the SHS Indoor Record (that she currently holds), by just 1/2 an inch! She placed 14th.
Freshman Alessea Rice shows the promise of good things to come, as she qualified for State in the 60m dash. She finished 19th.
In the team standings, our Lady Senators finished in 12th place with 8 points! Last year they finished 19th with 3 points.
Our boys got in on New SHS Indoor Records as well!
Like Kelsey, Soph. Jake Russell also set Two NEW Indoor Records and was part of a Record setting relay. Jake ran a 2:03.72 in the 800m, trimming 5 seconds off his best time and giving him a 14th place.
In the 1600m he set the SHS Indoor record with a 4:42.79, placing him 14th in this event as well.
Our Boys 4x800m Team – Jr. Seth Graham, Shafi Muhammad, Fresh. Elijah Vargas and Soph. Jake Russell – set the New SHS Indoor Record at 8:59.58, coming in 10th.
Jr. Samuel “Tre” Gideon was another one of our multi-event, state qualifiers. In the 60m he ran a 7.47 (An all time best for him) and finished 19th. In the Long Jump finals he finished 16th, scoring a jump of 19′ 3.5″. This bested his old mark by a half an inch.
Soph. Daryl Bowden was also quite busy. In the 60m he ran a 7.79, finishing 30th. In the Long Jump Finals he turned in a 19′ 3.5″ for 15th and in the Triple Jump, Daryl jumped 38′ 6.5″ for 15th as well.
Jr. Seth Graham qualified for the 800m dash where he ran a 2:10.05 for 27th. That was his best time in this event by nearly 7 seconds.
So that wraps up the 2014-15 Indoor Season. We clearly have a good start for the upcoming “outdoor” season and THAT is just a few weeks away! For those who want to be champions, the practice starts TODAY!