Starting the season off on the right foot.

After a month of conditioning and practicing, selected members of the track and field team went to the first meet of the season.

On January 28, the team competed in ten events. Those included the girls 60 meter dash, girls 200 meter dash, boys 200 meter dash, girls 400 meter dash, boys 400 meter dash, girls 800 meter run, boys 800 meter run, girls mile run, boys mile run and girls 4×400 relay.

Freshman Emily McDonald was the only competitor from this team in the girls 60 meter dash. She placed 52 out of 106 runners ending with a time of 8.91. McDonald also competed in the girls 200 meter dash with freshman Meredith Bass and junior Taylor Willis. McDonald ran with a time of 29.34 and placed 43 out of 115. Following closely behind, Willis placed 69 with a time of 30.82. Bass ended up placing 80 with a time of 31.11.

“It wasn’t my best performance. It was my first high school meet, so I was super nervous… I think it was a good starting point for the whole team. A lot of us met our goals,” said Bass.

Junior AJ Moss, sophomore Hayden Gentry and eighth grader Josh Perdue competed in the boys 200 meter dash and the boys 400 meter dash. In the boys 200 meter dash, Moss placed 53 out of 139 ending with a time of 24.80. Gentry ended the race at 73 with the time of 25.19. Ending the race with a time of 26.09, Perdue placed 98. Later in the day, the three boys ran in the boys 400 meter dash. Coming in 32 out of 136, Moss finished the race in 55.27. Close behind Moss was Gentry who placed 57 with a time of 57.01. Perdue ran with a time of 59.06, placing him 78.

In the girls 400 meter dash, senior Brianna Poole finished the race in 1:06, placing 32 out of 98 runners. Bass also competed and placed 54 with a time of 1:09. Senior Claire Feldhaus, junior Julia Poole and sophomore Lindsey Spencer competed in the girls 800 meter run. Feldhaus ended the race in 2:33 which placed her 22 out of 112 runners. Finishing right after Feldhaus, Julia Poole placed 23 with a time of 2:34. Spencer placed 89 with a time of 2:59.

Three sophomores, Josh Wetzel, Tyler Ford and Jurome Dela Cruz competed in the boys 800 meter run. Wetzel finished the race with a time 2:24 which placed him in 75 place out of 123 runners. Following close behind, Dela Cruz placed 79 with a time of 2:26. Ford placed 87 with a time of 2:29.

“I feel great about our upcoming season because we have a really strong team with a very good chance of going to state,” said Wetzel.

Spencer also competed in the girls mile run with junior Meredith Thornsberry. Spencer completed the race in 6:28 which placed her in 58 place out of 95 runners. Thornsberry placed 89 with a time of 7:27. Then, Wetzel, Dela Cruz and sophomore Cole Davenport contended in the boys mile run. Wetzel took 82 place out of 133 when he ended the race in 5:20 minutes. Dela Cruz placed 115 with a time of 5:48. Davenport followed closely behind finishing the race in 124 place with a time of 5:56.

In the girls 4×400 relay, Feldhaus, Brianna Poole, Julia Poole and Willis ended the race in 4:29 minutes which placed them in 10 place out of 27 groups.

“We are very pleased overall with our performances and the efforts given by each athlete,” said Lenny Raley, the coach of the track and field team.
The next track and field meet will be the Mason Co. Indoor on Friday, February 18.