Big day for local runners
Published 9:50 am Monday, April 30, 2018
By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY
Daily News
COLUMBUS – It was a big day on the track for LaGrange and Troup.
One of two Class AAAA state sectionals was held at Kinnett Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, with the top eight finishers in each event qualifying for the state finals.
LaGrange and Troup will both be well-represented at state after enjoying a successful Saturday in Columbus.
LaGrange’s girls’ team will compete in nine different events at state, while the boys’ team will have two participants at state.
Troup’s boys’ and girls’ teams will participate in seven events at the state meet.
LaGrange’s girls’ team, after finishing second at the Region 5-AAAA meet, kept it going with a strong performance at the sectional.
One of LaGrange’s top performers on Saturday was junior Jada Grant, who earned a spot at state in a pair of events.
Grant finished third in the triple jump (36 feet, 10 inches), and fourth in the long jump (18-6).
Grant was also a member of the 400-meter relay team that posted the fifth best time to advance to state.
The other members of the relay team are Annaya Chelcy, Zakeria Staples and Quay Robinson.
Chelcy, like Grant, will compete in two individual events at state.
On Saturday, Chelcy was fourth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.64 seconds, and she was fifth in the 200-meter dash (25.66 seconds).
WaWa Benn qualified in the 100-meter hurdles (16.45 seconds) with a fifth-place finish, Zakeria Staples was sixth in the 300-meter hurdles (49.86 seconds), Quay Robinson was seventh in the 400-meter run (49.80 seconds) and Reneya Edmondson was eighth in the discus (99 feet).
For the LaGrange boys’ team, Ty Whitehead was sixth in the discus (134-7), and Cameron Thomas was fifth in the triple jump (42-8.50).
A handful of other LaGrange athletes participated on Saturday and came up just short of moving on to state.
For the girls’ team, Reneya Edmondson was ninth in the shot put, Kamari Owens was 10th in the 300-meter hurdles, the 1,600-meter relay team of Quay Robinson, Jartavia Manley, Zakeria Staples and Brandasia Cofield was 10th, and Shanteria Kelly was 12th in the high jump.
For the boys’ team, Dylan Norvell was 10th in the 100-meter dash (11.73 seconds), and 11th in the 200-meter dash (23.52 seconds).
For Troup, Ashanti Tigner followed up her first-place showing in the 100-meter dash at the region meet by taking the top spot in that event on Saturday.
Competing in the second of two heats, Tigner posted a time of 12.36 seconds, which was a fraction better than Shaw’s Khayla McKeller (12.37 seconds).
Tigner is also headed to state in the 200-meter dash (26.03 seconds) after finishing seventh on Saturday.
Troup’s 400-meter relay team of Tigner, Catherine Leveritt, Markiya Harris and Destiney Stephens finished seventh with a time of 50.31 seconds.
Larodia Ramsey is going to state after finishing eighth in the high jump (4-10).
For Troup’s boys’ team, Mark-Anthony Dixon showed off his speed by finishing in the top three in the 100-meter and 200-meter races on Saturday.
Dixon was second in the 100 (11.27 seconds), and third in the 200 (22.68 seconds). Alonzo Ogletree is state-bound after finishing fifth in the 300-meter hurdles (41.91 seconds).
Troup’s 400-meter relay team of Tyree Carlisle, Dixon, Jamari Thrash and Kobe Hudson likely would have qualified for state, but it was disqualified because of a poor exchange that caused the baton to fall to the track.
Also for Troup, Leveritt finished 12th in the 400-meter run, and Thrash was 15th in the high jump.
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