The Heritage Academy junior varsity girls track and field team continued its string of success last week by winning the North AAA meet.
The Lady Patriots scored 66 points to outdistance Madison-Ridgeland Academy (50.5 points) and Pillow Academy (third).
The finish marked the first time Jackson Academy, which took fourth, didn”t win the meet since 2004.
Shiloh Ellis took first in the 100 and 200 meters with times of 13.1 and 27.42 seconds, respectively. The time in the 200 was a personal best.
Ellis, a freshman, thought the team was going to well even if coach Greg Sykes was nervous about how his team would fare in the days leading up to the meet.
“We knew it was going to be harder than the other meets, but we all worked really hard and we got it,” said Ellis, a freshman.
Sallie Gardner was second in the 800 (2 minutes, 41 seconds) and fourth in the 1,600 (6:07). She credited her coaches and her teammates for helping to push her to get personal bests in both events.
It also helped that she ate plenty of plain pasta and bananas before the meet.
“We have good coaches and everybody is doing different events (this season),” said Gardner, a freshman. “In the past, not everyone has done field events and running events, but everybody is doing a lot more work, and we work really hard, too.”
Mary Gardner took third in the 300 hurdles (55.1), while Macy Walters finished fifth (55.9).
Hannah Degrange took fifth in the 100 (14.1) and third in the 200 (28.3).
Mary Douglass Kerby won the 400 (61.6), the shot put (30 feet, 4 inches), and the discus (100). All of the marks were personal bests.
The secret for Kerby was plenty of creamy alfredo pasts with chicken.
“I just knew we all were going to work to perform to the best of our abilities,” said Kerby, a freshman. “We tried really hard, and even though some of us didn”t perform as we usually do, we came together and did really well.”
Sara Neal took fifth in the discus (76-4), and Mary Claire Akins was fifth with a personal best in the long jump (14-8). She also finished second with a personal best in the 400 (61.72).
The team of Degrange, Kerby, Akins, and Ellis won the 400 relay (51.9), the 800 relay (1:49.3), and the 1,600 relay (4:28.4).
Akins said the fact that she, Kerby, and Ellis have known each other since seventh grade allowed them to work so well with Degrange, who started to run with them this year.
“We know her well from other sports, and we don”t like to let each other down,” said Akins, a freshman.
In the JV boys meet, Parker Short finished fourth in the 100 (12.8), fourth in the 200 (25.4), and second in the triple jump (36-8). Cayden Upton had a mark of 38-1 in the shot put, and Hunter Ferguson was fourth in the discus (113-4).
JV competitors will compete on the varsity team Wednesday at the Washington School at the North AAA meet. The top four qualifiers in each event will move on to the overall state meet.
Athletes were allowed to compete in three individual and in three team events.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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