STARKVILLE — The 2024 outdoor track and field season began for a number of high school teams on Tuesday afternoon at Starkville High School as the Yellow Jackets hosted the SHS Season Opener.
Local teams competing included Starkville, Caledonia, Starkville Academy, New Hope, West Point, Starkville Christian and MSMS.
In both boys and girls events, the Jackets placed highest among all local teams and second overall, earning nine first place finishes across events.
Starkville’s Scott McDonnall rattled off two first-place finishes in the 800-meter run (2:02) and 1,600-meter run (4:40) and James Farrington won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.77 seconds.
In the girls events, Jocelyn Randle won the 200-meter dash with a 26.85 second effort and Adyn Kinard took home first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:03.
Emerald Owens won the long jump event with a top mark of 15 feet, 6.5 inches, while Veronica Dunne won in pole vault, clearing 9 feet, 6 inches.
Starkville’s 800-meter relay team of Randle, Lailah Kemp, Owens and Taniya Turner, finished first with a time of 1:48.38, and the 1,600-meter relay team of Kinard, Madison Mickens, Jariyah Lowe, Addison Vickers clocked a winning time of 4:33.
Caledonia had the next-highest number of first place finishes among local participants with three, all in girls events.
Ella Shepherd took home the 3,200-meter run with a time of 12:57.86, Alexis Willburn won the high jump event with a best mark of 5 feet, 2 inches, and Sonniah Remirez won the discus event with a throw of 96 feet, 7 inches.
Other local first place finishers included boys 110-meter hurdles champ Jakoby Hammond from West Point (16.30 seconds) and boys high-jump winner Junior Baskin of New Hope (5-11).
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