COLUMBUS — It wasn’t a repeat, but a three-peat for Heritage Academy senior track athlete Sid Stegall at the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 5A state meet on May 5 and 6.
With first place finishes in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, Stegall took home state titles in all three for a third-straight year, shattering the overall MAIS record in the 3,200 by 13 seconds with a time of 9:28.69.
By his senior season, the shock and reality of winning had become expectation more than aspiration.
“I hate to say I was kind of used to it, but it’s a tremendous blessing that I’ve received to be able to do it,” Stegall said. “I was really happy to close out my career the way I did.”
Dominance is an understatement for Stegall’s career in long-distance running for Heritage, with just one of his three events at the state meet decided within a margin of 10 seconds.
Even so, he was disappointed with his overall performance to not set records in all three races, despite running faster times in the 800 and 1,600 earlier in the year.
With MAIS only counting results at the state meet, he fell two seconds short in both, but it was nothing to shake his head at after finishing off a historic career amongst Mississippi track athletes.
“To walk away with nine track championships and the 3,200 state record was something to really be happy about,” Stegall said. “I’m very happy with how my career ended, even though the last two races weren’t quite where I wanted them to be.”
Stegall’s story on the track began in seventh grade, where he ran a 12:32 in the 3,200 at his first meet in tennis shoes at Canton Academy.
“When I started this in middle school, my goal was just to win a state championship,” Stegall said. “I did that my sophomore year, and I just kept working from there.”
The track and field landscape in Mississippi has grown tremendously in recent years, with athletes like Stegall setting new precedents, new benchmarks for future success.
Stegall’s future teammate at Mississippi College, Gabe McElwain of Walnut, is part of that wave, winning two Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 2A state titles in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs this season.
“I have sought to inspire the generation after me to really push and I think you’re starting to see that,” Stegall said. “… There is a lot of running talent in Mississippi that has gone untapped for so long. I want to inspire that generation to tap into what they’ve got.”
Throughout this, Stegall has solely represented Heritage, a school that aside from him, hasn’t been able to cultivate a strong track and field program.
At meets, he’s been the one to wear the H across his chest, and he’s done so with pride. Soon, Stegall will head to the college ranks in Jackson, but his time on the track and time at Heritage is one he’ll forever look back on fondly.
“I look back on it with incredible gratitude,” Stegall said. “… It’s something that I’m incredibly grateful for.”
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