6 AHS athletes to compete at state track meet
Albany will send six athletes in seven events to the Class 2A state track and field meet Friday, May 3, with two seniors looking to add to their career medal count.
The meet gets underway at Meyers Stadium in Austin at 9:00 a.m. with field events. Running Finals Start At 5:00p.m.
“Everything we’re competing in looks like it’s going to be tough,” boys coach Rod Britting said. “Our goal is to get on the medal stand on the relay.”
Seniors Adam Hill and Kiana Roberson are both making the ir third trip to state. Both have three state medals from their first two trips.
Roberson, the lone Lady Lion to qualify this spring, placed third in the shot put asa sophomore and second in both shot put and discus last year.
“It’s definitely more comforting,” Roberson said of having been there before.” It’s not my first time.It’s more relaxed than going in my sophomore year.
Lady Lions coach Lauren Peacock said Roberson will be in a unique position.
“There’s one other girl from Falls City who is returning,” Peacock said. “She made it in both last year, but just one this year. Kiana’s one of a few girls returning in both events this year,which is quite the honor.”
Roberson’s season got off to a late start and was further slowed by injury. She didn’t compete in the shot put until the Roaring Lions Relays, the last meet before district.
“When I was hurt, I didn’t necessarily have to catch up,” she said. “I was still moving around and doing footwork,just not throwing. It wasn’t bad.”
Roberson enters seeded fourth in discus and eighth in shot put. Seeds are based solely on final results from regional meets and do not reflect season or career bests.
“With her PR and her potential, she has the opportunity to go in there and get on the medal stand,” Peacock said.
Roberson said having stood on the wards stand before helps dispel any doubts.
“Knowing that I can do it is definitely a big motivator,” she said. “I’ve done it in practice and felt it before. I still think that I can do it.”
Hill is the reigning 300 hurdle champion and has finished second in the 110 hurdles the last two years. He is also anchoring the 1600 relay for the second year in a row. This year, he’s added the shot put to his workload.
“Experience plays a big part,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll be as nervous as I was the first two years. It’ll just be like another track meet to me.”
Hill is seeded first in the 110 hurdles but has run faster than his seed time. He’s seeded third in the 300s.
“If I just run my race, good things are going to happen,” he said.
“Obviously, Adam would like to get back on the stand in both hurdles events,” Britting said.
Hill took up the shot put early in the season when a knee issue kept him off the track. He stayed with the event through district, area, and regional meets. He earned the wild-card berth for state.
“Shot put was just trial and error with Coach(Brad) Stautzenberger,” Hill said. “Weekend of thought I might begoodatit,and he’staught me a lot. I’ve been able to take what he’s shown me and go with it.'
Albany’s other individual qualifier is pole vaulter Luke Marshall, who is making his state debut. But the senior is far from being a neophyte when it comes to state competition.
Marshall, who is tied for the fourth seed, has earned state medals in golf and tennis. Last fall, he was on the field as Albany claimed a state football championship.
“It’s a lot of experience,” Marshall said. “I’m prepared soI can perform at the best of my abilities. Going to state in football – Coach Britting was also a football coach – and now him taking me to state in track is pretty familiar and pretty comfortable.”
Marshall cleared 14-6 at regionalandwent15feetat area, improving a foot over a three-meet stretch.
“It really gives me a lot of confidence that I can do what I need to do when I need to do it,” he said. “It’s just all about putting everything together and executing at the right time.”
And the time is now as Marshall faces a trio of vaulters who have gone 15-6 or higher.
“Luke’s capable of doing that,” Britting said. “If he happens to get a clean jump, we’ve got a chance to medal.”
The relay returns to state despite replacing two legs. Jayce Tinkle, Jaxson Street,Chip Chambers, and Hill are seeded seventh after running their best time at regional.
“It Looks Like Seven Teams are running 3:25 and under,” Britting said. “It’s going to be a dogfight.”
Tinkle and Hill ran with London Fuentes and Cason Fairchild last year. The replacements have been good enough to get the Lionsback to Austin.
“Both Jaxson and Chip have knocked off a lot of time this year,” Britting said. “Jaxson started about a mid-55 and he’s down to a low 51 now, so he’s really knocked some time off. “Chip got a later start with basket ball,and I feel like he can still shave a little more time off. Both of them are running well for us.”
Street is another athlete who has more experience than one would expect of a first-time qualifier.
“Last year, I was an alternate, and it was pretty cool to actually run on the track,” he said. “This year, it means something.”
Albany has knocked more than seven seconds off its time since the Roaring Lions Relays, setting a new best time in every race since.
“Every week at practice, we’re getting better and betteranditshows,”Chambers said. “We rely on each other to push us to be the best. Coach Britting puts us through great workouts and pushes us to the best of our abilities, and it’s shown these last couple of meets.”
