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2 AHS jumpers advance to state

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By Donnie A. Lucas

Several Albany athletes placed at the Region II Track and Field Meet last week in Springtown, with two Lions advancing to the state meet in jumping events.

Sophomore Cole Chapman won the boys high jump, clearing 6-02 on his final attempt to move from fourth to first place.

Junior Luke Ivy will also be competing in Austin at the state meet in the triple jump with a distance of 43-10.25.

“It was really exciting,” boys coach Rod Britting said. “Luke cleared his best jump on his last attempt, and the kid who had been in second got to jump after Luke, and he was three-quarters of an inch short.”

Both jumpers will compete on Friday, May 7 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. The high jump is set for 11:30 a.m., followed by the triple jump at 1:00 p.m.

“We are really excited to see what Cole and Luke can do at the state meet,” the coach said.

All Conference 2A and 5A events will be held on Friday, with field events in the morning and running events starting at 5:00 p.m.

Britting said he recommends that fans purchase tickets online in advance rather than waiting to buy tickets at the gate.

“We aren’t sure of all the restrictions that may be in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it would be better to already have tickets,” he said.

The Lions took fourth place in the 4x400 relay and seventh in the 4x100 relay. Only the top two finishes at each of the four regional meets advance to Austin, plus the “wild card,” or one best third place finish from the regional meets.

The boys mile relay team ran a season-best time of 3:31.5 to advance from the preliminaries on Friday in second place. The team ran a time of 3:31.46, according to the official results in the finals for fourth place.

Running on the relay were Adam Hill, Zach Parrott, Luke Ivy, and Everett McWhorter.

“We were obviously disappointed we didn’t get the mile relay to Austin, but I’m really proud of how those guys competed and improved throughout the season,” Britting said. “I also commend Everett for being such a good leader. He pushed the younger guys to work harder.”

The Lions also advanced into the finals in the sprint relay with a best time of 44.57. Runner on the foursome were London Fuentes, Everett McWhorter, Luke Ivy, and Zach Parrott.

“We ran our best time of the season in the prelims,” the coach said. “So we were just excited to make the finals at the regional meet.”

Albany finished seventh in the event overall.

Freshman Adam Hill made the finals in the 300 meter hurdles, earning fifth in the finals with a time of 42.87.

“That was one of Adam’s best times of the season,” the coach said. “The top three hurdlers were all older and ran a couple of seconds faster. Adam has a bright future ahead.”

Hill also finished in 11th place in the 300 meter hurdles.

Chapman took fourth in the long jump with a distance of 20-5.5.

Albany took the top three places at both the district and area meets in the triple jump, and three jumpers placed in the money at the regional meet.

Besides Ivy’s second place finish, Jaheim Newton placed fifth with a jump of 42-01, and Chapman was sixth with a 41-05.

Britting also commended Jayden Lucas in the pole vault, with a jump of 10-6 for 10th place.

On the girls side, senior Alli Hill placed fourth and set a personal best in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16.23 seconds.

“Alli was my only senior in track this year,” coach Dakota Fowler said. “She is a great leader and has a heart for track. She worked so hard, and I loved watching her compete.”

Junior Sarah Cotter also placed at the meet in the high jump, clearing 5-0 for fifth place. Sophomore Ella Webb took 10th in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 54.05, and Briley Tabor was 11th in the pole vault with 7-0.

The girls’ 4x200 relay placed 15th with a time of 1:59.04. Running on the team were Brylee Moore, Alli Hill, Kam Browning, and Sarah Cotter.

“I am so proud of all these girls,” Fowler said. “They came every day ready to work, and most of them were competing in other sports too.”

Boys Results

110 m hurdles - 11. Adam Hill 17.65.

300 m hurdles - 5. Adam Hill 42.87.

4x100 relay - 7. Albany 44.57. London Fuentes, Everett McWhorter, Luke Ivy, Zach Parrott.

4x400 relay - 4. Albany 3:31.46. Adam Hill, Zach Parrott, Luke Ivy, Everett McWhorter.

High jump - 1. Cole Chapman 6-02.

Long jump - 4. Cole Chapman 20-05.5.

Triple jump - 2. Luke Ivy 43-10.25. 5. Jaheim Newton 42-01. 6. Cole Chapman 41-05.

Pole vault - 10 Jayden Lucas 10-06.

Girls Results

100 m hurdles - 5. Alli Hill 16.23.

300 m hurdles - 10. Ella Webb 54.05.

4x200 relay - 15. Albany 1:59.04. Brylee Moore, Alli Hill, Kam Browning, Sarah Cotter.

Pole vault - 11. Briley Tabor 7-0.