Jaida Tooley, Malik Jefferson take home titles at State Track and Field Championships, while Metcalfe County’s Alderson, Monroe County’s Turner, and South Warren’s Kitchens finish third in their respective events
By Perry Swack
The KHSAA state track and field championships took place last weekend over the course of three days and various rain delays as champions were crowned in Class 1A, 2A, and 3A. Local athletes competed for their schools across all three classes. The 1A meet took place on Thursday, June 10, the 2A meet on Friday, June 11, and the 3A meet on Saturday, June 12. All three meets were held at the University of Kentucky’s Outdoor Track and Field Complex.
The Warren Central girls posted the highest team finish among area schools, placing eighth among 35 teams in the Class 2A meet. Senior Jaida Tooley won the state title with a final round post of 5 feet, 4 inches. Glasgow sophomore Caroline Murphy finished second with a 5 feet, 2 inch score, and Warren East junior Natalie Harrell placed fifth with a 4-10 final. Fellow Lady Dragon senior La’Auhnni Lewis placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.53 seconds. She barely missed winning the state crown by 0.09 secoonds. Lewis and Tooley teamed up with Kelsey Lazo and Ariana Simmons to place third in the 4×200 meter dash with a time of 1:48.50. The quartet followed up that high finish with another in the 4×100 meter relay behind a time of 50.90 seconds for fourth place. Mia Cardillo finished sixth in the triple jump with a final tally of 33-11.50.
The Warren Central boys’ team placed 22nd in the boys’ 2A meet, led by sophomore Malik Jefferson’s state-title winning score of 42-07.75 in the triple jump, ousting Paducah Tilghman’s Jerome Taylor by the slightest of margins (42-06.75).
The Warren East girls’ squad placed 14th at the 2A meet, tallying 21.50 points on the day. Freshman Tayanah Woods finished off her outstanding season on the track with a runner-up finish in the 100-meter hurdles (15.97 seconds). Teammate and fellow freshman Amiyah Carter capped off her season with a third-place finish in the long jump (17-04.50) and an eighth-place finish in the 100-meter dash (12.86 seconds). Two Lady Raiders placed in the top ten in the shot put – Caroline Forrester in seventh (31-11.25) and Kaylee Miller in ninth (31-02.00). Junior Natalie Harrell finished fifth in the high jump as noted above, while Woods placed eighth. Carter, Cheyenne Stark, Jillian Harrell, and Natajia Alexander ran the 4×100-meter relay in 52.54 seconds to place ninth.
Both the Glasgow boys and girls fared well at the 2A meet, led by Caroline Murphy’s runner-up finish in the high jump. She also placed third in the 100-meter hurdles (16.28 seconds) before teaming up with Kierra Green, Mikiya Fogle, and Maryonna Bradley to also finish third in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 50.25 seconds. That relay team placed ninth in the 4×200 meter relay (1:51.20), while Bradley (200-meter dash, 26.83 seconds) and Murphy (300-meter hurdles, 50.99 seconds) placed tenth in their respective events.
The Scottie boys were led by Carter McKeever, Rico Crowder, Jamarri Mack, and Jay Long’s fourth-place finish in the 4×200-meter relay (1:32.36) and fifth-place finish in the 4×100-meter relay (44.28). Mack also took fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.61 seconds and tenth in the 100-meter dash (11.29 seconds). The Russell County boys got a high finish from senior Justin Stearns in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.29.
Class 1A Meet
The Russellville girls, Metcalfe County boys, and Monroe County boys and girls each recorded high finishes at the Class 1A meet on Thursday. Russellville freshman Jermani Morris ran the 100-meter dash in a time of 13.05 seconds for sixth place and the 200-meter dash in a time of 26.89 seconds for sixth. Metcalfe County’s Devan Alderson placed third in the long jump with a score of 20-07.50. Monroe County got two top-five finishes from Aubrey Graves and Ova Turner placed third and fourth in the pole-vaulting competition with final scores of 9-00 and 8-06. Jameson Pruitt placed eighth in the shot put (43-02.50), while Jackson Hollinsworth placed seventh in the pole vault (12-00). Sophomore Hailee Garmon placed eighth in the long jump at 15-07.25.
Class 3A Meet
South Warren, Barren County, and Bowling Green each recorded a top-ten finish in a few events at the Class 3A meet on Saturday. South Warren’s Megan Kitchens placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:20.33. Barren County’ freshman Chesney McPherson ran the 1600-meter run in 5:23.90 for seventh place, while seventh grader Gracie Reed (11:48.39) and McPherson (12:08.26) placed eighth and tenth in the 3200-meter run. Bowling Green freshman Easton Barlow placed fourth overall in the triple jump with a final score of 43-07.
KTCCCA All-State Honors
First Team
High Jump – Caroline Murphy, Glasgow
High Jump – Jaida Tooley, Warren Central
Triple Jump – Malik Jefferrson, Warren Central
100-meter dash – La’Auhnni Lewis, Warren Central
100-meter hurdles – Tayanah Woods, Warren East
Second Team
Long Jump – Devan Alderson, Metcalfe County
Pole Vault – Aubrey Graves, Monroe County
Pole Vault, Ova Turner, Monroe County
100-meter hurdles – Caroline Murphy, Glasgow
200-meter dash – Jamarri Mack, Glasgow
4×200 meter relay – Glasgow Boys
4×100 meter relay – Glasgow Girls
4×200 meter relay – Warren Central Girls
4×100 meter relay – Warren Central Boys
Long Jump – Amiyah Carter
Triple Jump – Easton Barlow, Bowling Green
800-meter run – Megan Kitchens
