Hawks, HVA girls look for high state finishes; CAK, Webb, FHS 4 X 200, Sabota also featured
Several local athletes will compete in the TSSAA Track and Field championship meets this week at Middle Tennessee State University’s Dean A. Hayes Stadium in Murfreesboro.
The Division I Large School Meet will be held today (Thursday, May 24) and the Division II championships will be contested Friday, May 25.
In Division I-AAA, Hardin Valley Academy will compete for state titles in both the boys and girls meet.
Lizzie Davis already has scored some valuable points for the Lady Hawks, finishing seventh in the state pentathlon. She’ll compete in other events today.
“We have some good athletes in both the boys and girls meet,” HVA head coach Bryan Brown said. “We’ll just have to see how we do. We’ll have to see how we perform on Thursday.”
Several area male athletes will be in action Thursday.
Willington Wright, a senior and past state champion, will compete in the triple jump, along with teammate and fellow senior Nolan Brown. Wright, who will attend Middle Tennessee next year, also will compete in the 200 and the 400-meter runs.
Hardin Valley will have teams competing in the 4 x 400 and the 4 x 800 relays.
Farragut’s 4 x 200 relay team also qualified for today’s state championship meet.
Bearden’s boys qualifies are highlighted by field events standout Josh Sabota. The senior and Kentucky signee qualified in both the shot put and discus throw.
The Bulldogs’ 4 x 800 relay team of Luke Nelson, Luke Brice, Ben Cruze and Nathaniel Blalock also will seek a state title today.
Three area distance specialists will compete in the 800 run.
Knoxville Catholic’s Jake Renfree, who helped the Irish capture a Class A/AA state championship in 2017, will be in the field along with Hardin Valley’s Kenton Bachmann and Miguel Parrilla.
Renfree also will compete in the 1,600 run. The Irish’s Devin Sullivan will compete in the 3,200 run. Catholic’s John Retenbach will seek a state championship in the pole vault.
The Lady Hawks, which won the recent Section 1-AAA meet, will have a shot at a state title.
Davis will compete in the long jump and 300 hurdles. HVA and KCHS both will have entries in the 4 x 800 relay. The Lady Hawks will also compete in the 4 x 200.
The Lady Hawks will have Kensi Gray and Ellie Bachman in the 800 run. Timaya Ray and Dominque Romain will run in the 100-meter dash.
Ray also will compete in the 200 dash.
HVA’s Sidney Wallace will compete in the triple jump and 100 hurdles.
The Lady Irish will have a
pair of athletes in the 3,200
run, Callie Tucker and Shila
Kapaya.
Tucker also will run in the 1,600.
In the Division II-A girls meet Friday, Webb School of Knoxville and Christian Academy of Knoxville will be well-represented.
The Lady Spartans will have a pair of athletes in the long jump as Casey Collier and Kai Lanier will compete. Both were key contributors on Webb’s state championship basketball team.
Lanier also will compete in the 100 hurdles Friday.
Lady Warrior Rebecca Story will close out her illustrious state championship-laden career at the mid-state, competing in the 800 and 3200 runs.
Story was one of three local runners qualifying for both races. Webb’s Niki Narayani also will compete in both events, while qualifying for the 1600.
CAK’s Olivia Rodgers qualified for the 800. Webb’s Lindsey Holiday will run in the 3,200.
The Lady Warriors and Lady Spartans also will have entries in the 4 x 400 and the 4 x 800.
Webb’s Sophie Ades and CAK’s Katherine Chandler will compete in the triple jump, while Stephani Franks qualified in the pole vault.
Skyler Woidtke, a multiple-sport athlete for the Lady Warriors, will compete in the shot put. Woidtke also plays soccer and softball for CAK.
Webb’s Noelle Fuchs will compete in the discus and high jump.
Webb’s Jasmine Jefferson will be in both the 100 and 400. McKinley Blackburn of CAK also will compete in the 400.
Lady Warriors Chloe Harrleson and Reagan Helton will compete in the 100.
Jefferson also qualified for the 200 dash.
In Division II-A boys, Warrior Luke Etherton took fifth in the State Decathlon. He also qualified for the 400 and discus in Friday’s meet.
Webb’s Myles Rasnick will compete in both the triple jump and high jump.
Pate Eldridge of CAK will compete in the long jump.
The Warriors will have two pole vaulters: Josh Whitaker and Gabel Fulford.
Fulford also will compete in the 110 hurdles and the 300
hurdles.
Webb’s Jahlil Jefferson will be in the 100 dash along with CAK’s Luke Slaughter.
Slaughter also will compete in the 200.
Christian Academy’s Andrew Cross will be in both the 1600 and 3200, while Webb’s Bannon Evans will vie for a state title in the 800.
