After Saturday’s regional track meet at Madill, Marietta’s track and field team has several student athletes who are headed to the state meet to be held on May 5 and 6 at Noble Field in Ardmore.
Track Coach Tanica Anderson was pleased with her team’s performance.
“We had some ups and downs during the season, but on Saturday, our kids really showed up and competed well,” said Anderson, “and we look forward to seeing what they can do at state.”
Qualifying to compete at state were the girls’ 4 x 100 relay team consisting of Reagan Denham, Lexus Spanhanks, Ashlyn Douglass, and Yulisa Gonzalez; the girls’ 4 x 800 relay team, including Jaden McQueen, Reagan Denham, Maddy Torres, and Abigail Garcia; the girls’ 4 x 200 relay team of Reagan Denham, Lexus Spanhanks, Ashlyn Douglass, and Yulisa Gonzalez; and the girls’ 4 x 400 relay team, Jaden McQueen, Lexus Spanhanks, Abigail Garcia, and Yulisa Gonzalez.
Also qualifying were the boys’ 4 x 800 relay team of Sergio Gomez, Wyatt Vinson, Keeper Cox, and Luis Garcia; Jaden McQueen in both the 100m and 300m hurdles; Yulisa Gonzalez in the 200m dash; Amanda Flores in shot put and discus; Jessica Bates in discus; Abigail Garcia in pole vault; Austen McQueen in the 110m and 300m Hurdles; Sergio Gomez in pole vault; Karson Chambers in long jump and 110m hurdles; Luis Garcia in the 1600m run; Draden Reynolds in shot put; Kaden Dudley in discus; and Axel Pierce in discus.
Anderson believes that several team members have the potential to compete well at state.
“I think that Jaden and Austen McQueen are going to impress a lot of people in the hurdles,” Anderson asserted. “They’re both so dedicated and determined to be the best they can be. They’re constantly seeking input into ways they can do that. They’ve progressed all season, and I think both of them have the chance to medal.”
At the regional meet, Jaden won the 110m and 300m hurdles and Austen finished second in the 110m hurdles.
Another Indian to watch on Saturday is Amanda Flores, who was second at the regional meet, but was the state champ in discus last year, in addition to setting a new school record.
“Amanda is coming off a major knee injury, but is still competitive in both shot and discus, so it’s possible she will repeat as state champion despite the injury,” Anderson said. “She’s that good, and she works on her craft every day. That kind of commitment goes a long, long way.”
Anderson also believes that senior Karson Chambers, who’s new to Marietta this year, has a very good chance of medaling in the long jump, and Axel Pierce, who placed third at regionals, throwing a personal record of 133’4” could also be on the podium when all is said and done.
One event that Anderson is particularly enthusiastic about is the girls’ 4 x 8 relay. The team placed second at the regional meet.
“Regionals was a real eye-opener for these girls,” Anderson explained. “They’ve been working hard this season, and on Saturday, they saw that hard work begin to pay off. They seem to be peaking at the right time.
“We have several kids who are ready for state. If they compete like they can, we are looking for some good things to happen.”
Noble Stadium is located at 142 Oklahoma Highway 142 East in Ardmore. The field events are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and the running events at 12:30 a.m.