When Bryan County sophomore Emily Johnson opens the Class A-DII state track meet at 9 a.m. Friday morning at Albany’s Hugh Mills Stadium it will mark the beginning of the end of a season that started in the cold, windy, and often wet, days of January.
Being an outdoor sport, it can be hard to get youngsters willing to brave the elements and compete. Others who could make a track program much stronger are also involved in other sports.
Johnson will be competing in the girls’ discus throw, an event in which she took third-place last year, and she will be the first of 10 Redskins girls and boys thinclads who have stuck it out and earned a berth in the state meet by finishing eighth or better in last week’s sectional meet at Warren County.
In addition to those qualifying in individual events another six qualified on relay teams and another will be making the trip as an alternate on the 4 x 400 girls relay team.
This speaks volumes about a Bryan County track program which four years ago did not score a point in the state meet and had one boy qualifier in Ethan Trombly who is now a freshman member of the Presbyterian College track and cross country teams.
“They’ve competed hard for the most part,” Coach Tim Adams said. “We’ve had some success, some seconds, some thirds and a couple of region and sectional winners.
“The girls have been extremely competitive and successful,” Adams said. “It starts in January which is a pretty long time to get to this point. Weather is a factor and you’ve still got a lot of things going on with the winter sports.
“You want the kids peaking now, not a month ago. Every time they compete, we always remind them all you’re trying to do is beat your personal best, throw, run time or whatever and work to get better for the region, the sectional and the state.”
Johnson may be better known for her prowess on the softball field but she is also a youngster with a great upside in track and field as she also was a state qualifier in the shot put.
Bryan County had two individuals and one relay team finish first in the sectional meet and they will be looking to place in the state meet with the 4 x 800 boys relay team a contender to finish first.
The team of Walker Summerford, Will Summerford, Riley Shuman and James Hodges has the second-best time of the year in the state at 8:54.96 behind Mitchell County which has a time of 8:54.10. This race has the makings of a photo finish.
Braelynn Shuman and Ryan Harrington, a pair of juniors, both tied for first in the pole vault as they qualified for the state meet for the third straight year. Shuman topped the girls bar at 7-0 and Harrington went over at 9-0.
Harrington is a jack of all trades for Adams and assistant coach Sean Coburn as he also qualified in the 300 hurdles and as a member of the 4 x 400 relay team. The Redskins had nine athletes qualify in two or more events including four in three.
Riley Shuman, the only senior of the group, qualified in the 800-meter run and was a member of the 4 x 800 and 4 x 400 relay teams.
Among the girls sophomore Abbi Stucker qualified in the 800 and 1600 meters, was a member of the 4 x 400 relay team and is an alternate on the 4 x 800 team. Sophomore Lexi Lane will be competing in the girls 1600 meter run and as a member of the 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 teams.
Joining Johnson as a qualifier in two girls events are freshman Lila Hannah on the 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 relay teams, and sophomore Ni’Jalah Walker in the 200 and 400 meters.
Walker qualified for state in the 200 meters last year and has an excellent shot at placing in the 400 this year. Her personal best of 1:01.15 ranks among the top five in the state. She does, however, face an uphill battle for first. Sophomore Brooke Crickard of Washington-Wilkes has a state best time of 58.91.
Boys qualifying in two events are junior Will Summerford in the 3200 and 4 x 800 relay and Anddreas McKinney in the 400 meters and 4 x 400.
Other state qualifiers for the boys are freshman Walker Summerford in the 4 x 800, sophomore James Hodges in the 4 x 800 and freshman Mari Green in the 4 x 400. Freshman Khloe Smith is a member of the girls 4 x 800. Freshman Gracin Gamble is an alternate member of the 4 x 400 team.
Relay alternates are eligible to run in the state meet whether or not they ran in the sectional meet. Also, ninth and 10th-place finishers are alternates and can run should someone fail to show.
Stucker is an alternate in the 3200 while among the boys Braeden Sharpe is an alternate in the 110 hurdles, Will Summerford in the 1600 and Ben Clark in the 3200.