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Lumpkin leapers Kaylee Caldwell (left) and Mercades Housman pose atop the podium after securing first and second place in the triple jump event at the region championship competition. Housman took first in both triple jump and long jump with Caldwell a close second in both events.
The Lumpkin County High School Track team is set to send a record-number of athletes to the state sectionals after a solid performance at the Region 7 AAA track and field championships last Thursday and Friday at Cherokee Bluff High School.
Led by senior and team captain Mercades Housman, who won region champ in both Triple Jump and Long Jump and qualified for sectionals in four different events, the Indians are set to send 13 athletes to sectionals with a chance to qualify for the state championship meet.
“I’m proud of the progress that this team has made,” said head coach Will Mayfield. “...We replaced a senior team captain and state finalist in Grace Jones with freshmen and sophomores, so to still send more kids in year two of a program shows that not only do we have a strong middle school program, but that other sports programs are starting to see the value of track and are investing in that as well, so we hope to continue to build on this going into sectionals and then onto state.”
Mayfield’s squad started off strong in the field events on Thursday.
“It’s no small feat to win two region championships in a single season,” Mayfield said of Housman. “She was followed closely by Kaylee Caldwell, who would’ve broken the school record if Mercades didn’t then break that record, so it’s great to have such talent there. Then first-year thrower Colton Foster placed third in disc and fourth in shotput, so to have new blood like that to revitalize the throwing program is awesome and so we’re just trying to keep getting competitive in the field events.”
TRACK TIME
On the track, Lumpkin’s biggest performance came once again from the returning state finalists in the 4x100, made up of Caldwell, Housman, Elizabeth Walker and Aniya Persaud, who placed second in the region finals with a time of 51.26 seconds.
Hurdling sisters Riley and Madison Myers each qualified in the 100 Meter Hurdles while Madison also qualified in the 300 Meter Hurdles.
Underclassmen Ben Sherill and Wyatt Windham both qualified in the 1,600 Meter, or one mile, while Windham also qualified in the 800 meter, or half mile.
While the 4x100 team was disappointed not to win the region championship, falling by just over two seconds to Cherokee Bluff, who put up a blazing time of 49.20 for third fastest in all of Class AAA on the day, Mayfield says it’s that competition that makes his girls better.
“It sucks to get that close to winning the region championship and falling short, but that’s what is making us faster,” he said. “They’re pulling us forward and our girls are rising to the occasion. Even though it might be unfortunate to get second at region, those are the girls that we’ll be racing against in the sectional finals and the state finals every step of the way. So our girls are battle tested and ready to win.”
With a program-best 13 athletes advancing to sectionals, Mayfield is excited to see just how many can make their way to state.
“It’s kind of like March Madness, once you’re in the dance anything can happen. You just have to have a good day,” he said. “We’re just excited for the opportunity to advance.”