The Wetumpka track program has set a new standard for itself this season and the Indians have lived up to it by qualifying 21 different athletes for this weekend’s state meet in Gulf Shores. The girls team finished second in the overall standings at the sectional meet at Paul Bryant while the boys team grabbed third place.
The girls team had two first-place finishers in Tuscaloosa. Amelia Nettles set a personal record with a throw of 108-06.00 to top the Class 6A qualifiers in the discus throw.
Lynasha Simms beat the closest competition by more than 18 inches with a long jump of 17-08.5 to set a personal record. Simms also helped the girls 4x100 relay team to a third-place finish with a time of 51.2 seconds.
Simms was joined by Angel Knight, Janae McCall and Lakenya Bracey in the 4x4 as the teams qualified for state with a time of 4:19.13 to finish fourth.
Knight added two more events to her slate for the state meet this weekend. She finished third in the triple jump with a distance of 31-01.25 and had a fifth-place finish in the long jump, posting a 14-11.25.
Kennedy Jones, who was also a part of the 4x1 team, finished in fourth place in the 100 dash with a time of 12.85 seconds. Knight also grabbed third place in the 300 hurdles with a time of 51.56 seconds.
Shavonna Lucas and Morgan Causey both qualified for state in the javelin. Causey posted a throw of 89-03 while Lucas came in close behind with a distance of 88-07.
On the boys side, the Indians racked up three victories. Cory Anthony set two personal records to finish in first place of the 1,600 and 3,200 with times of 4:34.65 and 9:56, respectively.
Anthony was also a part of the 4x8 which qualified for state with a second-place finish. Anthony combined with Aaron Foster, Willie Sagers and Isaac Stubbs to finish with a time of 8:26.02.
Foster and Sagers also teamed up with Jaleel Johnson and Jamea Williams for a third-place finish in the 4x4 with a time of 3:33.64. Foster also qualified for the 800 at state after finishing in third place in 2:02.65.
The boys got another win by setting a school record in the 4x1 in preliminaries before finishing in first place in the finals. Tavon Murphy, Terrance Thomas, Malik Davis and Josh Allen finished the race with a time of 43.08 seconds.
Jalen Johnson and Nathan Moore each qualified for the 300 hurdles. Nathan Moore grabbed fifth place with a time of 45.58 seconds just behind Johnson’s fourth-place finish of 44.86 seconds.
Colby Golson qualified for state after finishing fifth in the discus with a throw of 120-10.
The state meet is set to begin Thursday in Gulf Shores.