The OSSAA State Track Meet was held at Noble Field in Ardmore on Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6, and several Indians were awarded medals for their performances.
Jaden McQueen placed fourth in the 100m hurdles and fifth in the 300m hurdles, setting a new school record in the process.
“The former record was set by Brandy Garner in 1993 and has stood for 20 years until Saturday,” said Track Coach Tanica Anderson. “Garner’s record in the 300 was 48.63 seconds. Jaden’s new record is 47.79 records. In track, nearly a second is huge! I’m so proud of her. She’s been aiming for that record all season, and she is just a freshman, so it could be broken again.”
Placing second in the 110m hurdles, Austen McQueen was the team’s highest finisher.
“Austen actually fell in the hurdles when another runner hit a hurdle and knocked it into his lane,” Anderson explained. “The official allowed him a re-run, and based on his time of 15.33 seconds, he ended up placing second.”
Senior Karson Chambers also had a good day, placing sixth in the long jump and fourth in the 110m hurdles.
Amanda Flores, last year’s state champion, placed fifth in the shot put.
“I know this was a disappointing finish for her after winning it all last year. It was just heartbreaking,” said Anderson. “But she was hampered by a knee injury, and she still has one more year to win it all again.”
Additionally, although Axel Pierce didn’t medal, he placed seventh in discus. The top eight athletes are honored, so Pierce was recognized for his efforts.
“He threw very well,” Anderson said, “so it was a great day for Axel.”
While neither of the two-mile relay teams medaled, the boys placed eighth and the girls placed ninth, both running new personal records.
“I was so proud of our relay teams,” remarked Anderson. “They ran their hearts out, and they were so excited to find out that they had improved their personal records, so that was great.”
Overall, Anderson was pleased with her team.
“Qualifying to compete at state is a big deal,” she said. “They set goals and set their minds to give it their all and that’s what they did. They competed with determination and heart, and that is commendable.”
With only two seniors on the team – Chambers and relay team member Reagan Denham – Anderson is looking to build on the accomplishments of this year and expecting even better things from next year.
“We are so grateful to our parents for the goodie bags and all the other ways that they’ve showed their love and encouragement, and to our administration for their support,” Anderson stated. “Our accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without them.”