“Last year our team did well,” said Tanica Anderson, head coach of Marietta’s Track and
Field team. “We had 10 kids who qualified for state, and would like to have seen more.
It just didn’t happen, but it wasn’t because they didn’t buy in to the workouts and set
personal goals that they achieved.”
But Anderson, in her fourth year as head coach, and her assistant coaches, Tory
Douglass and Jon Ross, are looking for a better season this spring. Though the team
did lose important members to graduation, there are several student athletes that the
coaching staff is expecting great things from, both in terms of production and
leadership.
One runner to watch is sophomore Tripp Presley. Presley is a distance runner who will
be competing in the 4 x 800 and 4 x 400, as well as the 800 meter and mile runs.
“Trip is a hard worker,” Anderson commented. “He shows up every single day, ready to
train, and he’s very competitive. He got his freshman jitters – if he had any – out of the
way last year, and I feel like he knows what to expect from competition this year and will
have a lot of success.”
Another youngster that Anderson has high expectations for is freshman Caden
McCarroll, who she calls a “multi-purpose” athlete. In his first high school season,
McCarroll will be competing in the 4 x 800, 4 x 400, long jump, and will likely run the 200
and 400 meter races.
“Caden has talent, he had a lot of success in junior high,” said Anderson, “and I feel like
he’s going to contribute on the high school team, too.”
On the other end of the spectrum, in her last season as an Indian, is senior Lexus
Spanhanks. Last year, she ran the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400, and can run both the 200 and
400 meters, either or both, depending on the meet.
“Lexus improved a lot last year. She really took on a leadership role, and we look
forward to her continuing in that role,” Anderson remarked. “This is her senior year. She
wants to finish strong, and I believe she will.”
The teams will host their traditional invitational meets on March 13 for junior high and
March 14 for high school. According to Anderson, they’re looking forward to great
turnouts for both. Additionally, they’ll be hosting the Lake Country Conference meet on
April 26.
“We’re looking forward to a good track season,” concluded Anderson. “We had some
success last year with our athletes winning several medals and achieving some of their
personal goals. With hard work and commitment, we’re hoping to build on that success.”