Mount Vernon’s boys track and field team is taking nine athletes to the 2A state finals.
The Rams qualified for state in three relays and six individual events. The individual qualifiers were: Anthony Lash (100 meters), Judd Hicks (400 meters), Trey Mygatt (800 meters), Wyatt Pilson (discus), Jacari Virden (high jump) and Jacob Morrison (long jump).
Morrison is the defending long jump champion. The senior has been dealing with a knee injury he suffered the week of the South Seven Conference meet.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be 100 percent, but it’s a lot better than what it was, definitely during the (South Seven) Conference week,” Mount Vernon coach Clint Turner said.
Lash, Hicks, Virden and Morrison will team together on the 400 meter relay team. The group broke the school record in the event earlier this season. They improved on that mark at the Salem sectional last week.
Virden, Mygatt, Rowan Wilford and Hicks will run in the 1,600 meter relay event. The group of Caedmon Cook, Mygatt, Wilford and Branden Ethridge will form the 3,200 meter relay team.
“I’m happy with our relays,” Turner said. “We said at the beginning of the year if we were going to get to the state meet probably the relays approach as far as compared to individual events would be more of the process. And that’s how it’s turned out.”
The state finals start with the preliminary round on Friday followed by Saturday’s finals. The top 12 athletes in each field event advanced from the preliminaries to the finals. The top nine in each running event qualify.
“I think the biggest thing with the state meet is just the change of routine of getting ready to run and just going through the process of literally just checking in and getting out on the track. And getting ready to go is a little different. You hope to have some experience doing that so when you talk to a kid about what we’re trying to do those things are things he doesn’t have to worry about. That’s part of the process, and that’s my job.”
