Haywood track athletes grab strong finishes at state meet
May 24—Haywood County athletes competed at the track and field state championships this week, with four runners bringing home a podium finish.
Both Pisgah and Tuscola sent representatives to the state meet this year. The quartet of Ben Frazier, Mason Putnam, Ashton Sutton and Evan Byrd grabbed a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay.
"That was huge because that has been a goal of theirs to get on the podium for the last two years," Pisgah coach Danny Williamson said.
The boys finished with a time of 3:23.89, breaking the school record in the event for the fourth time this season, shaving nine seconds off of the Pisgah record going into the season.
"Hats off to those kids for committing to it and doing a great job," Williamson said. "It lets you see the rewards for the work that they're doing. There is a light at the end of the tunnel."
The Tuscola team had one representative at the meet — their 4x800-meter relay team consisting of Brandon Jordan, Noah Clancy, Christopher Wells and Brooks Barbee.
The relay team finished ninth with a time of 8:22.95.
"I am proud of these boys," Tuscola coach Kevin FitzGerald said. "They all had a good season and learned a lot about themselves and the challenges involved with high school track."
Pisgah also sent their 4x100-meter girls relay team consisting of Bailey Conner, Avery Ponder, Sarah Rhinehart and Mattie Dorlan.
The team finished 13th with a time of 50.74 seconds, a personal best for the group.
"They really came on at the end of the season," Williamson said. "That wasn't even on the radar that they'd make it all the way to the state meet. Our goal was to make it to the top eight in the regionals, but we finished fourth in the regional to make it all the way to state."
The group had improved their time each time they ran from the midseason on and knocked three seconds off of their time over the course of the season.
Frazier also competed in the 300-meter hurdles. The event is one that he picked up with just four weeks left in the season, finishing the year with a 10th-place finish at state with a time of 40 seconds even.
"He has some athletic ability and wanted to do whatever he can for his team," Williamson said. "He's a great kid. He worked his butt off and became very good at it."
In the 800-meter, Caroline Henson finished in 12th with a time of 2:27.48.
"Track and field is a tough sport," Williamson said. "It's a lot of self-motivation. If you go out and do something over and over again and don't see any positive results, it makes you question if what you're doing is worth it all. When the kids see these positive results, there's encouragement to keep working hard. That's what they've done."
With the track season now in the rearview, both teams will look ahead to the fall when cross country begins and then the winter indoor season and next spring's outdoor season.
"I'm so proud of them for their efforts and accomplishments. Hopefully, others see that and see that great preparation is the key to success," Williamson said. "I was happy for the kids. They all came away feeling good about what we did. I hope it leads to more success at the state championship level for Pisgah High School and kids of Haywood County."
