REIGN OF RELAY: Lady Tigers relay reflects on teamwork
May 7—By now, most people know the Tahlequah Lady Tigers' track team captured its fourth straight Metro Lakes Conference championship Friday, April 26.
The 4x400m relay team of Riley Dotson, Khloe Frazier, Lakyn Adams and McKenna Hood, set a new season record of 4:07.23, which was also just two seconds away from a school record.
The 4x100m team of Kynley Frazier, Khloe Frazier, Adams, and Dotson, also posted a personal season-best time of 49.89, which also ranks 22 in the state in all classes. The same set of girls won the 4x200m relay with a time of 1:45.82.
The 4x800m team of Hood, Tori Pham, Haley Wilson, and Julianne Burns finished second at the MLC meet with a time of 10:24.05.
Adams, a freshman, has been running since seventh grade. Adams runs the third leg of the three relays she competes in. She was asked what her favorite part of running in the relays is.
"Getting it over with," Adams said.
Dotson said she's been running since Pre-K., and is the anchor in the 4x100m and 4x200m relays, and the lead runner in the 4x400m relay.
She said running in the anchor position is exciting. In Collinsville, she had to lean over the finish line to win the race.
"As an anchor, I have to do whatever it takes to try to get the win," Dotson said.
Dotson is a sophomore, running with two freshmen and a senior.
Khloe Frazier is the other freshman on the relay teams and runs the second leg. She said her position is important for a couple of reasons.
"I have to pick up where the lead was," Frazier said. "If she has the lead, I have to make sure I don't lose it, and if she doesn't have the lead, I have to try to catch up for my sister."
Kynley Frazier, the senior on the relay teams, is the lead runner. She was not present for the interviews.
Khloe Frazier said she watches the older runners because they have more experience, and she can learn from them.
"It's very interesting running with these other girls because everyone is on a different level," Frazier said.
McKenna Hood, known affectionately as Mom by the rest of the runners, said she is the anchor on the 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams.
"I run the mile just before the 4x4, so they give me a little bit of a break," Hood said. "It's a lot of pressure being the anchor, but I've been running for over a decade now, almost two. It's exciting because these girls all look up to you not just because you're a senior, but to get it on the track and do my job. It's not just running, I have a job. If we're behind, it's my job to go catch somebody to get us a win."
As a leader, Hood knows she takes some pressure off the other runners.
"I have to do my job for my girls," Hood said. "If they do their job and I don't do mine, it's all on me. It's a lot of pressure, but these girls make it fun, Lakyn and Khloe are freshmen, running with them is awesome, and Riley and I grew up together at Woodall, so getting to run with her here at high school is awesome, too," she said. "I think the 4x4 is not just about how fast you are, but it's a lot of tactics, and I think these freshmen have learned a lot. Khloe, for instance, is a sprinter, but she had to learn how to do a cut-in on the 4x4."
After taking the MLC, the Lady Tigers qualified their 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 teams for the State Finals.
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