NewsAthleticsPre-K to 8
Middle School athletes break records
Apr 18, 2006 2:13 PM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Darlington Middle School’s track teams may not have the numbers, but they sure do have quality.
With about 30 kids on the boys’ and girls’ teams collectively, Darlington’s track teams are often outnumbered when they take on the likes of Coosa, Pepperell, Rome and other middle schools. But at the area meet, held May 1 at Pepperell, Darlington's boys finished fourth out of nine, and the girls finished second overall, edging Model by just three points.
“I’m always happy when – with our limited numbers – we can finish ahead of bigger teams. It was only three years ago that there were only four kids in the entire program,” said Jason Turner, Middle School track coach. “I think the real news this year is that we have been able to see several very old school records broken by very narrow margins.”
Eighth-grader Tylon Garrett finished fourth in the long jump, but his leap of 17-7 broke John Foss's mark of 17-1, set in 1994. Garrett was also part of the 4x100 team that established the school record of 4:06.61, along with eighth-graders Brandon Martin, Nash Nance and A.J. White.
Eighth-grader Alex Sentell, who was only two inches short of winning the area championship in shot put, now holds the school record in boys’ shot put (45-9.5) over Cullen Elam’s previous mark of 43-2.5, set in 1993.
“Alex set his sights on the school record after the Pepperell Relays several weeks ago,” Turner said. “He moved in from Chattooga after the Christmas holidays and has really been embraced by his teammates and classmates. He’s a big, strong kid, and he’s really progressed well. To break a record that has stood for 13 years says a whole lot about his ability and his work ethic.”
One of the most coveted records for the School for both boys and girls has been the 4x100-meter relay.
Sixth-grader Erik Griffiths, Eighth-grader Lex Vick, Garrett and White finished in 51.16 seconds, erasing a 1996 record of 51.5 seconds held by Doug Whatley, Ben Puckett, Ryan Fox and Scott Foss.
For the girls, sixth-grader Carolyn Kipp, seventh-grader Lauren O’Neal, eighth-grader Lauren Phillips and seventh-grader Anna Swafford finished in 55.72 seconds, beating the record of 56.0 seconds set by Katie Van Es, Sheryl Ely, Beth Mooney and Stephanie Bowen in 1996.
“When I think of some of the fast athletes we’ve had here in recent years it’s amazing we weren’t able to break these records before," said Turner. "That makes it all the more rewarding for this year's athletes.”
Swafford was also named area champ in girls' 100-meter hurdles after finishing in 16.98 seconds, shattering Elizabeth Ansley's 1995 record of 17.27 seconds. Additionally, O’Neal and Kipp have each beat Carter's record in the long jump (14 feet, two inches). O’Neal jumped 14-3, and one week later Kipp jumped 14-8.
With about 30 kids on the boys’ and girls’ teams collectively, Darlington’s track teams are often outnumbered when they take on the likes of Coosa, Pepperell, Rome and other middle schools. But at the area meet, held May 1 at Pepperell, Darlington's boys finished fourth out of nine, and the girls finished second overall, edging Model by just three points.
“I’m always happy when – with our limited numbers – we can finish ahead of bigger teams. It was only three years ago that there were only four kids in the entire program,” said Jason Turner, Middle School track coach. “I think the real news this year is that we have been able to see several very old school records broken by very narrow margins.”
Eighth-grader Tylon Garrett finished fourth in the long jump, but his leap of 17-7 broke John Foss's mark of 17-1, set in 1994. Garrett was also part of the 4x100 team that established the school record of 4:06.61, along with eighth-graders Brandon Martin, Nash Nance and A.J. White.
Eighth-grader Alex Sentell, who was only two inches short of winning the area championship in shot put, now holds the school record in boys’ shot put (45-9.5) over Cullen Elam’s previous mark of 43-2.5, set in 1993.
“Alex set his sights on the school record after the Pepperell Relays several weeks ago,” Turner said. “He moved in from Chattooga after the Christmas holidays and has really been embraced by his teammates and classmates. He’s a big, strong kid, and he’s really progressed well. To break a record that has stood for 13 years says a whole lot about his ability and his work ethic.”
One of the most coveted records for the School for both boys and girls has been the 4x100-meter relay.
Sixth-grader Erik Griffiths, Eighth-grader Lex Vick, Garrett and White finished in 51.16 seconds, erasing a 1996 record of 51.5 seconds held by Doug Whatley, Ben Puckett, Ryan Fox and Scott Foss.
For the girls, sixth-grader Carolyn Kipp, seventh-grader Lauren O’Neal, eighth-grader Lauren Phillips and seventh-grader Anna Swafford finished in 55.72 seconds, beating the record of 56.0 seconds set by Katie Van Es, Sheryl Ely, Beth Mooney and Stephanie Bowen in 1996.
“When I think of some of the fast athletes we’ve had here in recent years it’s amazing we weren’t able to break these records before," said Turner. "That makes it all the more rewarding for this year's athletes.”
Swafford was also named area champ in girls' 100-meter hurdles after finishing in 16.98 seconds, shattering Elizabeth Ansley's 1995 record of 17.27 seconds. Additionally, O’Neal and Kipp have each beat Carter's record in the long jump (14 feet, two inches). O’Neal jumped 14-3, and one week later Kipp jumped 14-8.
