PUBLISHED MARCH 22
By Martin Edwards Staff Writer
In a state where football reigns supreme, it is often easy for more niche sports, such as powerlifting, to be overlooked.
The Lady Chaps’ performance had all eyes on them as they won two state championships and placed fourth as a team at the 4A Division 2 state championship meet on March 15 in the Comerica Center in Frisco.
“We did excellent,” head coach Ron Gathright said. “We had a lot of girls get personal records [and] a lot of girls medal this year that didn’t last year. Having two state champions is awesome.”
The Lady Chaps were represented by 11 lifters and competed against 57 other schools.
Those state qualifying lifters were Matiana Walter, Zoe Fikes, Jentri Phipps, Brooke McAlister, Emma Gillum, Emma Grisel, Carmen Alexander, Naomi Nkwodinma, Lexis Jones, Maggie Fawks and Haylee Moon.
Four of the Lady Chaps left the Comerica Center with medals: Brooke, Gillum, Naomi and Walter.
Gathright largely credited his assistant coach, Doc McAlister, with the Lady Chaps’ string of success.
“Doc is the numbers guy,” Gathright said. 'He has done a phenomenal job of putting our workouts together.”
A former competitor now in his 17th season of coaching, Doc has worked hard to make sure his lifters' minds were as strong as their bodies.
“I tell them the only person you have to beat is yourself,” 200-meter dash with a time of 20.72 seconds, winning by fivehundredths of a second.
Spaulding highlighted Brown’s gold medal performance.
“What’s awesome is when a kid works hard,” Spaulding said. “When talent goes with hard work, there’s your difference, and for sure Tyler Brown works hard.”
McMeen won silver in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 37.28 seconds.
“It was a close one,” Spaulding said. “It was right to the wire. … It was a great race.”
McMeen finished second behind Jasiah Rivera of K.M. King High School by less than two-tenths of a second.
Landon Martino also competed in the 800-meter and 400-meter runs, finishing fifth and eighth.
Spaulding praised Martino’s effort.
“He said he was going to make State in the quarter [mile], and he did,” he said. “I know [most] look at placing, but the kid ran 800 [meters], turned around, ran the quarter [mile] halfway through the meet and then ran a mile relay. … His performance was great.”
Pilot Point had two competitors in Austin in seniors Addison Hite and Crew Chandler.
“I was really pleased,” head boys track coach Bryan Jones said. “To say I was proud doesn’t do it justice. I was really impressed with how they conducted themselves, how they competed. It was awesome.”
In her third appearance at the state meet, Hite finished first in the 3200-meter run and third in the 1600-meter run.
Chandler finished eighth in the 400-meter run with a time of 51.32 seconds.
Jones spoke highly of Chandler’s showing.
“I felt like he was pretty pleased with how he did, and I know I was extremely proud of him,” he said.
Jones hopes that Hite’s and Chandler’s performances can be an example for new and returning members of the Bearcats track program.
“How those two conducted themselves throughout the season from start to finish, their work level, their focus, everything, it only went up as the season went on, and it was already high,” he said. “Those are the things that you pass on to those [new] guys, that this is the standard that you're going to have to reach from every facet if you want to make it there.”
Tioga also had two representatives at the state meet with junior Sam Mott and freshman Kyndall Whitley.
Whitley placed seventh but set a new Tioga school record with a long jump of 16-feet-4.5inches.
Mott finished eighth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.22 seconds.
This marked the first appearance at the state level for both Mott and Whitley.
Macy Wingard of Ray Braswell High School also made the winner’s podium, winning bronze in the 1600-meter race with a time of 4:50.52.
Nicholas Cox of Collinsville High School placed eighth in the discus with a throw of 123-feet-3-inches.
