13 Records Fall On First Day of 2014 State Track Meet
A total of 13 records fell Monday as the 2014 AHSAA Indoor State Track Championship began at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The final day of the 44th indoor meet gets underway Tuesday at 9 a.m. The meet will be web-streamed live nationally on the NFHS/AHSAA TV Network by digital media partner PlayOn! Sports.
Four pole vault records fell, including the Class 6A standard of 15-06 held by Spain Park’s Chris Spear since 2006. McGill-Toolen junior Sean Collins cleared 15-07 in the final event Monday and then missed on his only try at 16 feet. The 1A-4A pole vault record was set by Jesse Austin of Montgomery Academy. Austin vaulted 17-07 ½ to better the record set last year by Madison County’s Russell Pugh (14-06).
In Class 6A, Margaret Ollinger of McGill-Toolen bettered her own record in the pole vault by 6 ½ inches with a winning height of 12-01. And in 1A-4A, Rose Brutkiewicz set a new record pole vault with a winning height of 12-01¼ – almost three feet higher than the previous record of 9-06 held by former UMS-Wright vaulter Laura Ferguson since 2004. Two other vaulters equaled or bettered the 9-06 mark, including Cottage Hill’s Caitlyn Dressler (10-06) and Ailish Lynch of Pope John Paul II (9-06).
Defending champion UMS-Wright led the 1A-4A scoring after day one with 42 points in the girls’ competition and 36 in the boys’ division. Beauregard’s Lady Hornets were second with 37, and Montgomery Academy’s boys had 29.
Homewood had 55 points and St. Paul’s Episcopal 44 after day one of the Class 5A boys’ competition. St. Paul’s girls’ led Homewood 46-38 in the girls’ competition.
Hoover‘s girls and boys posted 42 and 39 points, respectively, to lead Class 6A after Monday’s results. Pelham’s girls were second with 23 points and Opelika’s boys were hot on the Bucs’ heels with 33 points.
Other records set Monday included:
Class 5A boys
Harrison Dudley of Tuscaloosa’s Paul Bryant set a new Class 5A 60-meter dash record in the preliminary race as he tied his career-best of 6.99 seconds to beat the old mark of 7.00 set by Kyler Towner of St. Paul’s in 2012. Dudley will be running in the finals Tuesday.
McAdory set a new record in the 4x200-meter relay with a winning time of 1:31.62, which beat Parker’s record set in 2013 by .24.
Class 1A-4A Boys
In Class 1A-4A, Latravious Glenn of Dadeville set a new triple jump state record with a leap of 46-8. The old record (45-8.50) was set in 2013 by Vinemont’s Tyler Boland.
Ismail Saleem of St. Jude set a new record in the 60-meter dash with a winning time of 7.10 in the prelims. It sets up an exciting final Tuesday with Tallassee’s Brandon Baynes (7.15), UMS-Wright’s Jawon McDowell (7.16) and St. Jude’s Samuel English (7.24) – who all bested the previous 1A-4A state record of 7.24 seconds set by UMS-Wright’s Tyler Beard last year.
Class 6A Girls
Also in Class 6A, Woodlawn’s Jayla Kirkland clocked 7.50 seconds in the 60-meter dash prelims to set a new state meet record. The previous mark of 7.55 was set by Caitland Smith of Pelham last year. Smith ran an 8.00 to grab the seventh qualifying spot in the finals.
Brittley Humphrey of Hoover clocked 8.71 in her 60-meter hurdles preliminary heat to break the record of 8.75 she set in 2013. Humphrey didn’t set a state mark but also won the triple jump with a 37-10 distance. Hoover’s 4x200 relay team did set a new record with a winning time of 1:41.7 – beating the old mark set by the Lady Bucs in 2013 (1:42.5).
Class 5A Girls
Homewood’s 4x200-meter relay team clocked 1:47.33 to win the final Class 5A girls’ event of the day in record time. The old mark, set by Parker in 2012, was 1:47.91.
Class 1A-4A Girls
Taylor Young also set new state meet record in the long jump with a 17-11¼ leap. The Altamont jumper beat the record (17-09) set by Brittany Middlebrooks, also of Altamont, in 2004.