The Elmira Falcons soared at the state track meet on Friday and Saturday, with seven EHS athletes placing in the top eight and the boys 4x100m relay team coming home state champs.
The relay team included seniors Gavyn Laing and Desmond Wilson and juniors Isaiah Wilson and Tanner Hunt.
Athletes worked hard this season, and it paid off. Laing came in second in the 200m with a personal record of 22.78 and sixth in long jump at 19’11.75.” Senior Bayden Wanaisie placing sixth in triple jump with 41’08.75,” junior Alyssa Johnson coming in eighth in the 3000m with a PR of 10:49.77, sophomore Iris Frome placing 10th in the 800m at 2:31.72, and junior Ashlyn Turnbo placing second in pole vault with a PR of 9’06.”
This year proved to be a year of perseverance and determination that was evident with both Johnson and Turnbo.
Having 3000m runs at a consistent time of over 11 minutes, Johnson had not beaten her personal record of 10:39 set in her sophomore year, but with hard work Johnson was able to bring her time down by a minute and break her personal record by 10 seconds at the state meet.
Turnbo had been working toward breaking the school record of 9’3” for the entire season, believing that districts was her last shot. She said she was more than ecstatic to see she got to state on a wild card and was being given another chance.
“I started off this season barely making 7 feet. My goal was to get 8’1” so I could get on the wall for the school record,” Turnbo said. “After I reached that goal, my next one was to have the school record.
“I worked really hard and stayed late at a lot of practices working on my pole vault technique. It was all I thought about. I came to Hayward knowing that I could get 9’6,” and I knew I wasn’t going to be happy if I didn’t. There couldn’t have been a better place to break the school record. Hayward is stunning, and I couldn’t have done it without my coaches, friends and family.”
The boys 4x100m relay team came home state champions after coming in second at districts by 0.4 seconds and expected to get third in state. With changes throughout the season on who was or wasn’t in the relay, they finally found their perfect fit with the Wilsons, Hunt and Laing. An emphasis on technique and form during practice paid off for the team in the last hand off from Hunt to Laing that brought them from third to first.
It was a season to be proud of for the athletes and coaches.
