Track Team advances to Regionals and State

Posted Date: 05/01/2016

Track teams advances to Regional Meet

Kristina Johnson

On Friday, April 22nd, the boys and girls track teams competed in Carthage at the District 19/20-4A  Area Track and Field Meet. They competed against participants from Carthage, Tatum, Henderson, Huntington, Center, Diboll, Rusk, and Jasper. Both teams performed spectacularly, sending a total of 15 athletes to regionals. On top of that, the girls team won 1st place overall, which was a first in Hudson history.

“The whole time we were competing at area, the points were very close between Hudson and Carthage,” says Christina Hernandez, who won the 1600-meter run, 3200-meter run, and 1600-meter relay on Friday. “When we found out we won, everyone was in shock. We were very excited to have made history this year!” Hernandez states.

After such a huge victory, the track team has to turn around and prepare for regionals this coming week. According to Hernandez, who is also the reigning regional champion in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs, regionals can be, “a weird meet because the competition can be different every time.” Knowing that all the athletes at such a competition will, of course, be strong the Hudson team is “ready for anything,” says Hernandez.

For the boys, the competition is guaranteed to be tough at the regional level because both the 4 by 400-meter relay and the the 400-meter state champions came out of our Region III (the 400-meter state champion being Hudson’s very own, Payton Davis). Roma Fenley, who is a member of Hudson’s 1600-meter relay team that got 2nd in area, losing to Carthage by only 11 milliseconds, says that his relay team’s goal for regionals is, “to get into the top two so we can qualify for state. That’s all. We want first, but second will be great too because that means we move on.” The relay team is currently seeded at number two in the region behind Carthage, but the times for all of the top eight teams are within 2 seconds of one another. Their strategy for victory is, according to Fenley, to, “drink good, eat good, and sleep good.”

Hernandez has been preparing for her races at regionals in a similar way, “keeping up my healthy eating habits and running every race like it was state, and thinking of how I want to race this weekend.” She also says she plans on “running like I’ve always run any other race: running each lap faster than the previous one.”

The Region III meet will be held on Friday, April 29th, in Huntsville. The Hudson track team members who have advanced to regionals are:

• Emma Godfrey, 2nd in the 400-meter dash, 1st in the 800-meter run, 1st in the 1600-meter relay, 2nd in pole vault *Qualified for State Wildcard 800 meter run

• Christina Hernandez, 1st in the 1600-meter run, 1st in the 3200-meter run, 1st in the 1600-meter relay * Qualified for State 1600 m run, 3200 m run- 1st in regionals in both

• Holly Ratcliff, 4th in the 1600-meter run, 3rd in the 3200-meter run

• Natasha Carcano, 4th in the 3200-meter run

• Nora Reeder, 3rd in the 100-meter hurdles, 4th in the 300-meter hurdles

• Ja’Deja Deason, 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles, 1st in the 1600-meter relay * Qualified in 300 m hurdles

• Baleigh Hudman, 1st in the 1600-meter relay, 1st in long jump, 1st in triple jump

• Payton Davis, 1st in the 400-meter dash, 2nd in the 1600-meter relay* qualified for state in 400 -meter dash and 1600 meter relay

• Tedron Roberts, 1st in the 1600-meter run, 2nd in the 3200-meter run* Qualified for state 1600 meter run

• Jesus Ramos, 3rd in the 1600-meter run, 1st in the 3200-meter run

• Avery McElveen, 4th in the 110-meter hurdles, 4th in the 300-meter hurdles

• Roma Fenley, 2nd in the 1600-meter relay * Relay qualified

• La’Javion Randle, 2nd in the 1600-meter relay * Relay qualified

• Jeffery Stotts, 2nd in the 1600-meter relay, 3rd in triple jump * Relay qualified

• Andrew Ward, 4th in pole vault

Good luck Hudson Track!!!