Sports

Fast and furious

• Monroe’s Kenza Wilson finishes fourth in the 100 and fifth in the 200 on the final day of the GHSA State Track & Field Meet at Hugh Mills, giving the Lady Tornadoes the highest finish of any Albany area school.

Derek Barichello

ALBANY — Three tenths of a second might not sound like a lot to most people.

But it was to Monroe sprinter Kenza Wilson on Saturday before the rain came pouring down at Hugh Mills Stadium.

After all, the Lady Tornadoes’ junior was just three tenths of a second short of reaching her ultimate goal in the GHSA AAA 100-meter dash as Therrell state champion Brittany Long ended that dream by barely edging Wilson, who settled for fourth.

Before the downpours fell and sent the crowd under the grandstand for shelter, Wilson crossed the finish line in at 11.982 seconds, while Long came in at a blazing 11.686.

“I’m a little upset because I was trying for the top three,” said Wilson, who also finished fifth in the 200 in 24.832 — this time about eight-tenths of a second behind winner Long, who finished in 24.068. “I finished fifth last year (in the state finals), so I’m satisfied. It’s an improvement.”

Wilson, however, feels she gained valuable experience in her second trip to the state finals as her points helped the Lady Tornadoes finish the highest of any Albany school.

And it took her just minutes after her final race of the 2008 season to already start talking about her senior season.

“Next year, I plan on winning,” she said.

But to reach the first-place box on the state championship platform, both Wilson and coach Octavia Jones know it will take an entire offseason of training to cut three-tenths- or eight-tenths-of-a- second off her times.

“She needs to get into the weight room because strength is an issue,” Jones said. “She’s been getting by on her pure speed. If she gets stronger, she can dominate more.”

Wilson’s strength became an issue in the 200.

Needing more endurance in the longer race, Wilson — who looked to finish fourth overall in the 200 as well — was passed just before the finish line and ended up settling for fifth.

“It was disappointing,” Jones said. “She didn’t run all the way through and she knows that. But I’m still proud of her. I think (Saturday’s) experience really motivated her.”

Wilson also realizes she needs to work on another facet of her game: getting off the block consistently.

“It’s more important to run a good beginning,” said Wilson, who was pleased with how she got off the block in the 100, just not the 200. “If you don’t get out so fast, you have no time to recover.”

With what Wilson viewed as a failed opportunity to reach her ultimate goal on Saturday, she has set the ultimatum for next season.

“I’m determined to be a state champ before I graduate high school,” Wilson said. “I'm going to get one.”

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