Albany Herald

Track and Field Clipart

Coach of the Year

Octavia Jones, Monroe

If there was ever a no-brainer, this was it. Jones led the Monroe girls to their second consecutive GHSA Class AAA state title, winning by an even larger margin this year. But the victory was even sweeter -- make that bitter-sweet -- because it marked his last track season as coach for MHS after accepting the job at Westover to coach football. But before he did, he went out on top.

---------------------------------

ATHLETES:

Lakeisha Jackson

Senior, Monroe

Jackson won the region and state titles in the 100 and 300 hurdles, giving her three state titles in the past two years. She tied for scoring the most points for a runner in the Class AAA state meet. She has already received a track scholarship to Florida A&M University.

Ashley Johnson

Junior, Monroe

Johnson finished second at state in the 100-meter hurdles right behind teammate Jackson, and was fifth at state in the 300 hurdles. She was the runner-up in both of those events at the region meet behind Jackson, and also was a member of the region champion 4x400-meter relay team that was third in the state, and the region

runner-up 4x100-meter relay team that placed fifth at state.

Maikea Davis

Freshman, Monroe

Davis finished third at state in the 100 meters and fourth at state in the 200 meters after winning both events at the region meet. Davis was a member of the state champion 4x100-meter relay team, which ran the fastest time in all classes at the state meet. She was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that was third at state.

Alexandria Childs

Sophomore, Monroe

Childs finished fourth at the Class AAA state meet in the discus with a toss of 113-feet,3-inches. Childs also won the region title.

Alanesha McFarland

Sophomore, Monroe

McFarland, just a sophomore, finished sixth at the Class AAA state meet in the 100-meter dash, and also ran on Monroe's winning 4x100 relay team that was the fastest in all classifications at the state meet.

Nancy Session

Senior, Bainbridge

Session was the heart of Bainbridge's team, which finished in the Top 10 in state for the first time.

Session finished second in the Class AAAA 400-meter run, losing in a photo finish in 55.59, and finished fourth in the 200-meter dash. She also ran on Bainbridge's 4x400 relay team that finished fifth at state. Session won region titles in the 200 and 400 and led the Lady Bearcats to a team region crown.

Jerisha Sutton

Senior, Bainbridge

Sutton, like Session, was a leader for Bainbridge, and one of the top hurdlers in Class AAAA in the state. She finished fourth in the 300 hurdles at state, and also ran on Bainbridge's 4x400 relay team that finished fifth.

Holly Ebbets

Freshman, Lee County

Ebbets is a part of a pole-vaulting family (her brother Caleb set the Class AAAA state record). She finished second in the Class AAAA meet with a personal best vault of 10 feet.

Ericka Taylor

Freshman, Westover

Only a freshman, Taylor was the premier distance runner in Southwest Georgia, winning AAA region titles in the 1,600 and 3,200. She finished sixth at the Class AAA state meet in the 3,200 meters.

Clennysha Jones

Junior, Westover

She finished third in the state in the high jump and was second in the region in the triple jump, long jump and high jump.

Alysia Potts

Sophomore, Westover

Finished fourth at the GHSA AAA state meet in the pole vault and set a school record with a vault of 9 feet, 6 inches.

Kelly Conway

Senior,

Deerfield-Windsor

Won the GISA AAA state title in the 800 meters, the 10th state title of her career. She won the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 region titles, and holds the school record in the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 events.

Reed Hancock

Sophomore,

Deerfield-Windsor

Hancock set the GISA AAA state record in the pole vault (11 feet, 6 inches) and holds the school record at 12 feet, 6 inches. She has been selected to represent the U.S.A. in the Junior Olympics in Singapore (Aug. 14-26).

Katie Meagher

Jr., Sherwood

Meagher, fresh off winning state in the 3,200 a year ago, came up just short in 2010, but finished second in that same race, as well as in the 1,600, and seventh in the 800 in GISA Class AA.

Tiffany Harris

Sr., Westover

Harris finished second in the region in the discus and qualified for state.

Tiona Burley

Senior, Mitchell County

Burley, an All-State

basketball player, won the Class AA state title in the discus with a toss of 115-feet, 11 inches.

Aschiaa Davis

Senior, Mitchell County

Davis won region titles in the 100 and 200 and went on to finish fourth in the Class AA state 100 meters and fourth in the 200 meter dash.

Virginia Vereen

Sophomore, Westwood

Vereen set a GISA Class A state record in the 300 hurdles, and finished third in the 100-meter hurdles. She also ran on Westwood's relay teams, which both finished second.

Kaitlyn High

Senior, Westwood

High won the GISA Class A state titles in the shot put and the discus, and finished her career with four state titles, including three in the shot put.