Hayes Trapp finishing 4th in a very strong 3200 earlier in the season
Unsung Heroes: Independence Day
This week saw the beginning of GHSA region meets, which marks the official start of the GHSA postseason. The region meet solidifies many unknowns that the season holds: who will be running which event? What do the full-strength relays look like? Who makes it out of the one particularly competitive region meet? While we get two weeks to see how the region meets play out, the action is already over in some parts of the state. This weekend saw the GISA state meet in Locust Grove and the GAPPS state meet in Barnesville take place, with some incredible performances that got buried in the pile of GHSA region meets along the way. This week, we'll focus on athletes from these two meets, and all of the winners this week are state champions in their own right.
"Unsung Heroes" recognizes some great individual performances from this past week across the state of Georgia that might have flown under the radar or gone underappreciated. One winner is selected from each of three categories (sprints/hurdles, distance, and field events) for both boys and girls. Enjoy!
Boys Winners
Sprints/Hurdles
Sophie Strickland, Bulloch Academy
47.31 in 300h at GISA State Championship (3A), 1st
16.87 in 100h at GISA State Championship (3A), 3rd
6' 6" in Pole Vault at GISA State Championship (3A), 6th
We kick off our awards this week with a freshman hurdler who has dominated the 300-meter hurdles at GISA state for the past two seasons. Yes, you read that correctly: Strickland topped the high school field in the 300-meter hurdles (by over two seconds) as only an eighth-grader. She reclaimed her crown this year after going undefeated in that event against GISA competition this season. To top it off, she also scored third place in the 100-meter hurdles, sixth place in pole vault, and led the Bulloch Academy 4x400 team to a runner-up finish. Still only a freshman, Strickland already has many impressive accomplishments under her belt, and hopefully she will obtain many more in the years to come.
Distance
Lizzie Pardue, Unity Christian
2:19.33 in 800m at GAPPS State Meet (Div 1), 1st
59.06 in 400m at GAPPS State Meet (Div 1), 1st
Pardue, a sophomore at Unity Christian in Rome, proved her talent against some tough competition in her season debut at the Rome Invitational, securing fourth place in the 400 and seventh in the 800. From that point onward, Pardue only improved, as she ultimately swept the mid-distance events at the GAPPS State Meet, running a personal best in the 800 as she won by more than 10 seconds. It's a shame we never got to see Pardue and Susannah Heinz of Augusta Eagles HS go head-to-head as they were in different GAPPS divisions. Either way, Pardue proved that she was not just a top independent school runner, but a top runner in any division in Georgia.
Field
Carleigh Bynum, Westwood Schools
11' 3" in Pole Vault at GISA State Championship (2A), 1st
4' 8" in High Jump at GISA State Championship (2A), 5th
By the time Bynum had completed two vault attempts at the GISA State Championship, she had already secured at least third place. Two attempts later, she had clinched the victory. However, she was just getting started, as she cleared four more heights after clinching the victory in the pole vault, ultimately topping out in a new personal best of 11' 3". Despite only competing in small weekday meets for most of the season, Bynum still has a top-10 mark for all girls in Georgia in the Pole Vault. The Westwood junior showed off her range by scoring fifth place in the high jump as well.
Boys Winners
Sprints/Hurdles
Aaron Hankerson, Robert Toombs Christian
10.87 in 100m at GISA State Championship (2A), 1st
22.65 in 200m at GISA State Championship (2A), 1st
5' 8" in High Jump at GISA State Championship (2A), 4th
Either Hankerson ran in several non-MileSplit recorded meets, or he began his season in mid-April. Either way, he just had one of the most unexpectedly dominant seasons that I can remember. It seems Hankerson transferred from Tattnall County HS last year, where placed 10th in the GHSA 3A state meet. This spring, he went undefeated in a combined six races across top GISA competition in the 100 and 200 meters, setting season bests of 10.82 and 22.65 in the process. Hankerson was also a key member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relays for Robert Toombs, both of which scored in the top 5, and he finished in fourth in the high jump. Did I mention that Hankerson is only a sophomore?
Distance
9:28.43 in 3200m at GISA State Championship, 1st
4:25.77 in 1600m at GISA State Championship, 1st
2:02.60 in 800m at GISA State Championship, 2nd
Trapp was one of the top cross country runners in the state of Georgia this past fall, finishing in the top 15 in the most competitive meets of the year at Asics, Coach Wood, and the Meet of Champions. He also took home his second consecutive GISA XC state title. However, he still flew under the radar due to attending Augusta Preparatory School in Martinez, Georgia outside of Augusta. He had a typically stellar track campaign, but he really put it all together at the GISA state meet this week, finishing with a personal best in the 3200m and 800m. He also won the 1600 by over 25 seconds! Hopefully, Trapp will get an opportunity to show what he can do in some of the postseason meets such as Wingfoot.
Field
Peyton Williams, Pinewood Christian
146' 9" in Discus Throw at GISA State Championship (3A), 1st
45' 3.75" in Shot Put at GISA State Championship (3A), 2nd
Williams captured the discus crown at the GISA State Championship this weekend, and the way in which he did so was most impressive. All five of his attempts were hurled farther than the farthest throw from the rest of the field, which means Williams's worst throw was still two feet longer than the 15 other competitors' best. In the shot put, Williams posted a result of 45' 3.75", and he actually beat his own previous personal best three times in five attempts. His 18 points scored in the throwing events helped capture the 3A team title for Pinewood Christian.