It's time to Vote for the Georgia Track and Field Breakthrough of the Week!
Breakthrough of the Week is meant to highlight performances of athletes who achieved big improvements and stepped things up to a new level.
We will do this once a week and we will have up to 10 nominees for both boys and girls each week
Here's the lineup for this week's vote:
Myles Twyman (Darlington School) ran 10.61 in the 100 meters at the Darlington Home Meet #2, improving from his previous best of 11.19 set in February. The time ranks #57 in Georgia and broke the school record at Darlington. Twyman won the event among 13 competitors.
Bryson Zachery (Frederick Douglass) threw 49-7 in the shot put at the Atlanta Track Classic-APS Championship, bettering his previous mark of 42-8 from March. The throw places him #83 in the state and #25 among seniors. Zachery won the event in a field of 28 competitors.
Dwayne Stowe (Union Grove) jumped 48-10 in the triple jump at the Henry County Track & Field Championships, improving from his previous best of 45-9.5. The mark ranks #13 in Georgia and #1 among juniors while setting a new school record. Stowe placed first among 12 competitors.
Nigel Favers (Riverdale) leaped 23-7.5 in the long jump at Mundy's Mill Meet #2, improving from his previous personal record of 21-8.53. The jump ranks #15 in the state and #6 among seniors. Favers won the event among 14 competitors.
Matthew Perkinson (Central Gwinnett) ran 22.55 in the 200 meters at the Gwinnett County Varsity Championship improving his personal best 22.67 which he ran in February. Perkinson won his heat and was 8th among 49 competitors.
John McBride (McIntosh) ran 9:50.61 in the 3200 meters at Friday Night Lights at Starr's Mill, improving from his previous best of 10:13.07 set in March. The time ranks #132 in Georgia and #4 among freshmen. McBride placed sixth in a field of 31 runners.
Tj Walker (Cedartown) threw 150-4 in the discus at CHS Meet #2, bettering his previous mark of 138-10. The throw ranks #74 in the state and broke the school record at Cedartown. Walker also set a personal record in the shot put with 40-11, improving from 26-2.
Jayelen Howard (Union County) cleared 6-3 in the high jump at Pickens Home Meet 2, improving from his previous best of 6-0 set in March. The clearance ranks #120 in Georgia and #3 among freshmen while establishing a new school record. Howard also recorded a personal best of 37-10 in the triple jump, improving from 34-10.75.
Voting Closes on Sunday at Midnight!
Note - This is not necessarily the most improved performances of the week, but a way to highlight those that may have had their best performance so far among athletes who should be competitive during the championship season.
Once an Athlete wins, they will no longer be nominated for athlete of the week. We will keep a running tally of each week's winner and then after the season have a final vote for athlete of the year.
Past Winners
Week 1: Cornelius Scott - Social Circle - Improved his PR from 22.12 to 21.72 in the 200 to win the Social Circle MS/HS Meet #1
Week 2: Oliver Thompson - McIntosh - Improved his PR from 11:19 to 10:09 to place 7th at the Alpharetta Invitational
Week 3: Henry Verska - Denmark - Improved his PR from 10:23 to 9:47 in the 3200m to place 3rd at Longhorn Stampede
Week 4: Keontay Rowe (Bowdon) ran 13.95 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Cedartown High School Meet #1 on March 10, improving from his previous best of 15.16. The mark ranks #5 in Georgia and sets a new school record for Bowdon. Rowe finished second in a field of six competitors and also set a personal record in the triple jump, improving from 35-10.5 to 42-3.
Week 5: Riley Strattan (North Paulding, Dallas) cleared 6-6 in the high jump at the Paulding County Championship, placing second and improving six inches from his previous PR of 6-0. The junior ranks 17th in the state.