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:
Cameron Watts (Dutchtown) ran 15.02 in the 110m hurdles at the GHSA 5A Region 3 meet on April 22, improving from his previous best of 16.23. The freshman finished fourth and ranks #82 in Georgia and #2 among freshmen statewide.
Josiah Vehe (Hart County) threw 48-9 in the shot put at the GHSA 2A Region 8 meet on April 21, bettering his previous mark of 41-4.5. The freshman placed second and sits #65 in the state and #2 among freshmen.
Tareon Peoples (Campbell) jumped 21-10.5 in the long jump at the GHSA 6A Region 3 meet on April 20, improving from 20-4. The senior finished third and ranks #109 statewide and #57 among seniors.
Kaiden Nesmith (Apalachee) ran 21.70 in the 200m at the GHSA 5A Region 8 meet on April 23, improving from 22.62. The junior placed second and ranks #38 in Georgia and #10 among juniors. Nesmith also set a personal record in the 100m, running 11.10 to improve from 11.31.
Mason Hall (Oconee County) threw 141-4 in the discus at the GHSA 3A Region 8 meet on April 21, improving from 126-7. The junior finished fourth and ranks #91 statewide and #29 among juniors.
Zion Jones (Shaw) cleared 6-6 in the high jump at the GHSA 2A Region 1 meet on April 24, improving from 6-2. The senior won the event and set a Shaw High School record. Jones ranks #21 in Georgia and #12 among seniors.
Chase Sykes (Greater Atlanta Christian) ran 48.43 in the 400m at the GHSA A-3A Private Schools Area 3 meet on April 22, improving from 50.52. The junior won the event and set a Greater Atlanta Christian school record. Sykes ranks #18 statewide and #5 among juniors.
Ty'lil Terrell (South Cobb) ran 11.08 in the 100m at the GHSA 6A Region 3 meet on April 20, improving from 11.21. The senior finished 8th and ranks #131 in Georgia among seniors.
Voting Closes on Friday at 5pm!
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.
Week 6: 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.
Week 7: Frank Lewandowski (Creekview) ran 1:57.89 in the 800 meters at Woodstock Distance Carnival on April 3, dropping from his previous time of 2:03.34. The sophomore ranks #104 in Georgia and #5 among state sophomores, finishing third in a field of 46.
Week 8: Landon Jonas (Wesleyan School) ran 9:11.74 in the 3200 meters at the Creekview Distance Showcase on April 10, improving from 9:34.29 set in March. The senior finished 7th and ranks #13 in Georgia and #6 among seniors while setting a Wesleyan School record.
Week 9: Luke Childress (Prince Avenue Christian) cleared 6-4 in the high jump at the Clarke Central Home Meet on April 16, improving from his previous best of 6-0. The junior ranks 41st statewide and 13th among juniors, finishing second among eight competitors. The mark set a school record for Prince Avenue Christian School.