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:
Alexandra Clary (Chamblee) cleared 5-2 in the high jump at the GHSA 5A Region 4 meet on April 22, improving from her previous best of 4-10. The mark places her 37th in Georgia and 10th among juniors in the state. Clary won the event with 11 competitors.
Samira Washington (South Cobb) ran 12.22 in the 100 meters at GHSA 6A Region 3 on April 20, lowering her previous personal record of 12.81 from March. The time ranks 81st in Georgia and 24th among juniors. Washington finished fifth in a field of 24 runners.
Jade Jarmon (Archer) clocked 2:20.56 in the 800 meters at GHSA 6A Region 4 on April 20, dropping nearly eight seconds from her previous best of 2:28.23. The freshman ranks 56th in the state and seventh among first-year athletes. Jarmon placed fourth among 17 competitors.
Zion Bullard (Lakeside, Evans) ran 24.08 in the 200 meters at GHSA 5A Region 1 on April 23, breaking nearly a full second off her previous mark of 25.02 from April 2026. The time sets a school record and ranks 14th in Georgia and third among sophomores. Bullard won the race against 21 competitors and also set a personal record in the 400 meters with 55.84, improving from 56.31.
Maya Dames (Berkmar) posted 56.62 in the 400 meters at GHSA 6A Region 7 on April 21, cutting 1.44 seconds from her previous best of 58.06. The senior ranks 39th in Georgia and 15th in her class. Dames finished second among 19 runners.
Gwyneth Ferguson (North Atlanta) ran 11:29.44 in the 3200 meters at GHSA 6A Region 6 on April 20, improving by 16 seconds from her previous mark of 11:45.54. The junior ranks 43rd in the state and ninth in her class after placing third in a field of 16. Ferguson also recorded a personal best in the 1600 meters with 5:17.25, improving from 5:21.39.
Avanni Henry (Mill Creek) leaped 18-4.5 in the long jump at GHSA 6A Region 8 on April 21, adding 5.5 inches to her previous best of 17-11. The sophomore ranks 36th in Georgia and 10th in her class after finishing fourth among 16 competitors. Henry also set a personal record in the triple jump with 39-1.25, improving from 38-9.
DeAsia Burton (Midtown) ran 14.76 in the 100-meter hurdles at GHSA 4A Region 4 on April 23, lowering her previous best of 15.00. The senior ranks 38th in Georgia and 15th in her class after placing second among nine hurdlers. Burton also posted personal records in the long jump (18-3, up from 17-2) and 300-meter hurdles (46.44, improving from 48.12) at the same meet.
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: Piper Atwood - Parkview - Improved her PR from 10-0 to 11-1 to win All Comers Series #1
Week 2: Lauren Johnson - Woodward Academy - Improved her Pr in the discus from 97-11 to 107-10 to break 100 for the first time at Westminster Varsity Home Meet
Week 3: Janelle Taylor (Model) ran 2:21.38 in the 800 meters at the Model Six Lane Spectacular on March 5, improving from 2:27.56 set in May 2025. The junior won among 6 competitors and ranks #78 in Georgia and #14 among juniors.
Week 4: Monica Mathis (Northside Columbus) ran 26.62 in the 200 meters at the Rome Relays on March 14, improving from her previous best of 27.03 set in March 2026. The sophomore finished fourth of 35 competitors and won her heat.
Week 5: Lauren Lauer (Houston County, Warner Robins) ran 11:52.87 in the 3200 meters at the International City Relays on March 18, dropping from her previous time of 12:08.56. Lauer won the event among 16 competitors and ranks #143 in Georgia.
Week 6: Anjali Smith (Northside Columbus) cleared 5-8 in the high jump at Harris County Wednesday Night #2 on March 25, improving from her previous best of 5-2. The mark ranks #4 in Georgia and #1 among freshmen, and set a school record for Northside Columbus. Smith also recorded personal bests in the 200 meters (26.84, down from 26.90) and 300m hurdles (49.32, down from 49.78) at the same meet.
Week 7: Alexis Isenhour (Brookwood) ran 58.44 in the 400 meters at the Archer Invitational, dropping from her previous personal best of 1:00.96 from March. The time places her #136 in the state and #24 among juniors, finishing 5th in a field of 45. Isenhour also set a personal record in the 800 meters, improving from 2:31.63 to 2:30.37.
Week 8: Azaria Lee (Heritage) ran 15.50 in the 100m hurdles at the McEachern Invitational, improving from her previous best of 16.27 set in April 2026. The junior ranks #133 in Georgia and #33 among juniors after placing 7th of 16 competitors. Lee also set a PR in the triple jump, improving from 35-2.5 to 36-1 at the same meet.
Week 9: Sophie Morris (Pope High School) ran 12:14.51 in the 3200 meters at Walton Post-Spring Break Rust Buster on April 15, improving from 12:22.29. The time places her 146th in Georgia and 43rd among juniors, winning the event with six competitors.