By By Adam Prestridge
The Escambia Academy track teams have been working hard this season in hopes of repeating as Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) Class 2A state champs.
Monday, EA hosted a five-team track meet in Canoe and both the boys and girls teams finished in the Top 3.
Faith Academy claimed first at the meet with 113 team points. Escambia Academy finished runner-up with 62 points and Cornerstone and Cottage Hill tied for third with 32 points. Jackson rounded out the Top 5.
Alan Ash led the boys with three first place finishes. Ash claimed first in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:12, the one-mile run with a career-best time of 4:50 and the two-mile run with a time of 11:04. Seth Lassiter finished runner-up to Ash in the one-mile run with a time of 5:04.
Blaine Garrett finished second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.85 seconds and Kawetta Coon placed second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.53 seconds. In the long jump, Dustin Hall tied for second with a jump of 18-feet, 3-inches.
The Cougars’ relay teams fared well at the meet as well. The 4×100-meter relay team consisted of Jon Dean, Nick Flowers, Hall and Garrett finished second; the 4×200-meter relay team comprised of Jake Taylor, Tank Mitchell, Gavin Salter and Flowers also took home second place and the 4×400-meter relay team made up of Dean, Lassiter, Michell and Flowers claimed second.
In the shot put, Tyler Harrison placed third with a throw of 39-feet, 4-inches and Flowers finished third in the triple jump of 32-feet, 4-inches. In the 1/10-meter hurdles Braxton Chastang finished third with a time of 20.65 seconds and Salter placed third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.28 seconds.
The Faith Academy girls team also took home first-place team honors with 86 points followed by Cottage Hill with 70 points and Escambia Academy with 9. Cornerstone finished fourth. Jackson did not field a girls’ team.
Kristen Matthews was the lone EA girl to finish in the Top 3 with a third place finish in the one-mile run. Matthews finished the event with a time of 7:16.
The AISA state track meet will be held in Selma on April 24-25. In order for both the boys and girls to claim back-to-back titles, Gipson said the teams need to work on their current weaknesses.