Jan 09, 2023

Monday Morning Recap: 2023 Ice Breaker

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Mississippi High School Track and Field athletes made a strong showing at the Ice Breaker meet, with Clinton snagging 17 marks under the MileSplit Mississippi Second-Team standard, nearly a third of the total number of athletes that hit the standard. Several athletes stood out, including Clinton's Meagan Womack, Max Littleton, Miguel Bankston, Tupelo's Jaheim Bridges, Walnut's Gabe McElwain, and Starkville's Sterling Scott. Each of these athletes, among others, had strong appearances and contributed to their team's success at the meet.

Meet Information

Venue: Birmingham Crossplex

Location: Birmingham, Ala.

Meet Preview

Mississippi Results(will be released once LSU results are formatted)

Mississippi Standards List(will be released once LSU results are formatted)

Full Results: Ice Breaker #1 | Ice Breaker #2

Race Video: Ice Breaker #1 | Ice Breaker #2 *coming soon!*

They Said It

Clinton High School Coach Jonathan Perkins

*commenting on Clinton's success at the Ice Breaker

"I gave the team two weeks off during exams and Christmas Break(Dec. 15-Dec. 26) to get some well deserved rest, study and family time. We kicked practice back up on Dec. 27 to attempt to minimize our loss of conditioning strength to prepare for our Icebreaker meet. The staff and I are pleased with the results that our athletes obtained, and we will reevaluate each athlete as we move on to prepare for our next meet(MLK). We had several good personal records across the board, and I believe two meet records set [Meagan Womack - Shot Put(42'5") and Max Littleton - High Jump(6'8") ]. Out-of-state competition is always a wonderful thing to do because it gives our student-athletes a bigger picture of our sport! Thank you for everything you do for the student-athletes of Mississippi and GO ARROWS!"

Tupelo High School Coach Murray Collum

*commenting on Tupelo's successful season-opener

"We were really looking forward to our 1st indoor meet. As a team, we were very pleased with our performance. We were able to get a great baseline of where we are and what we need to work on. We were also very stoked to see so many indoor school records go down at our first meet with two more meets to go this indoor season. We will work hard fine-tuning some things and get ready for Last Chance on the 28th of this month, and we are finalizing details to take the indoor squad to Louisville, KY for the Louisville Indoor Games on February 4th."

Meagan Womack (Clinton High School)

*commenting on her Mississippi High School Girls Indoor Shot Put record

"I've only practiced 3 times in the last 2 weeks, and during the times I was at practice, I could barely hit 40. Considering that, I wasn't expecting anything close to a PR, so I was quite happy with my performance. My biggest takeaway from Ice Breaker is that I need to really buckle down in practice so that I can hit 43 before the end of indoor, I'd like to have the complex record for my senior year

Miguel Bankston (Clinton High School)

*commenting on his Mississippi No. 1 800m performance at the Ice Breaker

"I feel good about it honestly, I was expecting that good of a race because it had nothing but talented runners running beside me. I executed the race exactly how I wanted, and it was the perfect environment and atmosphere for the race. Now, back to training and on to the next meet."

Sterling Scott (Starkville High School)

*commenting on his Mississippi High School Boys Indoor Triple Jump record

"A little disappointed, a little excited, but it was a learning experience that will prepare me better for the next competitions"

Jaheim Bridges (Tupelo High School)

*commenting on his Mississippi No. 1 performance in the 1600m

"Going into the race, I wasn't expecting much at all, considering I haven't done any speed work. I was just hoping to dip under 4:30. I was really happy with my performance in the 1600m. My takeaway moving onto the next race is to not be afraid to go with the front pack if the pace gets out hot."

Gabe McElwain (Walnut High School)

*commenting on his Mississippi No. 1 performance in the 3200m

"It wasn't really what I expected. I thought I was going to run a little slower, but I'm very happy with it. I didn't get out as fast as I wanted to at the beginning, so the first 400 meters I was boxed in the whole time. I finally got out and started making my way up to the leaders. I definitely want to end the season with a faster time, but it was my first indoor meet so it was a learning experience. Next up for me is the Last Chance Invite back in Birmingham, and I'm hoping for a big 1600m PR."

From the Editor

*commenting on Sterling Scott's Triple Jump record

"Sterling Scott is probably one of the most intriguing Track and Field athletes in Mississippi. We only saw a glimpse of his athletic capabilities at the end of 2022, but we have a feeling he has much more in store for us in 2023."

*commenting on Meagan Womack's Shot Put record

"It has been the Meagan Womack show on the Mississippi Indoor throws scene this indoor season. She has broken a state record in every one of her competitions this year, and we're very excited for her future in the sport."

*commenting on the depth of Clinton High School

"I could probably go for hours on several of Clinton's athletes and their performances, from Womack's Shot Put record to Littleton absolutely dominating the Mississippi jumps, and everything in between. They were hands down the best Track and Field program on both genders at the end of 2022, and it looks like they have started right where they left off to begin the 2023 calendar year."

Post Race Statistics

*Max Littleton of Clinton High almost leads the state in all three jumps with marks of 6-8 in the High Jump(a meet record), 44-0.75 in the Triple Jump, and 22-4.5 in the Long Jump, currently sitting at No. 9 in the nation in the High Jump. He leads Mississippi in the High Jump and Long Jump, and is No. 2 in the Triple Jump. The last time someone led the state in all three jumps in the indoor season was Hattiesburg legend, Camrun Norman back in 2021.

*Tacherria Lawson and Zharia Bonner of Clinton High took the top two spots in heat two at the Ice Breaker, and are currently the fastest two female sprinters in Mississippi. They are also the only two Mississippi sprinters ranked inside the top 100 in the nation for the High School Girls 60m dash.

*Sterling Scott of Starkville High broke the Mississippi state record for the High School Boys Indoor Triple Jump with his mark of 46-9.75. This not only puts him as the top triple-jumper in the state, but Scott also ranks No. 9 in the United States.

*Miguel Bankston's 800m run of 1:58 gives him the state lead by six seconds. This is an indoor personal best for the Clinton High senior, who is currently unsigned. 14:53 5K runner Eric Moore and 4:25 miler Clayton Collins were among the talented athletes that Bankston beat in his 800m competition at the Ice Breaker.

*Jaheim Bridges ran the fastest 1600m in Mississippi last with a time of 4:24.4, a lifetime best for the Tupelo senior. This is the third fastest time ever run by a Mississippian in the indoor 1600m. The Tupelo, Miss. native has currently not signed.

*Middle school sensation Andrew Brown's 1600m run of 4:40.1 is the fastest that an eighth grader has ever covered that distance indoors in Mississippi. His 800m run of 2:14.4 is the second-fastest eighth-grade time in Mississippi High School Boys Indoor Track and Field history.

*Brookelyn Morgan of Tupelo High ran a Mississippi lead time of 11:47.8 in the 3200m, and remains the only female prep in Mississippi to have broken 12 minutes in the 3200m this season. Morgan finished last year's indoor season as the leader in the 3200m.

*Walnut's Gabe McElwain took fourth place in the 3200m at the 2022 Ice Breaker in a state-leading time of 9:47.01. This performance also serves as the new MHSAA 2A state record for the distance. It should also be noted that Tupelo's Taylor Brown was a mere 0.6 seconds behind McElwain, running 9:47.6 for the fastest time in MHSAA 6A this season and first-ever sub-10 as a sophomore in high school.

*Lukas Dykes of Mooreville ran 4:46.8 in the 1600m at the Ice Breaker, currently the fastest 1600m time in MHSAA 4A for the 2022 MHSAA 4A Cross Country Champion. Dykes also won his heat

*Bounds Simmons of TCPS ran 4:48.9 in the 1600m at the Ice Breaker, currently the fastest 1600m time in MHSAA 1A for the 2022 MHSAA 1A 800m and 1600m Champion.

*Oxford's Bailey Kosko won his 1600m heat by 10 seconds in an indoor PR of 4:42.

*Tupelo High's Boys had a state-leading 4x400m relay performance of 3:40.7.

*Starkville High's Girls won the 4x200m relay at the Ice Breaker #1 in a time of 1:48.69.

*Tupelo's Carrie Anne Brown ran 5:49.3 in the 1600m, No. 2 All-time in the 1600m for Mississippi seventh-grade girls only behind Mississippi legend Brooklyn Biancamano.

Written by: Chris Webber(Editor), Preston Speed, and Chris Bell