Monday Morning Recap, LSU HS Indoor Classic
BATON ROUGE, La. --- Mississippi High School Track and Field athletes made a bang at the 2023 LSU High School Classic, with Pearl snagging 12 marks under the MileSplit Mississippi Second-Team standard. Several athletes stood out, including Pearl's Kingi McNair and JaQuavion Bryant, Sumrall's Heidi Hudson, Columbia's Katie gates, MRA's Mae Ellen Mallet, Biloxi's Julie Segroves, Oxford's John Scott Kendricks, among several others. The culmination of the several Mississippi Track and Field athletes that showed up and showed out at about-of-state meet was admirable and was surely one for the record books.
Meet Information
Venue: Carl Maddox Field House
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Louisiana State University)
Mississippi Results and Standards List: Boys | Girls
They said it
Pearl High Coach Chris Barnett
*commenting on his team's success at the LSU High School Classic
"I thought we went there and did well. For kids that have not competed this year, we were able to get out those first-meet jitters. I don't really set expectations on the first meet because everyone starts different, but Kingi McNair, and Jaquavion Bryant definitely surprised me. We're in a good spot, and our next meet is MLK Invite next Monday."
Oxford's John Scott Kendricks
*commenting on his Mississippi High School Boys Indoor Pole Vault record
"I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to Baton Rouge, definitely never been on the LSU campus so it was all new to me. As far as expectations go, it definitely met mine, the meet officials did a great job running such a big field of athletes with 28 competitors. The competition was a lot tougher than I expected with a lot of guys left at some of the higher heights, so I think that really helped me to lock in and focus on my own jumping. I had one main goal for this indoor and that was to break the indoor state record, so I really got exactly what I hoped for, and I've got another opportunity to break it again next weekend in Fayetteville. I'm definitely gonna bring some bigger poles and prepare to run farther cause I need a little more if I want to jump that 17"
East Rankin's Audrey Mayatte
*commenting on her Mississippi No. 1 800m time and heat win.
"I was super excited to get to come down here to an SEC school and compete with athletes from other states. As far as expectations go, I wasn't sure how I would do because I haven't raced on a track this year, much less indoor. The biggest obstacle was getting stepped on (inadvertently) toward the end of the second lap. I stumbled but was able to regain my balance. My plan was to kick hard with 300 meters to go and hang on until the finish. Thankfully I was able to execute my plan. I'm really pleased with the race I ran and am looking forward to the spring outdoor season."
East Rankin Coach David Hopper
*commenting on Mayatte's 800m performance
"We have been working hard, and are gunning for sub-2:20 and No. 1 Mississippi time in the future."
Biloxi's Julie Segroves
*commenting on her Pole Vault win
"I was happy with my final jump, but I knew I could've made the 13'3" jump. Unfortunately, I just didn't have the right pole. My main goal currently is to stay consistent at these heights and always go a little higher, as well as breaking the milestone of 14 feet this outdoor season. What I will carry with me over into the outdoor season is my ability to compete under pressure successfully and to have the mental fortitude to try new poles, which is what I had to do today."
From the Editor
*commenting on Heidi Hudson's Long Jump record
"We only caught a glimpse of Heidi's athleticism on the tail end of the 2022 outdoor season. Now, we're getting the full show. There is no telling what she has in store for the Mississippi Track and Field community in the near future, but we can only expect more records to fall."
*commenting on the current depth of Mississippi Pole Vaulting
"This is the best Mississippi has ever been in the Pole Vault, especially at this time of year. Led by John Scott Kendricks, Julie Segroves, Katelyn Hulsey, and others, the Pole Vault is rising to become one of Mississippi's best events and helping to achieve the ultimate goal of putting the state on the map."
*commenting on JaQuavion Bryant's 1600m fast heat win
"4:34 may not be the flashiest time ever, but closing in sub-30 seconds on a 200m flat track this early in the season is just downright dangerous. The depth of MHSAA 6A Boys distance running has been nothing short of thrilling, and we can't wait to see the fireworks that happen when Pearl, Tupelo, Oak Grove, and others, finally meet in a distance event on the outdoor oval this season."
Post Meet Statistics
*Pearl's JaQuavion Bryant won the fast heat of the 1600m, closing his last 200 meters in under 30 seconds. Even more impressive, he did so on a flat track.
*Kaitlynn Gates of Columbia High jumped 34-05 in the Triple Jump, which is the current leader in MHSAA 4A. Gates also ran a 60mH time of 9.46, an indoor lifetime best and a MileSplit Mississippi Second-team standard.
*After John Scott Kendricks, 16-5.25 performance in the Pole Vault, he now holds the Mississippi High School Boys Indoor Pole Vault record and currently sits at No. 2 in the nation. He took the record from Mason Rhea of Saint Patrick High School, who held the record for eight years from his performance at the 2015 Millrose Games.
*Tylertown's Kendrell Robertson, the 2022 MHSAA 3A 110mH and 300mH Champion and current leader in the 60mH, won his heat in a time of 8.62.
*Coming off of a 3rd place finish at the MAIS Overall XC Meet, Mae Ellen Mallet from MRA started her indoor season with a bang, running the 1600m in 5:40, the number one time in the state so far and #3 among the MSAIS all time.
*Former state champion Kameron Willson from Centreville kept his momentum going in the 800, running a respectable 2:07, good enough for the MAIS indoor record in the event.
*Biloxi's Julie Segroves continued her undefeated campaign in the High School Girls Pole Vault, vaulting 13 feet for the win. Segroves now holds the three highest vaults in Mississippi High School Girls Indoor Pole Vault history.
*MRA's Kassidy McMillan also set an MSAIS record in the 60m hurdles, beating the previous record by five hundredths of a second. The record was formerly held by Suzie Raines, a 2015 graduate from Jackson Academy.
*Audrey Mayatte from East Rankin Academy set yet another MSAIS indoor record, running 2:29 and bettering the previous record by three seconds.
*Canton's Jadarrius Gordon, the 2022 MHSAA 5A 400m runner-up, was just 0.08 seconds off his 400m lifetime best, running 51.04 to finish second in his heat. This a very impressive season-opener, even more so done on a 200-meter flat track, and is currently No. 2 in Mississippi behind Raymond's Cooper Rodgers.
*Canton's Montrayvious Carter hit a MileSplit Mississippi Second-team mark in the Shot Put of 42-10.25 and currently leads MHSAA 5A.
*Pearl's Kingi McNair won the High Jump in a mark of 6-4, which meats the MileSplit Mississippi Second-team standard. This is also a lifetime best for the Pearl sophomore, who finished sixth at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Track and Field Championships. Last but not least, McNair is the first Mississippi sophomore to have jumped over six feet in the High Jump.
*McComb's Sariah Magee won her 60m heat in a time of 7.90, which meets the MileSplit Mississippi First-team standard. Magee is currently ranked No. 3 in Mississippi behind the Clinton duo of Zharia Bonner and Tacherria Lawson.
*Pearl's Katherine Neal put down a MileSplit Mississippi Second-team mark of 5:45 in the 1600m, and currently leads MHSAA 6A.
*Sumrall High's Heidi Hudson has competed in two meets this indoor season, and has broken the long jump indoor state record twice and the high jump record once. Hudson jumped 5-5.75 in the High Jump and a Mississippi High School Girls Indoor Long Jump record of 18-8.5.
*Biloxi's Cheyanne Alston triple-jumped a state-leading mark of 37-0.5, currently No. 7 in Mississippi High School Girls Indoor Track and Field history in the event.
Written by: Chris Webber(Editor), Preston Speed, and Hudson James
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