Recap of the 2023 MHSAA 2A/4A/6A Track & Field Championships

MHSAA 4A Recap


Despite the threat of inclement weather and a rescheduled timeline, the MHSAA 4A Track and Field Championships witnessed an explosive showdown between Mississippi's finest athletes. Held at Pearl High School on Saturday, May 6, the event brought together a diverse group of talents from across the state, each vying for the coveted title of state champion.

High School Girls Field Events

In the high school girls' field events, Sumrall Senior Heidi Hudson stole the show by breaking the MHSAA 4A record in the Long Jump and the overall state record in the High Jump. A Western Carolina University signee, Hudson leaped 20-0.25 in the Long Jump and became the first Mississippi prep athlete to break the six-foot barrier in the High Jump. With these achievements, Hudson added two more MHSAA 4A titles to her impressive resume.

Raymond's Jakia Jonier successfully defended her Triple Jump title with a season's best jump of 36-9.5, her farthest since 2021. Pontotoc's Ava Robbins had a memorable day in the Pole Vault. After finishing as runner-up at last year's MHSAA 4A Track and Field Championships and placing second at this year's qualifying MHSAA 4A North State Track and Field Championships, Robbins set a personal best of 9-9 and secured her first-ever MHSAA 4A title.

Senatobia Senior Meagan Richardson defended her Discus title by throwing a season's best of 115-3.5 in her specialty event. She also made significant strides in the Shot Put, improving her previous year's seventh-place finish in the MHSAA 4A final to second place this year, coming in as runner-up behind Raymond's Lia Sutton.

High School Girls Track Events

At the High School Girls MHSAA 4A Track and Field Championships, the 100m dash saw a thrilling competition between North Pike senior Ri'torion Vigne and Shannon middle-schooler Shannon Mosley. Vigne narrowly claimed victory, finishing just 0.06 seconds ahead of Mosley with a time of 12.41 seconds.

In the 200m, Vigne added a runner-up finish while McComb freshman earned her first-ever MHSAA 4A career title with an impressive time of 25.29 seconds. McComb teammate Evelle Dillon also gave a notable performance, securing the bronze in 25.60 seconds.

Mississippi College signee Katie Gates added another MHSAA 4A title to her resume in the 100-meter hurdles, overcoming a significant headwind to achieve victory with a time of 15.45 seconds. In the long hurdles, Raymond senior Trennity Shelby concluded her high school career on a high note. She maintained her undefeated streak in the event and set a new personal best of 45.90 seconds, breaking the 48-second barrier for the first time this season.

In the distance events, Hannah Sanders and Audriana Harris put on an incredible show in both the 800m and 1600m races. In the 1600m, Sanders of Mooreville secured her sixth MHSAA 4A title of her career before heading to Blue Mountain in the Fall, narrowly beating Harris by a mere 0.04 seconds in a thrilling photo finish.

Harris exacted her revenge in the 800m, edging out Sanders with a time of 2:28.2 compared to Sanders' 2:29.4. This victory marked Harris' first-ever MHSAA 4A title and her first time breaking the 2:30 barrier in the 800m event.

In the 3200m, Charlee Brees Franks from Columbia emerged victorious over the Caledonia duo of Emma Ruffin and Ella Shepherd. Brees won with a time of 12:21, and the top three finishers were separated by only 8 seconds in the girls 3200m event.

High School Girls Team Race

In the High School Girls Team Race at the MHSAA 4A Track and Field Championships, the competition was tight as the winning team only scored 77 points, indicating that the points were distributed evenly among various schools. In the end, the Columbia High School successfully defended their MHSAA 4A title, finishing 10 points ahead of Pontotoc High School.

The Columbia Lady Wildcats were led by outstanding performances from athletes such as Katie Gates, Charlee Brees Franks, and many others who contributed significantly to their team's success and overall victory in the championship.

High School Boys Field Events

Senatobia Senior Chavarius Garrett closed out his high school career with an exceptional performance, defending his MHSAA 4A title in Discus with a lifetime best throw of 147-5. Garrett also contributed to the Warriors' point tally with a fourth-place finish in Shot Put. Choctaw Central junior Andrew Cotton won the Shot Put event with a winning toss of 49-08, leading four seniors behind him.

In the Pole Vault, Jack Gibson lived up to expectations as the heavy favorite, but faced tough competition from Senatobia's Tyler Mabry. Both vaulters cleared 12-0, but Gibson ultimately won due to fewer misses.

Devron Cloyd had a remarkable day in the jumps, scoring 30 points for the Columbia Wildcats by winning the High Jump, Long Jump, and Triple Jump events. Cloyd's victories solidified his status as the king of jumps in MHSAA 4A. He achieved marks of 6-4 in the High Jump, 22-10 in the Long Jump, and 45-7.5 in the Triple Jump, bringing his total MHSAA 4A individual titles to six. This also marked the first time Cloyd successfully completed the jumps triple at a state meet. Other notable competitors in the jumps included Carlando Crump from Senatobia, Micah ODaniel from Caledonia, and Ramone Tate from Greenwood.

High School Boys Track Events 

Raymond's Cooper Rodgers continued to prove himself as one of the best long sprinters in the state. He won the 200m and 400m events, securing three total MHSAA 4A individual titles in his two years with the Raymond High Rangers. Rodgers claimed victory in the 400m with a time of 48.62 seconds and in the 200m with a time of 21.81 seconds. Additionally, he finished fifth in the 100m, demonstrating his versatility in the sprints.

Carlando Crump, although bested in the Long Jump and 200m, managed to secure a MHSAA 4A title in the 100m with an impressive time of 10.84 seconds, holding off Ripley's Keegan Strong. Other notable performances in the sprinting events included Caleb Wilder from Leake Central, who broke the 50-second mark in the 400m for the first time in his career.

JaBrysten Abram from Senatobia, unsurprisingly, won the 110-meter hurdles. However, due to injury, Abram, who holds the No. 1 rank for the 300-meter hurdles in Mississippi, had to withdraw from his specialty event. Leake Central's Hykeem Burks took advantage of the opportunity and won the event with a lifetime best time of 40.26 seconds.

In the distance events, Lukas Dykes, the 2022 MHSAA 4A Cross Country Champion, dominated the 3200m run with a solo effort of 10:05 on a hot and windy day. Pontotoc's Kayson Newsom also had an impressive performance, earning the silver medal with a time of 10:27. In the 800m, Tavon Davis from Raymond High School left his competition behind, running a solo effort of 1:56.5, which marked a lifetime best for the senior.

The excitement continued when Dykes and Davis faced off in the 1600m, providing a thrilling battle for fans at the championship. In the end, Davis managed to outkick Dykes in a nail-biting finish, with a time of 4:33.6 to Dakes' 4:34.1.

High School Boys Team Race

Despite Senatobia star JaBrysten Abram dealing with injury, the Warriors managed to defend their team title with strong performances from athletes like Tyler Abram, Carlando Crump, Chavarius Garrett, Austin Winstead, and others.

Ultimately, Senatobia High secured their MHSAA 4A team title with a total of 84 points, edging out Corinth's 69 points and Raymond's 66 points.

Section written by Chris Webber, Editor