There were supposed to be some wins, but this was not supposed to be “the year” for Cougar track and field, but thanks to a massive amount of hard work and determination, the Pulaski County teams will be heading to the State Championship meet at Liberty University this weekend with high hopes.
“Overall, we’re still very young, but we’ve got a group of young athletes that have learned a lot of lessons fast,” Head Coach Hannah Alexander said. “We’re growing, and we want to keep that trend going. This is the most athletes we've taken to States since our boys won the title in 2022.”
When Pulaski County boards the bus Friday, there will be 12 athletes heading to Lynchburg with dreams of State Gold.
There are some seniors in the mix. Marcus Reed has qualified in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter events. Joel Burchett has qualified for states in the 100-meter race.
Next up are the younger athletes. Tanner Linkous has qualified for State in the 800-meter race. Aiden Moore will be attempting to win State Gold in the shot and discus. Anius Slaughter will be trying to earn some hardware in the discus. Kaleb Sartin will be attempting to earn a medal in the long jump in just his freshman season. The 4x400-meter relay team of Reed, Linkous, Bryant Nottingham, and Caleb Cregger will also be attempting to earn a medal.
Sophomore Cole Boone will be looking to rewrite the VHSL record books this weekend. Currently holding several state and national rankings, Boone has qualified for State in the 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, 1,600-meter, and 3,200-meter. He will, unless something changes, be attempting a triple threat this weekend by running the 400, 800, and 1,600-meter races.
For the Lady Cougars, the numbers are up this year as well. Nadia Jackson will be competing in the 100-meter, long jump, and high jump at States. Victoria Hale will be attempting to earn State Gold in the long jump. Kahlan Dishon will be pushing for gold in the discus.
“We’re still a work in progress, but we’re starting to see some good things happen,” Coach Alexander said. “Rustburg, Western Albemarle, and Abingdon are all strong. Throw in athletes from William Byrd, Christiansburg, and several other schools and you just don’t know how things could pan out. We’re going to head out and give it everything we’ve got. We want to see some individual gold medals, but if we put enough of those together and add some other top finishes, we could do something very special. We’re excited, to say the least.”
The Class 3A State Championship meet will take place Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, at Liberty University.