Jets Shine At Last Chance Indoor Track Meet
BIRMINGHAM- The Last Chance Indoor Track Meet is so named for the point of being the last event athletes can qualify for the AHSAA State Indoor Track Meet. Held at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, the event assists high school athletes put in quality times for the upcoming State Meet as an athlete must finish the season ranked in the top 16 in their event and in the top two competitors on their team.
James Clemens had a splendid performance at the Last Chance with several athletes winning individual events and several others posting times good enough to make the State Meet.
Leading the way for the Jets were Dylan Dryer and Luke Alverson both of whom won their events in true championship form. Dryer, a senior and who will run for UAH next year, took the 800-meter race with a season best time of 1:55.64. He controlled the race from the start gun and won by two seconds. In the 3,200-meter event, James Clemens teammates Luke Alverson and Cole Robinson finished one-two picking up the gold and silver medals respectively. Alverson not only beat his school record by an amazing 13 seconds, but his finish time of 9:11.24 was the ninth best performance in the country. He averaged a 4:35.5-mile pace winning the event by 19 seconds over Robinson who set a personal best in the event with a time of 9:30.99. The senior Robinson will also run in college joining Dryer at UAH participating in both track and cross country.
Those Jets who took advantage of their last chance to qualify for the State Meet were Ezion Rolinson, 60m hurdles (8.83), Brody Stinson, high jump (5-10), Emma Bothern, 800m (2:24.93), Ella Carter, 800m (2:26.34), Reynna Mayers, 60m hurdles (9.94) and Trinity Milligan, an eighth grader in her first varsity meet, long jump (16-4.25).
The remainder of the James Clemens squad qualifying for the AHSAA State Meet include: Erihana Johnson (60m), Kylie Gero (1,600m and 3,200m), Ashlyn Diehl (pole vault), Ben Thomason (60m hurdles, long jump, high jump), John Luke Stovall (800m), Austin Abney (long jump, pole vault), Brody Stinson (high jump), Claire Colo (4×400 relay), Kayla Willett (4×800 relay), Jonny Ross (4×200 relay), Isaac Pollard (4×400 relay) and Brandon Fisher (pole vault).
