State Pentathlon Preview


State Pentathlon Preview - 2016

Class AAA Pentathlon

For the AAA girls, the top three qualifiers are fairly close in the point spread.  Amber Tanner of Ravenwood comes in with the top overall point total for all divisions with 3503 points.  This is the seniors first shot at the TSSAA Pentathlon.  Amber has one indoor pentathlon under her belt (NB indoor with 3,303 points) and so you could say she comes in fresh and ready to compete.  You can't say she comes in un-prepared to compete though.  With some pretty impressive performances throughout her track career, she is always ready to compete - both indoor and outdoor - and easily comes into this meet with a lot of confidence!  But if you look at the two qualifiers behind her, Angelica Lightfoot (Southwind, 3324) and Kiara Rhodes (Whitehaven, 3278), this has the makings of a very competitive event starting around 10:30am on the Monday of the State Track & Field Championships. 

Angelica and Kiara qualified out of the AAA class west pentathlon and have had several head to head battles throughout their time on the track.  These two are familiar with each other for sure and that could help them put a bit of a crunch on Amber as she tries to finish that Monday ahead in the points.  Actually, there are about seventy events that these two girls have gone up against each other over the years, from 2012 to the present... so they've been competing since they've been very young. 

3341 is Angelica's best total from last year's Sectionals.  Kiara has a PR of 3,530 points.  And with Amber posting her best and only outdoor performance this year at 3503, you have got to think we'll be seeing an exciting race between these three girls.  Kiara has the experience, but maybe one of the others has some more experienced coaching... or maybe being a senior might propel Amber or Angelica to the lead... or maybe this time it just might come down to the mental desire to be the best at the end of this 2016 season!  Kiara is the reigning champion for the state event and I'm sure that's how she wants to end up this year as well.  But if I were to put a guess on the finish, it'll be a tight match for sure!  Last year's winner (Kiara) won with 3387 points.  That probably won't cut it this year.  We will see a bit later on Monday the 23rd of May.  And I can't wait! 

Division II Pentathlon

Last year Tyra Gittens (Ensworth) won her Region Pentathlon with a total of 3459 points.  Then she won the state championships with 3681 points, that's a jump of 222 points.  Her first year in the TSSAA pentathlon she won her region with 3419 and state with 3563 which is 144 points difference.  This year she comes in at 3446 points.  Based on a highly methodical and theoretical mathematical formula (that I completely made up out of thin air), that could put her at 3707 points at the State meet this year.  If I guessed that right, I'll take all the credit and if I don't, well, like I said, it was a guess.  Obviously, I don't take any credit since this young lady is a super athlete with an enormous amount of talent!  I have her winning a third title in the D2 state pentathlon this year.  The margin, well, I don't think it'll be as large a margin as last year, but still a big chunk and one that'll be tough to whittle down for most athletes.

However, coming into this meet is Evangelical Christians Jordan Shackleford.  Jordan has signed with Memphis to run track.  Her name has popped up on the leaderboard at most of the meets during her track career.  Anyone in the Memphis area knows this young athletes name and her athletic status.  Very strong competitor.  I once heard her say she was ok with coming in second at state to the likes of Tyra, and considering Tyra's national ranking, that's understandable.  But it's not all true.  She doesn't like second.  In anything.  So you know she'll be coming out to Murfreesboro and giving everything she has to get up as high as she can in the points total.    She recently got second in the long jump at the D2 west regional, by an inch... she was not excited about second there and won't be next week either.  Should be exciting to watch. 

A couple other very competitive athletes, coming in with qualifying totals only about 30 points apart will be Briarcrest senior athlete Alyssa Neuberger (2894) and Harding Academy junior Sarah Luttrell (2864).  They came in second and third in the west region meet and are solid competitors that you'll likely see on the podium Monday at MTSU.  Alyssa is the reigning D2 champ in the 300 hurdles, and so you know that experience - and that event - can give you lots of confidence when you have to compete through five events in one day!  Harpeth Hall's Kelsey Kay Herring comes in with a total of 2688 points that might be someone to keep a close eye on.  Kelsey Kay's high jump (5-0) and long jump (17-2.25) bests could be the events that pull her up higher on the podium but if she can get the shot out longer than her 26-1 toss, that may be a huge help in her leapfrogging some of the other competitors. 

 

Class A-AA Pentathlon

The smaller D1 division is not stingy when it comes to some very good Pentathlon talent.  Grenetria Shell, the senior athlete from East Nashville has the best AA qualifying total of 3,413 points.  And very close with the second best qualifying total is Lennex Walker of Chattanooga Arts & Sciences.  Both these girls take the sport of Track and Field very seriously as they both take their talents throughout the summer in club competition.   Watching these two compete on Monday at MTSU is going to be a very entertaining time.  They are remarkable close in a lot of different events.  For instance, they are only 0.02 of a second apart in their 200M best.  A quarter of a second apart in the 100M hurdles and less than that in the 300 hurdles.  The 200 and 300H belongs to Grenetria but the 100 hurdles has Lennex one upping Grenetria in that event.  Grenetria's qualifying total to get into state does look like it gives her a bit of an edge, and likely the one I'd give the nod to for the top podium spot.  But then again???

The rest of the competitors in this AA division come in with qualifying totals that are pretty tight.  3,031 for Creek Wood's Caroline Edmondson.  Shelby Reynolds (Carter, 2884), Aryn Sanders (Signal Mtn, 2736), Camille Mancini (Knoxville Catholic 2588) and Ebony Calloway (Brainerd, 2567) look like they will be battling for a podium spot as well.   With the third best qualifying total coming into this meet, Caroline looks poised to be among the leaders in this group.  She has some impressive personal bests, including a 16.22 for the 100 hurdles and a 5-4 high jump and both these could help her considerably next week.   Shelby Reynolds could also bump up a few notches as she has a 30-9 best in the shot that she did at the Chattanooga Optimist meet in April.  If Shelby can match that and get back to her PR in the long jump, she could post a pretty impressive total here too. 

So... if you're around Murfreesboro next Monday, May 23rd, coming out to the MTSU track would be well worth the trip to see these very talented Pentathletes competing at the highest level in the State! 

See you on the Track,

Coach Ted

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