Ensworth senior Tyra Gittens said she'd like to be remembered for more than just her track records.
"I want to be remembered for more than just being a record-holder," Gittens explained. "I'd like people to remember me for who I am and my personality. I'm about more than just records."
This may seem a talk task to some people, but a conversation with the Tiger phenom may prove otherwise..
While other athletes are getting nervous and figity before competing, Gittens is chilling with her teammates and trying to relax.
"That might be a key for me," Gittens said. "I do some silly things and try to have fun with my teammates between events. I don't get real nervous or go off by myself somewhere."
"She's definitely set her mark in track," said Ensworth coach Dillon Seigenthaler. "She's a special person and we're happy for her."
Gittens accounted for 50 of the Tigers 103 points. She started her week by winning the pentathlon with a meet record 4,153 points, which included a 20'-61/4'' long jump and a 13.98 in the 100 hurdles.
"I'm used to doing event after event because that's the way I train," Gittens said. "I don't just work on one event a day."
She added to her outstanding performance on Wednesday by winning the long jump with a leap of 20-13/4 and the high jump at 5-9. She then took to the track and won the 100 hurdles in 14.2, off her best from last week of 13.81, and the 200 in 24.92.
The state meet won't be the end of Gittens' track season as she plans to do the New Balance meet, a meet in Trinidad and a pentathlon only event in Canada later this summer.
"I want to compete in some other meets to see how I do against different competition," Gittens said. "I'd really like to compete against some older girls/women to see how I'd stack up."
Not Your Ordinary Freshman
While most freshman are just happy to be at the state meet, not Lipscomb Academy's Mikele Vickers. She's been competing in track since she was eight and wanted to help her team try and win the A-AA team title.
"I still get nervous," Vickers explained, "but I've been to big meets before so it's not that bad." Vickers competed in the New Balance Indoor Meet in New York this winter and has medaled at numerous AAU Junior Olympics National Championships.
Vickers actually competed in last year's state meet as an eighth grader and finished fourth in the long jump.
This year she did a lot more than that. She won the 100 in 12.34, finished second in the long jump with a leap of 18-31/4 and ran anchor on both of the Mustangs 4x200 and 4x100 relay teams which finished runner-up.