Note: Recap written with limited knowledge of official times due to embargo.
Tullahoma Sprinters Leave Impresssion
The only other time I'd seen a Tullahoma runner in person this year was at Great Eight. Lily Storey, defending state champion and Louisville Signee, qualified for the meet for a second year in a row and ran a Class AA leading time finishing 5th overall and though she won the event again on Thursday, it was the Wildcat men who left the biggest impression. Sophomore Andrew Ewing and Junior Jalen Hill led the 4x200m and 4x100m squads to victory edging out MLK and Page respectively. They entered qualifying week ranked #1 overall in the 4x200m relay and depending on what occurs with the other regionals, will likely enter state in the same position.
More Coverage: Middle Section AA Photo Album
Raymond Shows Off Range
Last year, Memphis East's Alyssa Raymond did not focus on the 100m dash. She raced it only twice before shifting her attention to the longer sprints where she finished 2nd and 1st in the 200m and 400m dashes respectively last spring. On a rainy, delay filled meet on Wednesday in Jackson, she won the 100m dash for only the second time in her high school career. She'll have a sizeable challenge ahead of her with Danielle Dunning, who we'll get to in a moment, also on the starting line. It'll be a nice matchup of two TN #1 ranked athletes with Dunning from the short sprints and Raymond, who recently committed to UT, from the Long Jump.
More Coverage: West Region Class AA/A Interviews
Dunning Ties TN #1 All-Time 100m Dash
We haven't said much about Danielle Dunning this season because, well she's exactly who we thought she was: the best short sprinter in the state. She opened her season at CCS to the top times in the 100m and 200m dash and has stayed there ever since methodically lowering her times as the season progresses. We've grown accustomed to these types of performances. On Thursday however, the #1 time from this year escalated to the #1 time ALL-TIME. Dunning's 11.46 tied the State Record set by Laquisha Jackson in 2012. Unfortunately with no wind reading the record can't be ratified however, she's only a sophomore so it's only a matter of time. With a robust summer schedule, she'll have plenty of opportunity before 2024.