STRIDER — When the bell rang on Thursday, May 5, signaling the end of the school day, 10 student athletes, two coaches and one chaperone from here headed south to the capital city of Jackson.
For the first time since the spring of 2013, Strider Academy would compete at the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools’ Overall Track Meet against other student athletes in the Class A statewide competition.
In this state competition, the top three finishers in each event receive a gold, silver or bronze medal.
The field events were held on Friday, May 6, on the campus of Jackson Academy.
Freshman Stuart Denman IV earned the title of Class A state champion and a gold medal in the pole vault competition by clearing 8-06.
Joining him as a Class A state champion was classmate Luke Smith, who earned his gold medal by finishing first in the high jump with a personal best of 5-10.
Eighth-grader Abigail Allison finished sixth in the shot put competition by throwing 26-01.
The following day, the running events were held on the campus of Jackson Prep.
The Strider boys’ 4x800-meter relay team finished fifth with a time of 10:17.62. The team was comprised of freshmen Nicholas Logan and Hayden Nelson and eighth- graders Wade Lashley and Austin Miller. Senior Collin Cuykendall and freshman Gage Burt were alternates on the relay team.
Eighth-grader McKinna Smith earned a bronze medal by finishing third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.90.
High jump champion Smith finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.98, and he earned a bronze medal by placing third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.09.
While in Jackson, the Strider students visited the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum as well as enjoying an evening of bowling.
While proud of their accomplishments for the season, at the conclusion of Saturday most were already planning on returning next year.
