Lady Arrows start strong for outdoor track and field season
By William Huff
When the Clinton High School track and field team hosted their outdoor season opener on Saturday, February 12, the girls team ruled the field. Many schools from around the state were invited, but none performed better than the Clinton Arrows. Techerria Lawson and Ella Goolsby were the shinning stars in the races, while Meagan Womack showcased her elite skills in the discus and shot put competitions.
The Arrows dominated the race track, as expected. Lawson, a sophomore, was expected to shine in the 100-meter dash, and she didn’t disappoint. In the four indoor meets she competed in, she finished in the top two in the 100-meter dash. In this first outdoor meet, Lawson finished with a time of 12.37. Clinton further cemented its place atop the 100-meter dash as junior Zharia Bonner and Nakirsten Hughes, a sophomore, finished in second and third for Clinton High School.
Clinton’s Hannah Jackson finished first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:03.13, just beating her teammate, Akierah Walker, who came in second with a time of 1:04.02. Additionally, while the Clinton girls did not win the 200-meter dash, they did take second, third, fourth, and fifth. Clinton continued to take the top spots, as junior Evelyn Mata-O’Dwyer won the 3200-meter by over ten seconds with a time of 13:01.37. In second place was Clinton’s Sabine Cook, with a time of 13:12.18.
One Clinton runner who had a huge performance was junior Ella Goolsby. Goolsby won both the 800-meter by a second, with a time of 2:48.90, as well as the 1600-meter race, which she finished in 6:10.34. Mata-O’Dwyer finished just behind her with a time of 6:12.50. Clinton also won both the 4×100 and the 4×200 relays, where they finished in 1:44.26. In the 4×100 relay, they finished almost eight seconds ahead of Callaway High School with a time of 48.81.
In addition to their prowess in the races, the Arrows also excelled in their first outdoor competition. Clinton took home first and second place in the high jump, with Aniya Madkin jumping a 5-00.00, clinching first place, and Eleanor Scott taking second with a jump of 4-10.00.
Clinton’s discus and shot-put star Meagan Womack did what she does best and took first in both competitions. In discus, she threw a 122-04.00, lightyears ahead of any of the competition. Clinton in, once again, dominate fashion, took second place, as Ruby Romig threw a 95-06.00, and third place, as well, with Delijah Johnson’s 79-10.00.
In the shot put competition, Womack took the win with a throw of 37-07.75. Clinton also took second, third, and forth in the shot put.
The Clinton High School girls track and field team has been on top of track and field in Mississippi for years. The have been 6A Girls’ State Champions every year since 2013, except 2020. After a successful indoor season, Arrows fans are encouraged to tune in to see what they can do this outdoor season.
