Following up their appearances at the district, area and region round, the girls track and field team not only made it to State, but they also placed second as a team at the meet on May 3. Sophomore Jayden Kimble was named the 6A state champion for the discus event.

“My experience at region was just coming out and showing out,” Kimble said. “It’s about being able to show everybody what I’ve got and what I’m coming with for State.”

This is the third trip to State for juniors and sisters Mia and Mariah Maxwell. At State, Mariah was named the 6A state champion for the 200 meter dash.

“I wanted to survive and advance [at region], just to do what I had to do,” Mariah said. “I continued to do what I know, which is to shock the world.”

In addition to Mariah being named a state champion, Mia was also named the 6A state champion for two events: triple jump and the 100 meter dash. 

“I’ve been training for months with all these girls so I could set myself up well for State,” Mia said. “I prepare myself in every way I can when I know it’s my time to show out.”

This is Kimble’s second State trip, since she advanced to State her freshman year, too.

“I went to State my freshman year and this is now my sophomore year, so going back to back means a lot,” Kimble said. “I feel like it’s a high accomplishment, especially for being a sophomore. You would never expect a sophomore to be that high up, but being able to compete with upperclassmen as a sophomore is just amazing to me.”

In preparation for the State round, athletes had to train both before and after school to set themselves up for success.

“I feel like my coaches [did] a great job preparing me and my team for success,” Mariah said. “It took a lot of hard work and tons of training, so it’s just eye-opening to see that the training paid off.”