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Tennessee: Lady Red Raiders win Division II state track title

By: Stephen Hargis
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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Bill McMahan secluded himself high atop the bleachers at the Middle Tennessee State University track complex and allowed a satisfied smiled to curl his lips.

As the Baylor coach watched the final events of the night, his Lady Red Raiders had long since secured the Division II state championship.

“I’ve never had a team perform like this,” McMahan said. “Every single kid in every relay ran a personal best tonight.

“The way we ran tonight we would have beaten anybody.”

Baylor finished with 138.5 points, while Ensworth was second with 101. It is the first state title for Baylor’s girls since 1999 and ends GPS’s three-year reign.

Hannah Jumper’s performance in the 800-meter run typified the Lady Raiders’ championship effort. She entered with the seventh-fastest qualifying time. She closed within a couple of steps of Brentwood Academy’s Kaylor Murray with 50 meters remaining but didn’t appear capable of making the pass. But in the final 10 meters, Jumper gave a burst of speed and leaned across the finish line before falling.

“I don’t even know where that came from,” Jumper said. “I didn’t expect to do this at all. It’s kind of overwhelming. This is what I’ve worked for all season.

“I just kept telling myself, ‘You can do this.’”

Baylor won six events and finished second in three. Abbie Dill won the high jump, Malena Kellerman won the shot put and was second in the 100 hurdles and Sarah Gawthrop won the 400. Lady Raiders relay teams won the 4x800 and 4x400 and finished second in the 4x200 and 4x100.

GPS’s Jasmine Brown capped an impressive day by winning the 300 hurdles. She had earlier finished third in the 100 hurdles and second in the triple jump.

“This is the first year I’ve ran the 300 hurdles,” Brown said. “I’ve learned to like it because I just seem to get faster as the race goes.”

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