Lansden sparkles in Mid-South

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Destinee Lansden's big plans for Saturday night included a long shower, a comfortable bed and a lot of early sleep. GPS's senior sprinter had a productive but exhausting Saturday afternoon at the annual Mid-South track classic at McCallie, winning the 100 meters and 400 meters and finishing second in the 200.

The Memphis signee also anchored the winning 4x100 relay team, coming from nearly 10 yards behind to win.

"It's amazing what your mind can convince you that you can do," Lansden said. "When I got the baton, I knew we were pretty far behind, but I also knew my team was depending on me, so the competitiveness really came out and pushed me to win."

Lansden's final event of the day, the 200, is typically one of her strongest. She led from the start, but the fatigue of a long day set in during the final 50 yards and she was narrowly passed at the finish.

"I'm just completely drained," Lansden said after that. "This was a good way to start the season for me, but running that many events in one day takes a toll on your body. I won't be going anywhere tonight, besides to bed early."

Knoxville West won the girls' team title, with Baylor and GPS finishing second and third, respectively. More than 600 athletes competed Saturday in what typically is a good measuring stick for area teams and athletes.

McCallie won the team title, getting first-place finishes from Julian Nunally in the shot put and discus and also setting a meet record in the 4x100 relay.

In their first competitive meet this season, the Blue Tornado sprint relay team of C.J. Fritz, Alex Trotter, Myles Patton and Jamaal Calvin set a meet record with a time of 43.06 seconds. Trotter, a sophomore, also finished second in the 200 and helped the 4x200 relay finish third.

"The 200 is my best event because I'm not always the best out of the blocks but I get stronger the longer we run," Trotter said. "Our whole 4x100 team ran really well, especially considering it's our first race together. To set the meet record is something to be proud of and a good way to build confidence for what we can do the rest of the season."

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.

Upcoming Events