You round the corner to begin the last 100 meters of your race. The finish line is in sight. You push hard, using every last bit of strength to catch the person in front of you. You feel your legs begin to cramp, but the familiar cheers of your teammates and the faces of your family give you the motivation to go beyond your limits. These are the sights and sounds of a Davie High track meet.
The Davie High track and field team raced its way to a successful season through teamwork and perseverance. Pushing through obstacles as a team produced outstanding performances: nine regional qualifiers, two state qualifiers, and a number of competitors taking on nationals. The secret behind these impressive stats may be in the team’s unique dynamic.
The Road to Success
The season opened strong at the CPC Quad Meet 1, with both boys and girls placing third overall out of six teams. Strong performances came from junior Gavin Reece, junior Lexi Maron, senior Thomas Essic, freshman Rachel Starkey, junior America Stockton, and senior Cooper Williams.
After a setback against CPC rivals Reagan, Reynolds, and Mount Tabor, the team bounced back at the Mighty Vikings Invitational, the girls’ team placing eighth and the boys’ team taking second out of 27 teams. Junior AJ Imes, who specializes in discus, reflected on the team’s growth as they gained experience.
“We had a lot to learn, a lot of areas to improve on,” Imes said. “But I feel like, as the season continued, we were able to build and become a stronger team as a whole.”
The team’s momentum carried them to the FCA Track and Field Carnival, where the boys placed third overall, and the Davie County CPC Quad Meet 2, where the girls claimed first. At the FCA Carnival, distance runner Thomas Essic set a new school record for the 1600-meter race with a time of 4:18.15. At the CPC Quad Meet 2, the team claimed a total of 39 top-four finishes, the most of any meet this season. The triumphant meeting gave the team the confidence Davie needed to tackle the Conference Championship.
The Pressure of Conference
At the Central Piedmont Conference Championship, hosted at Mount Tabor, the stakes were high and the pressure was mounting. Here, the top three athletes of each event would get the chance to compete and possibly qualify for All Conference. Junior Austin Sweet took home 4th in the 110 meter hurdles and 1st in the pole vault, while the girls 4×100 meter relay team juniors Alyssa Marion, America Stockton, and Clara Phelps, and seniors David Patton, Jamie Cornatzer, and Cooper Williams managed top-four finishes in their respective eventsAll Conference titles went to Williams, Sweet, Patton, and Cornantzer.
For many athletes, the atmosphere at conference was much more intense than the typical, regular-season meet. Freshman Carrington Pitcher, who qualified for conference her first year, shared that for her, the trick to overcoming this pressure was to narrow her focus.
“Just run your race, really. Don’t worry about what other people are gonna do. Just focus on a particular goal you want to set for yourself, and then, whatever goal you have, just try and meet it.”
High jumper Alyssa Marion further emphasized the increased competitiveness at the event. “Conference is always a more stressful meet, and always [has] more people,” Marion said. “It’s definitely more of an experience than the regular tri meets just due to there being higher stakes and also a lot more people competing.”
Junior Precious Jimerson’s takeaway is the focus of the atmosphere. “Everybody’s just really in their own mode and just locked in. There are different levels to track because it is such an individual sport. We just stay in our own lane, and we build off each other and encourage each other.”
The War Eagle Classic
The War Eagle Classic, the last meet before regionals, was the last chance for athletes to qualify for regionals. Both boys and girls managed to take home first place overall. Notable performances included Lexi Marion’s and Rachel Starkey’s top-three finishes in the 800, Jacob Steelman and Starkey in the 1600, and Sweet at 1st in the 110-meter hurdles. On the field, Stockton, Marion, and Phelps swept the high jump, while Phelps broke the school’s female pole vault record with a jump of 10’2”.
Regionals and Beyond
Nine athletes from Davie qualified for the NCHSAA 4A Midwest Regional on May 10 at Cuthbertson Track in Waxhaw, NC. The boys’ team placed eighth out of 27 teams. Essic and Phelps managed top-five finishes in both of their events. Interestingly, both performances saw these two athletes break a school record in their events: Essic in the 3200-meter (9:32.27) and Phelps once again in the pole vault (10’6”).
Despite this impressive feat, Phelps is still aiming higher. “I was honestly a little disappointed,” Phelps said. “I really wanted 11.” When asked about what drove her to achieve such a record, Phelps highlighted “good coaching.” “It really helps to have people who know you and what you need, and who want you to do well.”
With their top-three performances, both Sweet and Williams advanced to the State Championships in Greensboro on May 17. Here, they brought their expertise to a broader stage where Sweet broke the men’s pole vault record with a jump of 15’0” and finished second, and Williams became state champion in shotput with a throw of 58-11.75.
“For the state meet and bigger meets like that, I kind of rest at practice so I can peak energy-wise and performance-wise at states, and that’s what I did there,” Sweet said. “The atmosphere was very good. States is one of those things where everybody is really excited about it, and competitive…”
The Power of Friendship
Throughout the season, Davie’s track and field team credited their success to their excellent work ethic, determination, and, most notably, synergy, regardless of the variety of their events and goals.
“The most defining aspect [of the team] was everybody being there for each other, helping push on another and build the team as a whole,” Imes said. Senior Callie Wisecarver agreed: “The track team as a whole, it basically feels like one big family. I know within the different divisions of the track team, there’s long distance, there’s sprinters, jumpers, and then, of course, there’s throwers. But, all together, it just feels like a big family, even though we all go off and do our own things.”
The potential seen on the current Davie track and field team shows a promising future, one that inspires the newer members of the team to keep building on the legacy from this season.
Imes expresses his respect for the young team’s growth from the beginning of the season to now. “We’ve grown only for the better. We went from a bunch of freshmen, young guys coming in who aren’t really sure what they want to do…just wanting to run, and we were able to build and turn a lot of people into athletes.”
Though the school year has wound down to a close, the season isn’t over just yet. Davie is sending several athletes to the Adidas Nationals from June 20 to 22: Ethan Driver, Gavin Reese, AJ Sweet, Kadden Cole, Bryson Lantz, Carrington Pitcher, America Stockton, Alyssa Marion, Lexi Marion, Clara Phelps, David Patton, Drannin Gooden, Landan Faison, and Josh Jones. The Adidas Nationals attract the best track and field athletes from across the country, and Davie is undeniably sending some of their strongest to compete. With the synergy established this season, the future of Davie High track is looking bright.
