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First day story from the Mobile Challenge of Champions - 2014 DyeStat

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DyeStat.com   Apr 5th 2014, 5:13am
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Ford among open qualifiers for Sat. Invite


By ARTHUR L. MACK for DyeStat


MOBILE, Alabama—To hear Hattiesburg (Miss.) freshman Ti'Undra Ford tell it, she wasn't sure how she would do in the girls 1,600-meter run during the Open Division of the Mobile Challenge of Champions at held at UMS-Wright's Erwin S. Cooper Stadium.

 
Lo and behold, though, she did quite well, thank you.

 
Ford overcame pre-race jitters to win going away in 5 minutes, 24.14 seconds — almost six seconds ahead of runner-up Abbey Zane of Huntsville (AL), and secure a spot in Saturday's invitational mile.

 
What made Ford's win even more remarkable is that she was coming off a leg injury.

 
"I haven't run a lot because my leg has been messed up," she said. "I was kind of scared, and I was ready to get it (the race) over with. I could have run faster, but I didn't run the last 150 yards because I was running by myself. Still, I'm pretty excited."

 
Ford was not the only one excited about earning a spot in Saturday's Invitational Division. Ashley Banks of Blount (Prichard, AL) earned a spot in the invitational girls 400-meter dash after winning her heat in a convincing 57.82.

 
Banks, a junior, was strong throughout the race. Running in Section 1 — the fastest of the nine sections — she was locked in a battle with North Gwinnett (Ga.) senior Natalie Raia, but made up the stagger halfway through the race and beat Raia by 10 meters.


"I felt pretty good," said Banks after learning she would run in Saturday's invitational. "Coming into the race, I knew what I had to do."


Banks thought she was going to run in the 58-second range, but nothing prepared her for her performance.


"I thought I was going to run 58.5, but not under 58," she said. "The first 200, I didn't feel like I was going that fast, but at the 150 mark I had a girl behind me and I knew it was time to go to work."


Some other Blount High athletes advanced to Saturday's portion of the Mobile Challenge of Champions as a result of a good performance. Junior Deonte Perdue had the fastest time of anybody in the nine heats of the 100-meters, running 11.07 to secure a spot in the invitational 100-meters. In addition, Blount's boys 4x100 meter relay team also made it to Saturday's meet, running 43.36.


All in all, it was a pretty good night for hometown competitors, as three UMS-Wright athletes — Ashley Scott, Sarah Morris, and Aryn McDowell — also made it to Saturday's Invitational competition. Scott won the open girls shot put (33-8.25), Morris — who was already entered in the invitational javelin, won the discus (96-2), and McDowell — an eighth-grader — the triple jump (35-3).


It was especially a thrill for UMS-Wright coach Pat Galle.


"Anytime you get somebody into the Invitational part, it means they're competing very well," he said. "Aryn's a good jumper, good sprinter, and a good competitor. She's doing very well. Sarah's doing very well in the throws, and Ashley's been working hard on her footwork. I think it paid off for her tonight."


Other notable qualifiers — both locally and out of town — who made it to the invitational division, included:


-- Mobile Christian's Madison Harry, who finished second in the open girls division in the javelin (96-9).


-- Huntsville's Sarah Mohan, who made it to the invitational girls 800 by winning the open race in 2:19.71.

 

-- Ocean Springs, Mississippi's girls, qualifying for Saturday's 4 x 100 with a win in the Open 4x100 in 50.06.

 

-- Lelia Elliott of James Clemens, who won the open girls 100 in 12.25.

 

-- Jack Minogue of St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.), who ran 4:32.93 in the open boys mile.


-- Tristan Walley of Hattiesburg, winner of the open boys high jump (6-4).



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