Vanderbilt Recruit Wins 100, 100 Hurdles, Long Jump And Anchors Meet Record 4x100 Relay

By Arthur L. Mack for DyeStat

MOBILE, Ala. — St. Paul’s AL senior Janie Ford made sure that her final appearance at the Mobile Challenge of Champions was a meet to remember.

The Vanderbilt-bound star did just that with an Outstanding Female Meet Performer award after she won the 100 meters in a wind-aided 11.68 seconds, the 100-meter hurdles in 14.50, and the long jump (18 feet, 6.75). In addition, she anchored the winning 4x100 relay team, which along with Leah Tillman, Grayson Akridge, and Emily Lockhart, ran 47.68, breaking the school record by more than a second.

It was second year in a row that Ford was named the most outstanding female in the meet, held at St. Paul’s E.E. Delaney Stadium. The only other back-to-back winner of the award was Saraland AL’s Morgan Davis.

Ford had planned to run the 300-meter hurdles, one of her specialty events, but decided at the last minute to run in the 100, which had, among other competitors, Mobile Baker’s Myla Reed, an Ole Miss signee.

“I couldn’t pass up the chance to do the 100 because of the meet and the competition,” said Ford, who edged Reed's time of 11.74. “Going into the meet, I wasn’t expecting to win, but I was excited to have somebody next to me who would push me.”

One athlete who didn’t need a lot of pushing in the invitational girls competition was Averi Lowen of Bowdon High in Georgia. Lowen, a sophomore, won the girls mile going away in 4:55.28, as well as the 2-mile in 10:23.39, narrowly missing the meet record of 10:22.58 set in 2016 by fellow Georgian Emma Grace Hurley of Fellowship Christian.

“I went out pretty hard in the first 400 (in the mile),” Lowen said. “I didn’t really notice the wind, but it gave me an extra push on the straightaway. I’ve been training twice a day doing 70-mile weeks. It’s a blessing to win, and I appreciate the opportunity.”

Jaden Youngblood of Mansfield LA was the Outstanding Male Meet Performer of the Meet. He narrowly edged Blount’s Lazeric Johnson in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.13 to 14.14), and won the 300-meter hurdles in 38.10, defeating Leondre Franklin of Gulfport’s Harrison Central (38.91) and Blount’s Kantrell Benjamin (39.03).

Youngblood was one of two double winners on the boys side, as Kingi McNair of Pearl MS won the long jump (23-1.50) and triple jump (47-6). McNair narrowly defeated Pike Road (Alabama) star Malik Humphrey in both events. Humphrey jumped 23-1.50 and 47-3.

Another athlete who had a strong performance was Mobile UMS-Wright’s Peyton Holderer, who won a hotly contested boys mile in 4:19.50, coming from behind to narrowly defeat Jackson Jarrett of the David Thibodeaux STEM Academy LA (4:19.80) and Bayshore Christian’s Caden Phillippi (4:20.10).

Holderer let Jarrett and Phillippi do most of the work through the first three laps, then picked things up in the last 400 and caught both in the homestretch.

“I hadn’t really been competing much because I had achilles tendonitis,” Holderer said. “So, I started in the back because I didn’t want to overdo myself, and gave it all I had in the last 400.” 

The sprints had some excitement, as two of Alabama’s top sprinters had solid performances. Carver-Montgomery’s Maurice Conner won the 100 in a wind-aided 10.44, while Fairhope’s Ty Watkins, who finished second to Conner in the 100, won the 200 in 20.87. 

“There are a lot of fast guys in the state, and I’m ready for the competition,” said Conner, who also ran a leg on the victorious 4x100 relay team (41.17). “We had a personal record in the 4x100, and coming off that, I was satisfied with the time.”

Watkins has torn an ACL before last season but has made a successful comeback. 

“Coming off my time in the 200, I know I could run faster,” Watkins said. “There was a big improvement, and during track season last year I improved my strength. People are definitely going to see more of me.”

Other notable performers in the meet included:

Ocean Springs’ Jax Coleman, winner of the boys 400 (47.85).

Gionni Wiltz of Slidell LA, winner of the boys high jump (6-10).

River Richard of Pell City AL winning the boys 2-mile (9:38.31).

Mar’rica Trone of Central-Tuscaloosa (AL), winner of the girls shot put (41-5.75).