13 Records Fall in First Day of 44th Indoor State Track Championships

A total of 13 records fell Monday as the 2014 AHSAA Indoor State Track Championships got underway at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The final day of the 44th Indoor Championships gets underway Tuesday at 9 a.m.  The meet will be web-streamed live nationally on the NFHS/AHSAA TV Network by digital media partner Play-On Sports!

   Four pole vault records fell including the Class 6A standard of 15-06 held by Spain Park’s Chris Spear since 2006. McGill-Toolen junior Sean Collins cleared 15-7 in the final event Monday and then missed on his only try at 16 feet.  The 1A/4A pole vault record was set by Jesse Austin of Montgomery Academy. Austin leaped 14-7 ½ to better the record set last year by Madison County’s Russell Pugh (14-6).

   In Class 6A, Margaret Ollinger of McGill-Toolen better her own Class 6A start record in the pole vault by 6 ½ inches with a winning height 12-01. And in 1A/4A,   Rose Brutkiewicz set a new record pole vault with a winning height of 12 feet, 1¼ inches – almost three feet higher than the previous record of 9-6 held by former UMS-Wright pole vaulter Laura Ferguson since 2004. Two other vaulters equaled or bettered the 9-6 mark Monday including Cottage Hill’s Caitlyn Dressler (10-6) and Ailish Lynch of Pope John Paul II (9-6).

   Defending champion UMS-Wright led the 1A/4A scoring after day one with 42 points in the girls’ competition and 36 in the boys division. Beauregard’s Lady Hornets were second with 37, and Montgomery Academy’s boys had 29.

   Homewood had 55 points and St. Paul’s 44 after day one’s Class 5A boys’ competition. St. Paul’s girls’ were led Homewood 46-38 in the girls competition.
Hoover‘s girls and boys posted 42 and 39 points, respectively, to lead Class 6A after Monday’s results. Pelham’s girls were second with 23 points and Opelika’s boys were hot on the Bucs’ heels wih 33.
Other records set Monday included: 
Class 5A boys
  Harrison Dudley of Paul Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa set a new Class 5A 60-meter dash record in the preliminary race as be tied his career-best of 6.99 seconds to beat the old mark of 7.00 set by Kyler Towner of St. Paul’s Episcopal in 2012.  Dudley will be running the finals of the event Tuesday.
   McAdory set a new record in the 4x200-meter relay with winning time of 1:31.62 – which beat Parker High School’s record set in 2013 by .24.
Class 1A/4A Boys
  In Class 1A-4A, Latravious Glenn of Dadeville set a new triple jump state record with a leap of 46 feet, 8 inches. The hold record (45-8.50) was set in 2013 by Vinemont’s Tyler Boland.
   Ismail Saleem of St. Jude set a new class record in the 60-meter dash with a winning time of 7.10 in the prelims. It sets up an exciting final Tuesday with Tallassee’s Brandon Baynes (7.15), UMS-Wright’s Jawon McDowell (7.16) and St. Jude’s Samuel English (7.24) – all who bested the previous 1A/4A state record of 7.24 seconds set by UMS-Wright’s Tyler Beard last year.
Class 6A Girls
  Also in Class 6A, Woodlawn’s Jayla Kirkland clocked 7.50 seconds in the 60-meter dash prelims to set a new state meet record. The previous mark of 7.55 was set by Caitland Smith of Pelham last year.  Smith ran an 8.00 Monday and to grab the seventh qualifying spot in the finals.
  Brittley Humphrey of Hoover clocked 8.71 in her 60-meter hurdles preliminary heat to break the record of 8.75 she set in 2013. Humphrey didn’t set a state mark but also won the triple jump with a 37-10 distance.  Hoover’s 4x200 relay team did set a new record with a winning time of 1:41.7 – beating the old mark set by the Lady Bucs in 2013 of 1:42.5.
Class 5A Girls
   Homewood’s 4x200-meter relay team clocked 1:47.33 to win the Class 5A final girls’ event of the day in record time. The old mark, set by Parker High School in 2012, was 1:47.91.
Class 1A/4A Girls
   Taylor Young also set new state meet record in long jump with a 17-11¼ leap. The Altamont long jumper beat the record (17-9) set by Brittany Middlebrooks, also of Altamont, in 2004.