MLK Recap: A Day to Remember


The Martin Luther King Indoor Track Classic is one of the most special sporting events in the country every year. 2300 athletes from Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi compete on a day where we remember the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr and his work for racial equality. He said, "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." Below are eight highlights from the day of competition.

Janie Ford with the Triple Dub

Janie Ford from St. Paul's Episcopal was nearly perfect in her four events. She took first in the 60m Hurdles in 9.07. She was first in the triple jump in 39-09.50 which makes her AL #1. She was first in the high jump clearing 5-04. She was second in the long jump in 18-01. Her high jump and long jump were both indoor personal bests. The sophomore is the defending outdoor triple jump champion and will look to add another championship on February 4th.

Maxwell Hardin wins the 1600m/3200m Double

Maxwell Hardin from Auburn High School made his Indoor Season debut and took care of business. He was first in the 1600m in 4:15.33 (US #7) setting a new MLK meet record. A few hours later he doubled back and won the 3200m in 9:17.99 (US #11). Regarding his performances, Maxwell said this, "I think while the times on paper aren't anything crazy overall, I am very happy with where I am at leading into State and the outdoor season. I definitely feel like I have a high ceiling based on how the races felt."

Maxwell is coming off a 7A Cross Country State Record in 14:46 and a 20th place finish at Champs National Cross Country Championships.

Huntsville High Sweeps the 4x800s

Huntsville High School brought out the brooms in the 4x800m in record performances. The Girls won in 9:43.30 and the Boys won in 8:00.42 with James Clemens High School right behind them in 8:04.64. Coach Borden shared his thoughts on both teams' overall performance.

"For the girls, our primary goal was sub 9:40 which is the NB Nationals standard and a time we haven't run at HHS since 2017, while our lofty goal was to break our school record which is 9:35. This was the first meet back for all four girls after the Christmas break, they didn't run at Icebreaker, so we were a little rusty and came up short in both, but it was pretty cool to break the meet record and it was a top 20 national time so for a rust-buster it was solid."

"For the boys, we had two goals: the primary goal we had was to break our school record which was right under 8 so the secondary goal as a result was to be under 8. We felt like that would give us a great shot to win the meet of course, but ultimately that wasn't the primary driving force. It was the first time the four had ever run with each other, and the first relay for both Harris and Eric this season so it worked out pretty well considering. We missed the school record by less than a second so it definitely left us motivated to improve upon that mark. Pleased with a current #4 US time and a MLK meet record, but not satisfied."

Anthony Eager doing it all

Anthony Eager from McGill-Toolen High School continues his phenomenal indoor season. He won the 60m in a new PR of 6.83. He has yet to be beat in the 60m this indoor season. The South Alabama football commit is still chasing after his first Indoor State Title but it's safe to say he is the favorite going into the last 3 weeks of the season. To go along with the 60m, he finished second in the 60m Hurdles in 8.14. He was fourth in the long jump in 21-04 and fifth in the triple jump in 44-04.

Gabrielle Washington. Nothing more

Gabby Washington from Hoover, for the second meet in a row, swept the 60m and 400m as well as running the 4x200m and 4x400m. She tied her 7.65 PR in the 60m and ran 57.03 in the 400m. She was apart of the 4x200m team that now sits at #3 in the nation after running 1:39.05. The senior is vying for her first ever individual championship. Gabby said "I am very pleased with my performance even though I was a bit nervous. I blocked it out and performed like I knew I could."

Cady McPhail's on fire

The Chelsea senior continues to keep her momentum rolling with a new CrossPlex record and lifetime best in the 800m running 2:08.68. She bettered her previous record that she set during the 2021-2022 Indoor season. At Icebreaker two weeks ago, she set the CrossPlex record in the 1600m running a US #1 of 4:44. She reflects going all in on her final season in high school. "I've always been super intentional with everything that I do that could affect my performance. I have made huge sacrifices to get to where I am. In fact, I chose to do online school this year to focus on sleep and nutrition. I want to finish my high school running career with no regrets." Cady will be back for Last Chance and State.

Maximus Littleton with Field dominance

Maximus Littleton had a monster performance in the field taking first in the Triple Jump, second in the long jump, and third in the high jump. His triple jump of 45-09 was nearly a 21" indoor personal best. He cleared 6-06" in the high jump and 22-0" in the long jump.

Morgan Davis with a huge Indoor debut

Morgan Davis, the senior from Saraland High School, made the most of her first visit to the Birmingham CrossPlex. She set a CrossPlex record in the long jump, jumping 19-03.75". She is the defending 6A Outdoor 100m/200m double champion with PRs of 11.60 and 24.47. On Monday, she was also third in the 60m in 7.69 and seventh in the 400m in 1:00.02.