Andrew Jackson Academy “Learning Curve” From 8-Man to 11-man This Season

By Neill Kirkpatrick Hemingway – The Hemingway track and field teams have had a successful season as they have several runners on both boys and girl’s teams eyeing a trip to lower state. “Right now, we have been doing well but we have an incredibly young team. They have been working hard and getting better every day,” said assistant and track coach Joseph Cooper . “We do not have a track, so we have to train with what we have. Our kids our resilient and make the best of the situation.” The Tigers’ strengths are in the sprinting events for both teams. The girls are led by sophomores Elisha Singletary and Shakiya Cooper and eighth graders Kennedi Hayward and Leanna Washington and seventh grader Rayne Bell . These girls run the 100, 200 and make up the four x100 relay team. Singletary, arguably the best athlete at Hemingway, also runs the 100-meter hurdle and does the long jump in the field events. She ran a 20.34 at the lower state meet and she also qualified in the long jump. Loyalty Anderson and Honesty Anderson also run the 100-meter hurdles. Senior Leilani Pressley leads the field performers throwing the shot put and discus. Joining her in the discus is Dianna Smith and Staresha Turner in shot put. The boys’ team is also led by two seniors in Jerel Hampton and Jordan Petersen . They both run the one hundred and the 4 x 100 relay while Hampton is the Tigers top 200-meter runner. He has run a team best 12.32 in the 110 and he ran a 24.26 at lower state which was a new PR. Three sophomores in Alexander Timmons , Jeric Nesmith and Tony Holmes make up the rest of the 4 x100. Nesmith also runs the 400 meters, and he is looking to run a sub 60 second 400 at the region meet. He clocked 12.72 in the 100. The 4x100 ran a season best 47.97 at lower state. Alexander Timmons and Tony Holmes also sophomores run the 400 meters and 800 meters, respectively. Holmes ran a 2:28.50 at lower state. It was just off his PR. In the field events Robert Cooper competes in both the shot put and the discus and is joined by Joshua Eaddy in the discus.