This past weekend I experienced the final full team meet with my sprint/hurdle/jumps group. 2024 was our first year together, so certainly we all experienced a lot of change.
Dear JackSpeed and Jump Squad,
I have to say thank you. Thank you for buying into the simplicity of fundamentals and skills. Thank you for believing in me and, over time, raising the belief in yourself! And lastly, for finding joy in progress, personal success, and team success. This was an incredible year, and I feel so honored and proud to be part of it.
As a group at the Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships, the following was accomplished.
By The Numbers:⚡️
33 Total New PRs (Day 1 - 20 new PRs & Day 2 - 13 new PRs)
3 New NAU Records
13 New NAU All-Time Top 10 Performances
11 Big Sky Champions
5 Big Sky Championship Records
7 Facility Records
⭐️New NAU School Records⭐️
400H LiNay Perry 58.00 (Conference Champion, Facility Record)
400m Kyairra Reigh 52.19 (Conference Champion, Conference Record, Facility Record)
Women’s 4x400m 3:34.54 (Conference Champion, Conference Record, Facility Record)
New NAU All-Time Top 🔟s
Triple Jump: Mitch Effing 15.80m #3 (Conference Champion)
Triple Jump: Kenashalee Kerr 12.99 #3 (Conference Champion, Facility Record)
100m Kyle Smith 10.34 #4 (Conference Runner-Up)
100m Khamis Hassan 10.50 #9
200m Kyairra Reigh 23.63 #3 (Conference Runner-Up)
200m Kyle Smith 20.70 #4 (PRd in prelim at 20.88) (Conference Champion)
110HH Tyson Givens 14.15 #7
400H Tyson Givens 52.37 #7 (Bronze Medal)
400H Cannon Booker 52.71 #9 (First Season of 400H, finished 4th place)
400H Janelle Sanchez 62.65 #8
4x100m – Women 44.44 #2 (Conference Champion, Meet Record, Facility Record)
4x100m – Men 39.86 #2 (Conference Champion, Meet Record, Facility Record)
Other Champions🥇
100m Maddie Wilson 11.70 (Conference Champion)
200m Maddie Wilson 23.00 (Conference Champion, Meet Record, Facility Record)
Long Jump: Mitch Effing 7.62m (25.00’) (Conference Champion)
Going into the Women’s Conference Championship, we knew we had a chance to win big. Sometimes, when that’s the case, it’s tough to keep the intensity up. Our team had no problem keeping the energy and the results prove it. I appreciated the focus and desire to be at our very best each day in every event. Beyond watching the dominant performances by people like Maddie in the 100m and 200m, Kyairra in the 400m, LiNay in the 400m Hurdles (came in as the 6th seed btw), and Kenashalee in the Triple Jump winning on her last jump, and the relay domination of the 4x100m (broke the meet record by over .5) and the 4x400m (broke meet record by over 4 seconds)…we saw incredible performances by people in their secondary events, or through injury, or being incredible in their role. Like Kyairra Reigh exploding through the pack for a new lifetime best in the 200m to become the Runner-Up. Like Brenna Rodriguez working through back pain to score in the Triple Jump. Efforts stand out to me like Kenashalee Kerr improving her mark in the Long Jump immediately after hitting a lifetime best in the 200m and improving two positions. Janelle Sanchez popping a lifetime best in the 400m Hurdles in her first championship meet ever. And Hannah Schmidt matched her lifetime best after cross-training for a month to give herself a shot to make the final.
The women’s group won every speed power event except the 100H(which had no entry) and the Long Jump. Every other event was WON!💪
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The men were impressive in their own way. After projections showed the men losing by 50 points prior to the competition ever starting, a battle erupted that lasted until the final seconds of the last event. It came down to the 4x400m Relay, which I personally love. We fought hard and did things that were incredible over and over again, and there are moments I will never forget.
Moments like Mitch hitting a season best on his final triple jump, the final jump of the competition to go from third to the champion while setting the facility record, and knowing he did it as soon as he hit the sand. Moments like Khamis charging down the homestretch (with knee lift) to finish off a dominant 4x100m relay to set a facility record and NAU #2 all time. Group moments like the 400m Hurdle squad putting 3 in the final and going 3-4-8 with outstanding performances…especially after not running the event last year. Seeing Tyson Givens rise above his past, hitting lifetime bests in both hurdle events, and making both finals, is one for the memory books. Or how about Christian Mutengela getting over bar after bar and scoring a 5th place finish in High Jump at 6’-6.75” after not doing the event all year. One of my favorite moments was seeing Kyle Smith rise up as the number one force coming back in the sprints by being the Conference Runner-Up in the 100m dash and hitting a lifetime best of 10.34 in the prelim. And then refusing to lose the 200m dash and going 20.70, falling through the line, and being protested, all while becoming an NCAA Regional qualifier in the event and holding as the champ.
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Seasons end quick. It doesn’t matter where you are on the depth chart or how far into the postseason you go it always feels like an abrupt ending. Regardless of where you end, remember to look back and be proud of the work you put in.
The great meet that we just had does not exist without the weeks of conditioning, the hours of weightlifting, the hundreds of block starts, the volume of resisted work, the buildups when you don’t feel like it, the hurdle drills again, and another hard Monday. None of it exists without your decision to work. I am so proud of each of you, and so proud of this team and group.
Thanks for trusting in the work and teachings I have put in front of you. I am only excited for the future because the future has NO LIMITS!
The 2024 Big Sky Championships is a meet I will never forget. And I believe this is all just a small start of something big. Thanks for igniting a flame that will turn into an absolute wildfire in years to come.
Who are you? You know the answer.
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