Winona senior Krystle Hughes closed out her high school track career in grand fashion, winning four individual events at the MHSAA 3A state meet. It might be her last track meet.
“You're talking about the biggest stage of the year,” said Coach Chris McRae.
Hughes won the girls long jump, 100, 200 and 400, leading Winona to a second place finish. And she won all four in dominating fashion. Her long jump of 18-2½ was one foot further than her teammate Tyra Weathersby, who was runner-up. She won the 100 by nearly half a second in 12.08, the 200 by more than a second in 25.21 and the 400 by nearly three seconds with a time of 57.90.
The 100 and 400 times were personal bests.
“I prayed last night, I soaked in Epsom Salts and I just tried to get the jitters out of my mind and think of a good way to relax and jump my best,” she said after the long jump, the first of her four victories.
Hughes said she will sign Friday with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to play soccer and is not sure if track is in her future. “That's what everyone has been asking me.”
Hughes' 40 points enabled Winona to finish second with 69. St. Andrew's repeated as 3A champion with 129½ points.
Winona girls won a 2A state championship in 2016, but moved up to 3A this year. “To jump a classification and finish second in impressive,” McRae said.
Weathersby also took second in the triple jump at 35-6¾ and was seventh in the 200 (28.10). Other girls who participated for Winona were Aasjahla Garron, second in the pole vault (7-6), and Jayla Campbell, fifth in the 100 hurdles (18.78).
Carson Holly and Ahmad Robinson led the Winona boys to sixth with 46 points. Tylertown won the meet for a sixth straight year with 91½ points.
McRae was also pleased with the boys, pointing out that the team had injury problems throughout the season, “The boys team fought through a lot of adversity the whole year,” he said.
Holly was a wire to wire winner of the 1600 with a personal best of 4:43.63. “I always wanted to be a champion. Today was the day to prove it,” he said.
Robinson was second in the 200 (22.42) and third in the 100. The 100 time of 10.99 was considerably better than his 11.41 for fourth place a week earlier at the North State meet while recovering from a hamstring injury.
Other Winona boys: Isaac Leech third in the pole vault (11-6), Jalyn Phillips third in the discus (129-2), Cameron Bullard fourth in the 800 (2:09.75) and Andarious Coffey, eight in the long jump (18-6¾). The 400 relay team was sixth and the 1600 team was eighth.