Wilson Hall's Jones claims 2 state titles on way to Hines Athlete of the Week
The Wilson Hall track program had a stellar day at the SCISA DI state championship on Saturday, May 2. Both the boys and girls programs finished as the runners-up, with the Lady Barons falling just five points shy of their second consecutive team championship.
One of the driving forces on that successful push was freshman Karsen Jones, who claimed a pair of state titles in the 100m and 400m hurdles while also contributing to the Lady Baron 4x400 squad that finished fourth to add another five points to the team tally. Her performance also helped her earn recognition as the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.
"Wilson Hall is very encouraging; I love being around people like this," Jones said of the support from her school. "It's really good to be able to run for Wilson Hall and run against so many great people. Just watching all my friends compete and having them cheer for me while I run is so fun."
The state championship came with a few extra hurdles for all of the athletes on Saturday, as stormy weather forced a delayed start. Jones and the rest of the competitors had to deal with lingering rain throughout the early stages of the meet, which hampered warmups and several early events. Baron head coach Rip Ripley was incredibly proud of the way Jones adjusted to the added adversity to put together an incredible performance.
"We talked a lot all week about the fact that there are going to be circumstances you can't control. There's going to be weather and other things, so whichever teams are mentally toughest are going to have success. Karsen is a very mentally tough girl; she's a competitor," Ripley said. "She has a background of being in these competitive situations and scenarios that force you to step up a little bit. Someone like her who has that background, it makes it where she's more accustomed to these moments."
After a rainy warmup, Jones still had to combat a wet track in her first race. She made some equipment adjustments before taking off in the 100m hurdles and locked in.
"Right before I raced, my dad brought me some new spikes to put in my shoes to make sure I don't slip anywhere. When I got to the starting line for the 100, I saw there was a bunch of water on the track, so I had to get my coach to ask to move it away, so I got a little scared right before," Jones said. "After they removed it, I got a little ease there. I was seeded first in the 100 hurdles, but anything can happen, so I wanted to try my hardest, even if I didn't win. Same for the 400 hurdles."
Jones was seeded first and finished first, breaking 17 seconds to set a new personal record with a time of 16.65.
"My heart was so filled. I crossed the finish line and looked up at the board and I saw that I got a 16, which I've been aiming for all season," Jones said. "When I crossed the finish line and saw that on the board, I was so happy. I started jumping up and down; it was great."
The 400m hurdles was a little more tense for Jones. The freshman clipped a hurdle and stumbled midway through the race but dug deep to find a way to maintain her lead. She won the race with a time of 1:07.37, beating Heathwood Hall's Lily Griswold by .44 seconds.
"My coach always tells me to start the first 200 and really push myself there, and then try to keep my stamina up for the second 200. On the third 100, I kinda got a little messed up on one of the hurdles. I kinda fell, which I really thought was going to bring me down there," Jones said. "I just came and attacked the last 100 hoping I wouldn't get passed. I really tried my hardest on that last 100. Knowing I came across first really helped my heart fill."
While she's only a freshman, this was Jones' second time at state. Last year's event also came with some curveballs as storms pushed the traditionally one-day meet into a two-day affair. Her experience last spring certainly paid dividends as she ran on Saturday.
"It wasn't as tense this year, for sure," she said. "I wasn't so stressed, but it's still state, so there's still stress there. Last year in the 400 hurdles, my cousin Molly (Jones) came in first and I came in second, which was really a big thing for me. Knowing that she wouldn't be here this year made me push myself to keep the Wilson Hall title there, for sure."
The hurdles have become a staple of Wilson Hall's success in recent years, and Ripley credits the combination of great athletes and spectacular coaching.
"We've created a legacy for the past few years with our hurdlers. I've been here 11 years now, and Coach Molly McMillan was our coach for a while and she was a former hurdler. She did a lot to build some excitement around hurdling because hurdling is tough. It's not only physically demanding, but a mentally demanding event," Ripley said. "Molly was building something great, and then Shana Thomas, who has been our hurdles coach for the last couple of years, she competed at the Air Force Academy, and she's been a great blessing for our school as a coach with both cross country and track. She brought a level of competitiveness, and we see it in the proof that's coming now. For years and years, we've been solid and we're seeing that continue now from Molly, through Shana and now through Leah Barwick, who came on our staff this year and is going to carry that torch from Shana. We've got some great coaching with those guys and girls over there."
Jones doesn't plan on settling for two state titles in her career. With three years of high school in front of her, she wants to keep pushing.
"Winning state in two events, knowing that I have so many years to come to see what my future holds is really my motivation," Jones said. "Working hard in practice is a big factor in that."