Kitt crowned state champion – again

Sophomore Aniyah Kitt led the Wildcat track and field team at the 4A-7A outdoor state track and field championships winning gold in the girls 100-meter and 200-meter dash on Saturday, May 7. Freshman Andrew Purcell led the boys taking the bronze in the high jump.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the way the kids performed this weekend at state. You can’t ask for a better performance when you have 11 school records set at the state meet including Aniyah Kitt in prelims of the 100, in the 200 prelims and finals; the girls 4x800 team of Emma McCrea, Ammarie Jenkins, Kamryn Wile and Lauren Rodgers; shot put by Sarah Amos; 110 hurdles by Dain Grimes; 100 hurdles by Amariia Leggett; triple jump by Eran Foye; 300 hurdles by Eran Foye; 800-meter run by Lauren Rodgers; boys 4x400 relay team of Malachi Rich, Dain Grimes, Brett Tessay and Eran Foye,” said head track coach Brad Fortney.

“We had 14 personal bests which is difficult to do at the state meet but was awesome to experience. The coaching staff (Steve Kracht, Brad Fortney, Brad Fortney Sr., Sina Strokin, Chris Rodgers, Christina Rodgers, Jen Fortney, Whitney Lunsford, Clark Quisenberry, and Greg Faught) did a tremendous job preparing them to perform,” said Fortney.

Kitt also won silver in the 7A indoor state championships in the 60-meter dash, gold as a freshman in the indoor state championships in 2021 and gold in the outdoor state championships in 2021.

Kitt ran a time of 12.03 in the 100-meter dash and a 24.57 in the 200-meter dash to finish first in both events.

“Aniyah Kitt being state champ in the 100 and 200 was a very special moment,” said Fortney. “She has been working very hard to be able to do that. Being able to run her lifetime best when it matters most shows what kind of talent and how special an athlete she is. Her 200 time of 24.26 places her as the seventh fastest sophomore in the nation. I’m going to enjoy watching her compete for years to come.”

In the girls 800-meter run, Rodgers finished 20th in 2:28.07. She also finished 20th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:39.03.

In the girls 3200-meter run, McCrea finished 20th in 13:11.28.

In the girls 300 hurdles, Leggett finished 19th in 51.02.

In the girls high jump, Jamesha Howard finished eighth with a mark of 5’0”.

In the girls long jump, Mariam Bolaji finished 12th with a mark of 15’6 ¼” and Joye Anderson finished 14th with a 15’3/4”.

In the girls discus throw, Amos finished sixth with a mark of 101’7”.

In the girls javelin thrown, Jazalyn Knight finished 14th with a mark of 89’5”.

In the girls shot put, Amos finished 10th with a mark of 34’2 ¼” and Jaida Gosha finished 12th with a 33’6 ½”.

In the girls 4x100-meter relays, Enterprise Team “A” finished sixth with a time of 49.10.

In the boys 800-meter run, Tessay finished 16th with a time of 2:01.21.

In the boys 1600-meter run, Tessay finished 24th with a time of 4:58.46.

In the boys 110 hurdles, Grimes finished eighth with a time of 15.72.

In the boys 300 hurdles, Foye finished fifth with a time of 40.65 and Grimes was ninth with a 41.19.

In the boys high jump, Purcell finished in third with a mark of 6’4”. Foye finished eighth with a 6’2”.

“Andrew Purcell jumping 6’4” at state was awesome to see. He was able to thrive in a pressure situation and ended up placing third overall,” said Fortney. “His goal was to make the podium this year and we were excited as a team to see that happen. His 6’4” jump puts him as the seventh best freshman in the nation.”

In the boys long jump, Grimes finished 13th with a mark of 21’2 1/2”.

In the boys triple jump, Foye finished ninth with a mark of 44’1 ½” and Courtney Sanders was 19th with a 40’1 ¾”.

In the boys discus throw, Xavier Henderson was 18th with a mark of 116’3”.

In the boys 4x400-meter relay, Enterprise Team “A” finished ninth with a time of 3:29.06.

“After basketball season ended, we were able to convince Joye Anderson, Jaida Gosha, Quentin Hayes and Tomar Hobdy to come out for track,” said Fortney. “Joye Anderson competed in three events: long jump, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay. She earned all state in the 4x100 relay.

“Jaida Gosha competed in shot put and finished 12th overall. Tomar (Hobdy) and Quentin (Hayes) competed in the 4x100 meter relay which was seeded 16th but finished 11th. I asked each one of them, in the top 10 things they wanted to achieve their senior year, was competing at the state track meet one of them. All of them smiled and said no, not at all. It was a very cool moment for all of them.”

“Our state qualifying seniors Dain Grimes, Eran Foye, Quentin Hayes, Brett Tessay, Donovan Dee, Tomar Hobdy, Joye Anderson, Amarriia Leggett, Lauren Rodgers, and Jaida Gosha had a tremendous weekend. They were able to go out competing at their best,” said Fortney. “Their legacy won’t be remembered for all the records they set, state appearances or points scored at state, but they will be remembered for how great of teammates they were and the positive impact they had on the underclassman. We cannot thank them enough.”