Abilene Cooper’s Jazlyn Hatcher wins long jump silver
AUSTIN — Jazlyn Hatcher found a way to calm her nerves.
In an unfamiliar spot dealing with anxiety during the competition, the Cooper senior worked through it to earn silver in the Class 5A girls long jump at the UIL state track and field meet Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
“I’m usually never anxious, but I was pretty anxious today,” Hatcher said. “And then I kind of just told myself it’s not really a technical thing, just get out my head and go jump.”
Jump she did.
Hatcher reached 17 feet, 6¼ inches on her first attempt and didn’t surpass the distance until her fifth try. She then jumped 19-0¾ to move into second place for good.
“I knew it was out there,” Hatcher said, “but I didn’t know how far.”
With graduation looming, Hatcher is still debating her future plans. Those could include more track. Either way, Friday was a bittersweet moment as her last time in the Cougars’ red and blue.
“It’s sad,” Hatcher said. “But it was fun.”
Albany’s Adam Hill makes up for false start
Adam Hill locked in after an uncharacteristic mishap.
The Albany senior elicited sympathetic reactions from the Myers Stadium crowd as he was disqualified in the 110-meter hurdles following a false start. Hill, the event’s top seed, said he felt himself losing balance during a prolonged wait for the gun. The result took away an opportunity to add to his state-medal haul, which included a silver in the shot put from earlier Friday.
Hill made sure to turn the heartbreak into something positive.
“I remember my dad handed me my phone and I just shut it off, put it to the side,” Hill said. “I was like, I can’t look at anything. I’m just gonna focus on these (300) hurdles, and it paid off.”
Hill rebounded with a personal-best 38.05 seconds to win the 2A boys 300 hurdles. His runner-up outing in the shot put was also his top mark (53-0¼).
The future Texas Tech football player entered as the No. 7 seed in the shot put, yet he knew he had a medal performance in him.
“I had over a week, and me and my coaches really grinded on it,” Hill said. “We had five great practices in a row, so we were ready. We knew what was coming.”
Hill wasn’t the only Lion to leave with gold, either.
After previous shortfalls, including a silver last season, Albany senior Kiana Roberson nabbed an elusive state title in the 2A girls discus with a throw of 136-0.
After two silvers as a junior and a bronze medal the year before, it was worth the wait.
“It was the sixth round and all these throwers were going,” Roberson said. “I’m holding my breath, making sure no one passes (me). I looked at my coach and I said this is my year.”
Haskell brings home two golds
Luke Peacock enjoyed this state meet more, too.
The Haskell senior capped his career with gold in the 2A boys discus at 172-9. He briefly dropped to second following a heave of 163-7 by Coleman’s Clayton Lackey, but regained the top spot in the same round.
“It feels a lot better than last year,” Peacock said. “I got sixth last year. Hard work pays off. The nerves got to me quite a bit last year. It was a lot more than I expected.”
Haskell also got a gold medal from Savanna Camacho. The senior ran the 2A girls 200 in 24.58, beating out runner-up Whitnee Teagle of Broaddus (25.34). Camacho also placed fourth in the 100 in 12.36.
Nate Roewe finished fourth in the 2A boys shot put (51-5¼) to earn points for Haskell as well.
