The Patrick County High School Indoor Track team had a very successful weekend at the 3A State meet held on the campus of Roanoke College. The Cougars turned in four top 10 efforts, including two All-State performances.
Senior Juan Cisneros ran a very smart and courageous race in the 1,000. He got out fast with the lead group, muscled his way past a competitor in the final lap, and hung on to claim sixth place and All-State honors.
“Juan has absolutely poured himself into this sport for the past four years. Mentally, physically, and emotionally, he gives it everything he has,” said Coach Danel Slaydon. “In the past two months, he has signed to run with a NCAA Division I University (Radford), been crowned conference champion, and ran the best race of his life to earn All-State honors. It is truly a pleasure to see the fruits of his labor.”
Lexy Carico came into states ranked 12th, and after a clutch third throw in the prelims and big personal record (PR) throw of 33’9 in the finals, she clawed her way to eighth place.
“Lexy performed really well under pressure today, and we are thrilled with her eighth place finish. She will ride this wave right into the outdoor season, where she will throw the discus (her specialty) in addition to the shot put,” Slaydon said.
On Friday night, the girls’ 4×800 team (Savannah Moorefield, Macie Rogers, Armonte Carter, Montana Moorefield) finished seventh, running a huge eight-second PR.
“We could tell during the warmup for the 4×4 on Saturday that the girls were on fire and ready for battle,” Slaydon said. “Armonte ran a really great first leg for us. From there, Savannah, Macie and Montana absolutely emptied their tanks, crossing the line in fifth to earn All-State honors,” he said.
“These girls have dealt with and overcome adversity this entire season. Through all their trials, they have remained focused and committed. They really fought for each other this weekend, and it paid off in a big way,” Slaydon said.
“The amount of heart and emotion that our athletes competed with, and the tremendous support we received from family, friends and the PCHS administration made this a state meet to remember. I know we say this a lot, but we are just so proud of how hard our athletes work, and how well they represent Patrick County,” said Slaydon.
