BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The West Point high school track and field team traveled to the Birmingham CrossPlex to compete in the first two days of the Last Chance invitational on Friday and Saturday. Five Warriors took part in the event, with senior Asa Sutter capping off a monumental weekend after also being part of the County Tournament championship winning boys basketball team on Friday night.
With the threat of severe winter weather last weekend, the County Tournament semifinals and championship games were moved up from Friday and Saturday to Wednesday and Friday. Sutter said this was ultimately beneficial to him, giving him a chance to focus on one at a time with his events in the meet taking place Saturday morning.
A county championship on the line in basketball, Sutter was spending most of his week with the team, but said he never felt unprepared for the meet. His basketball workouts kept him in jumping shape, and while he’d have to skip out on some of the team’s celebration to prepare to leave Cullman at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, he’d go on to find even more success in Birmingham.
Sutter participated in three events, the boys long jump, high jump and triple jump. In the long jump, he placed fourth out of 17 competitors with a distance of 19 feet and 7.25 inches, earning his first podium trip of the day. An even better finish, he placed second in the boys high jump at six feet, tying his own personal record which stands as West Point’s best as well. He’d earn another trip to the podium and a silver medal for the mark. Sutter would come away with a gold medal, too, coming in first place in the boys triple jump, recording a 42 foot, 6.5 inch mark in the event, and getting to stand atop the podium just hours after holding the county championship trophy in basketball.
Excelling in all three events, Sutter qualified to compete in the ASHAA 4A/5A State Championships on January 31 at the CrossPlex in Birmingham. After winning a county championship and qualifying to compete for one in state on the field, Sutter said “The basketball championship doesn’t automatically make me a track champion, but it helped build my confidence and creates winning habits that will help as I enter the State meet. It gives me a strong winning mindset. The big difference is while basketball relies on a team, in track I’m competing on my own.”
Also in the field, the Warriors had two athletes participate in shot put events. Kalanu Reindeau set a new personal best in the boys competition, placing 42nd out of 100 entries with a distance of just over 39 feet. In the girls competition, Warrior Hannah McKenney came 46th out of 91 competitiors, throwing 25 feet and ten inches.
West Point also had a pair of athletes in track events, with senior Jesus Tovar taking part in the boys 1600m and finishing with a 5:14.74 time, and Ray McKenney recording a 54.99 second time in the boys 400m.
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