By Rubin E. Grant
Hoover senior McKenzie Blackledge had to change her strategy during the 800 meters in the Martin Luther King Indoor Track Classic on Jan. 15 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
“I usually run from the front because I’m more of a sprinter,” Blackledge said. “But I fell behind the frontrunner and had to chase her down the last 100 meters.
“It was change of pace for me. I was 10 seconds off my personal record, so it’s interesting I was able to win at a slower pace.”
Blackledge clocked 2:21.39 to outrun Homewood’s Emma Brooke Levering, who finished second in 2:21.82.
“I feel pretty good about how I ran in the MLK,” Blackledge said. “What’s interesting is it’s my first win in the 800 this season, although I’ve been seeded first since the beginning of the season.
“It’s one of the funnest races I’ve ever run. I was happy to win with it being my last MLK race.”
Blackledge became a runner in elementary school but has been running the 800 only since her freshman year at Hoover.
“It’s been a process, learning my strengths and weaknesses and what’s best for me,” she said, “I would say I am constantly improving.”
Hoover track coach Chris Schmidt likes the way Blackledge has developed throughout her career.
“She’s a superstar,” Schmidt said. “I’m excited about what she’s doing this season. She ran really well at MLK.”
Blackledge also excels in the classroom, carrying a 4.2 grade-point average and scoring 31 on the ACT. She plans to run track in college but presently is keeping her options open about which school she wants to attend.
She is certain about what she wants to study. She attends the law academy at Hoover.
“That’s my ultimate passion,” Blackledge said. “I want to be an attorney.”
Meanwhile, she is enjoying running.
Blackledge competed in only two events at the MLK. She finished second in the 400 meters behind teammate Daisy Luna, who won with a time of 56.53. Blackledge clocked 57.40.
“I’ve done up to four events in a meet before,” Blackledge. “I’ve run the 4×400 and 4×800 relay races as well as the 400 and 800.”
Schmidt said it was by design that Blackledge and his other athletes competed in fewer events at MLK.
“I think overall we did pretty well,” Schmidt said. “The girls were fantastic and the guys ran well. We didn’t max people out. We put one or two people in each event and gave some others a chance to compete.”
Hoover had a number of athletes who performed well. On the girls side, Taylor Canada finished second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.79, just behind Satsuma’s Presleigh Montalvo, who clocked 7:78.
Ava Sparks placed second in the 3,200-meter run in 12:01.23; Nyel Settles was second in high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 4 inches; DAsya Harold was second in triple jump with a leap of 37-0.25; and Isabella Maple was third in pole vault, clearing 10-6.
The girls 4×200 relay team finished first with a time of 1:42.94 and 4×400 relay team was third, clocking 4:15.61.
Boys Medals
Hoover’s boys had a number of medalists. Collin Pate won the pole vault, clearing 15-0. Cannon Peters won the 800 meters with a time of 2:00.42. Charles Crowder placed first in triple jump with a leap of 46-10.75 and was third in long jump with a leap of 21-2.5. Denver Cash won the 60-meter hurdles, finishing in 8.02. Teammate R.J. Torbor was second, clocking 8:16.
Torbor was also second in the long jump with a leap of 22-2.75 and third in triple jump with a leap of 42-7. Dallas Beck was second in the 400 with a time of 49:18. Zander Dakis was third in the 1,600 in 4:24.70, and Norman Settles was third in the pole vault, clearing 13-6.
The Bucs won the boys 4×200 relay first in 1:29.68 and the 4×400 in 3:22.18 They finished third in the 4×800 third in 8:38.03.
The MLK Classic was the next to last tuneup before the state meet for Hoover, which has swept the boys and girls state indoor titles the past two years. The Bucs will compete in the Last Chance Invitational Jan. 26-27 at the CrossPlex. The state indoor meet is set for Feb. 2-3 at the CrossPlex.
“Track and field is like a chess match,” Schmidt said. “You try to move pieces into the right places.
“MLK is when the track season really begins. You have to make decisions about who is doing well and tweak things in the next two or three weeks before state.”
