FDA track success at state

BY KATHY PICKENS

The Greenville Standard

 

The Fort Dale Academy boys 4 x 400 meter relay team of Blake Slagley, Branson Alford, Costner Simmons and Isaac Lowery are AISA State Champs after their winning performance at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex April 9-10.

They covered the distance, which is a hair shorter than a mile, in 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

The Eagle 4×400 team (pictured in the center of the podium L-R) beat the second place team by seven seconds and topped their own previous best time by twelve seconds.

Eagles track coach Scarlett Anderson said of this four-man team, “They started running the 4×4 just for fun last year, and they performed it well. This year they really wanted to do better, so they worked hard with their handoffs and their speed. They were so fast, and it was so exciting to watch! They earned and deserved that 1st place win, and I couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishment.”

Anderson had another Eagle who put in his own hard work to get to the podium. Senior Jack Brogden placed 2nd in discus after he threw the discus, which weighs a little over three and a half pounds, a distance of 116 feet and 8 inches.