Travis McKnight

SENIOR / PINE BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL

OUTSTANDING PLAYER: BOYS TRACK

>> WHY HE WON

One athlete has sprinted his way to the top of the Arkansas track standings. Travis McKnight (5-10, 169), a senior at Pine Bluff High School, has been selected as the All-Arkansas Preps Boys Track Outstanding Player of the Year. “It feels wonderful,” he said. McKnight, who went undefeated this year, won the 100- (11.02) and 200-meter (21.87) dashes at the Class 6A state track and field meet May 3 in Russellville. Then on May 12, he won again in those events at the Meet of Champions in Lake Hamilton. He ran the 100-meter in 10.62 seconds and the 200-meter in 21.51 seconds. Laydell Jordan, track and field coach at Pine Bluff High School, said that while McKnight has a lot of natural ability as a sprinter, he put in a lot of work last summer and this year to become a state champion. Jordan said McKnight worked on his strength by running the 400-meter sprint, which helped improve his times in the shorter events like the 100-meter. Last year, McKnight was averaging about 10.8 seconds in the 100-meter dash. This year, he typically runs 10.5 seconds and has even finished at 10.4 seconds. Jordan said that with the right coaching and dedication in college, McKnight could reach his full potential. “He could go 10 [seconds] flat, easily,” Jordan said. McKnight’s father, Tyrone McKnight of Chicago, who graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 1985, also ran track at the school. He said Travis will give him a hard time about some of the records his class had set at the time. “We had a few records down there, and so did I, so he talks a lot of trash, and I love it,” Tyrone said. Jordan said Travis gets good grades, is a good student and is always polite and courteous. Travis said he enjoys science in school because he likes to experience new things, and the experiments always produce unique results. Last summer, he competed in Amateur Athletic Union track and field events and even made it to the Junior Olympics in Detroit. He said it was a unique experience because it was his first time competing outside his community, and the people there helped and really cared for the competitors. Travis plans to go to college but is still weighing his options on which school to attend.

TRAVIS REALLY IS A VERY MOTIVATED FELLOW. He doesn’t like losing and he does what he needs to do to get in condition and ready to compete. He’s at practice every day and takes it very seriously.”

— Laydell Jordan, PINE BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD COACH