Ladson clears biggest hurdle
Mt. Hebron transfer helps fuel Woodlawn’s first Baltimore County championship
A rare hint of doubt entered Woodlawn senior star Arayana Ladson on her way to the Baltimore County indoor track championships Jan. 22 as she thought about running on the gym floor at CCBC-Essex for the first time.
A snag followed when the Mt. Hebron transfer slipped out of the starting block in the preliminary heat of her first event, the 55-meter hurdles.
In previous years, the mishap could have messed up her entire meet. Not anymore.
The 17-year-old shrugged it off and went on to pile up 26 team points, highlighted by a record-setting time in the 55 dash, to lead the Woodlawn girls track team to its first Baltimore County championship. By edging Hereford, 98-94, the Warriors ended the Bulls’ 16-year reign as county champions.
Ladson’s 26 points were the most by any participant in the championships and her time of 7.25 seconds in the 55 were meet and school records.
“We knew Hereford won for 16 consecutive years, but this year we had a really good team, a really good team bond and we have the strength,” Ladson said. “So we knew it would be really close with our teams and once we saw the scores, we were just really excited and couldn’t control our emotions. It was just joy everywhere from all of us to our coaches and to other teams congratulating us.”
Ladson’s new teammates are quick to share how fun she is to be around and how willing she shares her vast running experience. It includes five individual state titles and five more medals during her three years at Mt. Hebron.
When it came to picking captains, Ladson was an easy choice for her new team.
“She’s really great and brought so much to the team. She’s entertaining and fun, and she’s also brought more experience and knowledge,” said sophomore Destiny Coleman, another sprinter and hurdler and Ladson’s practice partner. “From Ara, I’ve learned to not let anything negative affect me. Either find a solution to it or just ignore it because it can mess you up in so many different ways.”
Ladson’s gold medals at Hebron showcase her versatility as one of the area’s top track and field performers. As a sophomore in the outdoor season, she won the 100 hurdles and long jump. During her junior indoor season, she captured the 55. Last spring outdoors, she won gold in the 100 and 200.
Ladson packs overwhelming power and explosiveness in her 5-foot2, 115-pound frame. She wastes no time unleashing her prowess with a remarkable opening burst that provides an immediate edge.
“She’s smaller in stature, so a lot of the time she’ll step to the line and there’s other runners more physically imposing. But she’s got a crazy burst, like her first three steps in any race separates her from everybody,” said Woodlawn coach Joey Young, who also works with Ladson at the club level. “She’s extremely explosive, her strength numbers in the weight room rival anybody on our team, or anybody that’s been through the program. I’ve got other athletes on the team like 5-8, 135-140 pounds and you would expect their strength numbers to be a little higher than hers, but she can lift with anybody. Her flexibility is unreal.”
An “A” student who has accepted a full athletic scholarship at Florida A&M,
Ladson says all the detailed work she puts into her track and field career is a product of the love she has had for it since she started when she was 7 years old.
“Other than winning, what I like most about running is the joy it puts inside of me,” she said. “It’s just really fun to see all the hard work and dedication I put into it over the past years, since I was 7 years old, pay off and allow me to become a Division I runner. So I just love everything that I’ve put into it.”
Before she heads off to college, Ladson still has work left at Woodlawn as the Warriors look to build off their county championship win.
Hereford coach Brad Duvall got a first-hand look at what type of impact Ladson has made at Woodlawn.
“She’s given them a known quantity stud sprinter and hurdler who you can pretty much bank on finishing with a medal at every championship meet,” he said. “We had won 16 straight years and I think her coming from another county, another team helped to overcome that initial feeling, ‘Well, it’s Hereford and we haven’t beat them ever.’
“Arayana had a big impact on Woodlawn’s overall team expectations and she helped bring some of the other girls that have been around along thinking, ‘Hey, we can actually beat these guys.’”
Woodlawn competes in the Class 4A Central Region meet, which takes place Wednesday, before chasing its first state title Feb. 20. On occasion, Ladson will make a point of looking at all her medals and isn’t afraid to say she amazes herself. It drives her to want more.
“I just keep telling myself to stay dedicated, don’t let anything distract you,” she said. “It’s my senior year and some people tend to slack off. But I’m someone that stays on top of my dreams.”