Myers enjoys her surprise season
Running and jumping from January into April has been an unexpected gift for Oak Ridge track and field standout Marquasha Myers.
Because she turned 19 on Christmas, Myers was at first told she would have to sit out her senior season this spring for being beyond the Florida High School Athletic Association age restriction. The FHSAA reduced its cap from 19 years, 9 months back to its longtime limit of 19 three years ago.
But Myers, last season’s Class 4A state runner-up in the triple jump, got one of the best Christmas presents ever when she became one of a number of athletes statewide who were granted a waiver and cleared to participate by the FHSAA because they started ninth grade in the school year in which the rule was revised (2014-15).
“It gave me a second last chance before I go to college,” Myers said with a big smile. “I thought junior year was my last time for track.”
She’s making the most of the opportunity and did so Saturday by winning all four of her events at the Metro Conference’s East Division championships at Showalter Field.
Myers dominated the triple jump with a winning leap of 37-feet, 8-inches. She also won the 100-meter high hurdles in 14.96 seconds, the 300 hurdles in 46.87, and the long jump with a mark of 17-81⁄4.
It was the best performance at a Metro meet in her four-year career and sets her up for upcoming district, region and state meets and what she hopes will soon be a finalized college scholarship agreement.
North Carolina A&T, Southern Miss, Prairie View and Coastal Carolina are among the schools expressing interest.
Myers led Oak Ridge to a secondplace team finish behind Winter Park, which swept both the boys and girls titles on its home track. The Wildcats were led the senior distance duo of
Rafaella Gibbons and Melanie White.
A day after receiving a scholarship offer and committing to UNF on an official visit, Timber Creek senior
Austin Thompson continued his hot streak in two field events to lead the Wolves to second in the boys team standings. He soared to a career-best clearance of 15-7 in the pole vault, which ranks No. 1 in 4A statewide, and also won the long jump at 22-2.