A True Classic

This past weekend, West Ashley High School held the ninth Annual Sandlapper Track and Field Classic at Wildcat Stadium. It was a beautiful day and a great way for the Wildcat track team to begin the 2015 season.
With 20 schools and more than 100 students participating in this year’s Sandlapper Classic, the WAHS boys’ track team faced several challenges while competing in the day’s 21 events. The morning started out cold, but as the day progressed, the temperature started rising and so did the level of competition in Wildcat Stadium. A large crowd of spectators from around the community came out to watch all of the student athletes from around the state and to cheer for their school. It was definitely a great event for West Ashley High School.
In the preliminaries, WAHS’s Darrell Singleton and Kenneth Thomas placed 2nd and 5th respectively while running the 100-meter dash. But when it rally mattered, they finished second and third. Singleton placed in the top three again in the 200-meter dash.
In the Boys’ 4×100-meter relay, WAHS Team A, made up of Malik Thompkins, Darrell Singleton, T’Qele Holmes, and Kenneth Thoms, came out on top and won first place. “We could not be more proud of our players and the hard work that they displayed” said WAHS head track coach Richard Luden. “Today was a great start to Track season and we are already looking forward to next week’s meet and how our Wildcats will do.”
Some of the other highlights from Saturday’s Sandlapper Classic include – Thompkins, Singleton, Coardes, and Holmes coming in third place in the Boys’ 4×400-meter relay. In the Boys’ long jump, Kenneth Thomas won fifth place while Derek Edwards won sixth Place in the Boys’ shot put.
Overall, the West Ashley High School Boys’ Track Team placed seventh out of the 20 schools that participated.
The West Ashley High girls’ track team also did a great job on Saturday. In the 200-meter dash, Hailey Heyward won fifth place while Destinee Waddy, Amani Hawkes, Essence Kinloch, Hailey Heyward, and Ayanna Mitchell cam in seventh in the 4×100-meter dash. The same team competed in the 4×400-meter dash, coming in eigth place.
In the girls’ triple jump, Waddy’s final event of the day, she was able to place fourth. Overall, the WAHS girls’ track team placed 16th out of the 20 schools that participated.
The Wando boys team took first place overall, followed by Summerville in second place, and South Aiken High in third place. The Wando girls’ team also took home first place while Northwestern took second and James Island came out in third.
WAHS coaches were proud of their team’s performance at this year’s Sandlapper Track and Field Classic and grateful to the faculty, staff, parents, and students who came out to support Saturday’s event.