Lady Mountaineers’ Rodgers breaks through in long jump

What was best for Gabrielle Rodgers was even better for North Murray’s girls track and field program.

Rodgers long jumped a personal-best 16 feet, 2 inches on Friday at the Georgia High School Association’s Class 2A state meet, placing fourth to become the first Lady Mountaineer to earn a state medal.

All five GHSA classifications are competing at Hugh Mills Stadium Albany this week, and Friday’s morning schedule was stocked with field finals. Rodgers was joined on the area’s list of state medalists by Northwest Whitfield’s Carley Fetzer, who placed seventh in the Class 4A shot put competition with a throw of 28-8.

Rodgers, a junior, jumped 16-8 1/2 to win the Region 7-2A title at home and was sixth with a jump of 16-1 at this past Saturday’s Class 2A West sectional meet at Greater Atlanta Christian. But North Murray coach Eric Bishop said that everything went much smoother in Albany for Rodgers, who was seeded 14th entering the meet.

“Gabrielle didn’t really get the chance to warm up good at sectionals. She didn’t take that many warmups or run-throughs,” Bishop said. “Today she did much better about getting there early, and she got to jump really early in the order because she had such a short jump coming in from sectionals. So once she was warmed up she got to go ahead and jump, and that almost worked in her favor.”

Not only is Rodgers the first girl to earn a state medal for the third-year school, she has the highest finish on the podium yet for North Murray. The previous best was a fifth-place finish for the Mountaineers’ Isaac Pacheco in the 1,600-meter run at last year’s GHSA Class 2A boys state meet in Jefferson, Bishop said.

Northwest’s Fetzer, who has signed a basketball scholarship with Tennessee’s Cleveland State Community College, closed her senior season by climbing on the medal stand.

“It was her best throw of the year,” Lady Bruins coach Greg Brown said. “She did everything we asked of her to do. We’re very proud of her for making the finals and to get on the podium.”

North Murray’s Megan Pittman recorded a personal best of 108 feet while competing in the discus, finishing ninth and coming up just shy of a medal in her freshman season.

Bishop said Pittman’s distance has increased by more than 30 feet in the past few weeks alone — a stretch in which she was fourth at both region and the sectionals — and he was impressed that she competed well in a field where the top eight was mostly made up of seniors.

“Megan’s just worked her tail off in the last week and a half,” Bishop said.

In Class 3A, Dalton’s Caroline Norman was 12th in pole vault (8-6), while Southeast Whitfield’s Wendy Perez was 13th in discus (92).

Norman — who set the program record by vaulting 9 feet earlier this season — was the first Lady Catamounts pole vaulter to qualify for state, Dalton coach Pam Brackett said.

“We thought that was a huge accomplishment,” the coach added.

Perez, a sophomore, was competing at state for the first time.

“That’s going to give her experience,” Southeast coach Chad Brewer said. “She was nervous, but she really wasn’t as nervous as I thought she would be. All three of her throws were above 90, so that is one of the first few times she has done that all season. She was real consistent today.”

Coahulla Creek freshman Atianza Smith, the first-year school’s first representative in state track, took 12th in the Class 2A long jump at 15-11 1/4. She had finished in the same place during Thursday’s qualifying for the 100, missing today’s finals.

But Smith enjoyed a strong season against region competition and should be part of a good foundation for the school’s track and field future.

“I think next year overall, the girls have got a real good shot (at doing well),” Coahulla Creek coach Chip Fleming said. “And with the boys, we’ve got a good freshman group coming in.”

The meet will wrap up today with finals for all classes in short and middle distance runs as well as relays following the 12:15 p.m. opening ceremonies. Three area girls will run today, with Dalton’s Bekah Houston (800) and Susan Meinders (300 hurdles) competing in 3A and Northwest’s Shelby Wilson (800) competing in 4A.

Wilson, a junior, finished first in her 800 qualifying heat on Friday with a time of 2 minutes, 18 seconds. She is seeded first overall heading into the same event in which she placed seventh two years ago.

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Lady Mountaineers’ Rodgers breaks through in long jump

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