The indoor track and field season officially came to an end Saturday with one Pulaski County athlete earning another State Championship and another making his mark in the record books.
“I knew this was going to be a hard season after the 2022 seniors graduated,” Coach Hannah Alexander said. “We had lots of ups and downs but I can say with full confidence the Cougars aren’t done. We plan on being back in the dog fight in outdoor to defend out state title!”
The State Championship meet was held Friday and Saturday, February 24-25, at Liberty University.
Several Pulaski County athletes had a chance to earn State Championship glory, but only one reached that goal. Senior Diego Turner earned his third individual State Championship in the shot put with a throw of 56’ 11”, breaking the school record that he also held.
“Diego knew what he needed to do, he walked into the circle with a confidence I’ve never seen before,” Coach Alexander said. “His almost 57-foot throw was such an amazing feat to witness, we’ve been talking about throwing 56 since last indoor season.”
The second Cougar of distinction was a much younger athlete who didn’t win gold, but brought home a second-place finish and set some amazing marks in the process. Freshman Cole Boone finished the 1,000-meter race in second place with a time of 2:29.25, breaking the record he set earlier in the season. That time leaves him ranked as the #1 freshman in the entire nation in the 1,000-meter, the #1 freshman of all time in Virginia, and he has now claimed the title of the #3 freshman in the nation of all time in the 1,000!
“Cole left everything out on the track,” Coach Alexander said. “To not just walk away as a state runner-up as a freshman, but as a school record holder now is insane. I would describe Cole Boone with one word … humble. Despite his sensational talent since he was in middle school, he has never once let it go to his head. As a coach I am more proud of that than anything.”
Three other Cougars also had the opportunity to compete at the State meet. Davis Neel and Olivia Viers competed in the 55-meter hurdles. Kiontre Hayden competed in the shot put.
“Tre has been working hard since the summer, coming and working out by himself during the off season,” Alexander said. “He is the prime example of what hard work will get you. As for the overall success of our throwers, all credit has to go to their incredible coach, Josh Fleenor. Coach Fleenor has these guys (and gals) in the weight room almost every morning then another practice in the afternoon. He’s worked so hard to prepare them for this moment.”
“For Davis Neel, this was his first indoor season,” Alexander said. “He has never run the 55-meter hurdles despite being a hurdler his entire career. He has trusted the process since the beginning and in the end had a massive personal record.”
“Olivia Viers, despite being sick, broke nine seconds in the hurdles for a second time in the prelims,” Alexander said. “She just narrowly missed the finals and had two options … cry and whine or pick herself up and say OK, now I’ve got to work harder. She chose option two. Her mental toughness cannot be more appreciated.”
Overall, the Cougars had a successful indoor season, but for the Cougars, it wasn’t good enough.
“Our girls had some incredible athleticism, but we need numbers,” Alexander said. “We’ve seen high numbers come out for the middle school program, so we’re excited about that. Not having runners, jumpers, and throwers is hurting us on the varsity level, especially for the girls. Our boys will continue to push and we’re very excited about defending our outdoor title this year. Hopefully we’ll be able to add some more hardware to the shelf soon.”