Tonight is the last opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Drake Relays next week. Four ACGC athletes have good chances to represent the gold and black on the blue oval.
On the girls side, junior Kate Crawford is positioned to return in the 3,000 meter run. The top 21 make the cut and Crawford’s best time this season would be just enough, coming in at number 20 with a time of 10:39.84. That mark is less than two seconds ahead of Bedord’s Emma Lucas, who currently has the 22nd fastest time in the state. Senior Madison McDermott, who represented ACGC last year in the shot put, will need a record throw to reach the top-24. Her longest launch this season is 37 feet, four inches and the mark for the top 24 is currently 38 feet, six inches.
Seniors Clay Billheimer and Noah Nelsen are both vying for what would be their first appearances at the relays. Both will have to deliver career-best performances tonight to make the field. Billheimer is about three seconds out of a spot in the field of 14-16 for the 800 meter run. He would need to break his own record by about a second to have a chance at the blue oval. Nelsen will need a little more perseverance as he’s about 13 seconds behind the current field in the 3200.
Crawford and McDermott are the lone representatives in Charger history at the Drake Relays. Both squads will be in Stuart for the Wildcat Relays at West Central Valley. First events begin around 4:30pm.