For the Fort Campbell Falcons, Austin Keeling rewrote the weekend’s script. Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning were full of tough conditions. But when Keeling stepped out Saturday afternoon at the rain-interrupted Class 2A State Track Meet in Lexington, he stole the show.
Keeling finished 16th in the Long Jump but placed third overall in the Triple Jump and tied for fourth in the High Jump.
His Lady Falcon teammate, Tacarah Cash, finished tied for 17th in the ladies High Jump.
On the track, four events ran on Friday. In the 4X800 Meter Relay, the Lady Falcons held true to their 21st seed despite adding over 11 seconds to their time (10:59.73 to 11:11.25).
The same was said for the boys team, holding to their 22nd seed even after adding nearly 17 seconds to their time (9:16.35 to 9:33.05).
The last of those first four events was the boys 100 Meter Hurdles. Damian Bowe wasn’t phased by the intense conditions, placing runner up with a time of 15.2 seconds.
The meet resumed on Saturday with Jahlyn Mincey taking the track. She raced and placed in the 100 Meter Dash, but dropped from her 12.81 second (fourth seed) by finishing sixth overall with a time of 12.85.
Next up was the girls 4X200 Meter Relay. Seeded 18th at a time of 1:54.08, they improved to a 17th place finish despite adding time by recording a 1:55.32.
In the 4X100 Meter Relay, the Lady Falcons only fell one spot and added just one tenth of a second to finish 16th with a time of 52.89.
As the day rolled on, so did the events. Along came the 300 Meter Hurdles, of which both Jayley Moreno and Damian Bowe competed.
Moreno improved four spots from her 23rd seed (52.05) to finish in 19th place with a time of 51.38. Bowe continued his weekend dominance, again medaling this time at a time of 41.82 for sixth place.
Next was Mincey who ran the 200 Meter Dash. Mincey came in to the weekend as the 16th seed with a time of 27.27 and held consistent, recording a time of 27.6 to finish 16th overall.
In the last event, the men of the Falcons ran their respective 4X400 relay. They finished 21st with a time of 3:49.56.
The Lady Falcons finished tied for 28th place with three points. The men finished in ninth place with 21 points.
(STORY BY JOHN MORGAN FRANCIS)