Amherst girls track team led by a handful of talent

By Laura Clark

Published: June 4, 2008

A handful of athletes raised the competitive level of Amherst girls’ track team this year.

Through indoor and into the outdoor season, the girls team broke school records, won state titles, and established the Lancers as top Seminole contenders — second this year only to Brookville.

Four girls, juniors Lacear Hubbard, Candace Davis and Allyssa Knight and sophomore Shawna Kyle, led the team this year. Coach Lance Carter estimated these athletes accounted for more than 70 percent of points awarded to Amherst in every meet.

If it’s a jumping or sprinting event, their names top the ranks. They push and inspire each other and teach younger athletes. All the while, they maintain an almost lackadaisical attitude, and Davis for one, doesn’t expect that to change.

“That’s who we are. We’re always goofing off,” she said. “We know when it’s time to do what we’ve got to do.”

Davis took the Group AA indoor state title in triple jump this year. Hubbard won indoor state long jump. At the outdoor state meet, it was Kyle who had the best jumping performance, taking ninth in long jump. The other girls’ events were over, but they stayed as Kyle finished competing.

“We’re all like sisters,” she said. “We give each other pep talks.”

Davis, Kyle and Hubbard often go 1-2-3 in district meets in the long and triple jump events. Their places change, but that’s not a big deal.

“You don’t want to think of it as, ‘Oh, I want to beat my teammate,’” Hubbard said. “You want to help your teammate. If (another) girl wins it, you may not be happy with what you did inside, but it’s about the team effort.”

Hubbard, like the other three, is spread among events, and finding the right fit can change with each meet. Hubbard excelled in the 100 hurdles. Davis learned the 300 hurdles this season, but running legs in the 400- and 1,600-meter relays are more important to her. Knight focused heavily on the two sprint relays. Kyle established herself in the 100 and 200.

They came together to win the district title in the 400 relay. Then at state, Knight missed the meet for a pageant, and sophomore Olivia Turner stepped in as the first leg.

“I really look up to them, especially (at state) because when I was coming off the blocks, they tell me to keep my head down and not pop up to fast,” Turner said. “They’re all just funny, and they make me want to keep going.”

Wearing gray-and-pink striped socks, the girls 400 relay raced to a 13th place finish at the Group AA State meet. The atmosphere was a little daunting for them, Carter said. And he could tell they were ready for a break after track seasons that began in November.

“They’ve done unbelievable compared to last year,” he said. “They’re learning a ton. This experience will help them for next year.”

Next year, Carter wants them to bring a will-to-win attitude along with blossoming talent. He said he knows they do a crazy amount of events, but choosing how to limit them is almost impossible.

And the girls are reluctant to narrow their focus, because it’s thrilling to do well in several events, Hubbard said. Plus, the team has lofty goals.

“I hope we get stronger next year,” Hubbard said. “Our team has had the ability to be district champs, regional champs, for the past two years, but we just basically put our minds to it this year because we saw how good we could be.”