It wasn’t ideal circumstances for Sumrall jumper Heidi Hudson as she awoke for the MHSAA Class 4A State Championship meet.
The defending state champion, long jumper and high jumper had battled a cold all week, and on the morning of her quest to win her titles for a third straight year, she had actually thrown up.
“I had been sick leading up to the meet,” Hudson said. “I was sick that day. I had like a cold. I took some medicine, and then I ended up throwing up that morning before I competed.
“I was just like, ‘I’m going to go do my best and have fun and not worry about my performance so much since I’m sick.’”
It was an adversity she had never faced before, but it didn’t seem to matter because, on her first attempt doing the high jump, she jumped six feet to break the state record that had stood since 2007.
“We were in the middle of the high jump, and she looked at me and said, ‘I’m dizzy,’” Sumrall track coach Dale Holmes said. “It was a historic day. It was a great day for her and for us as a school.”
Hudson, whose previous best was 5-foot-11, had attempted the six-foot mark earlier in the season but had come up short.
“She hadn’t cleared it earlier in the year,” Holmes said. “From what I saw earlier in the year, she was getting the height to get over it. It was just a matter of getting her hips and legs over. I knew she could get it. Sometimes it’s just a mental game at that point.”
Hudson also admits that being sick that morning helped her nerves and somewhat cleared her mind.
“It probably made me a little less nervous,” Hudson said. “I felt confident going into the jump, and then I was pretty happy after. The first time I attempted six feet, I jumped a bunch. At this meet, I had planned out that I wasn’t going to jump too many times before I jumped six feet. I jumped maybe four or five times by the time I jumped.
“I was really happy. I was kind of relieved because I had been building up to that moment all year. I wanted to hit six feet because my (personal record) before that was 5-foot-11.”
Hudson also went on to win the long jump with a jump of 20-00.25 feet, which ended her high school career with six state championship wins. Her mark also broke the Girl’s Class 4A record.
“I felt like I got to go out with a bang for my senior year, and I was happy to represent my school and put a good name out there for Sumrall,” Hudson said.
This comes after Hudson’s recording-breaking indoor track season, as she set the state records in both the long jump and high jump. Hudson, who is signed with Western Carolina, carried that success over to the Nike Indoor National Championship as she won the pentathlon.
Hudson’s track season is not over yet, as she will compete in the heptathlon at the Nike Outdoor National meet in Eugene, Oregon.
“I’m excited,” Hudson said. “I’m trying not to be super nervous. It’s a big meet. I’m looking forward to it and am just going to have fun.”
Here is a list of how area athletes finished in the MHSAA Class 2A/4A/6A state championship meet.
Here is a list of how area athletes finished in the MHSAA Class 2A/4A/6A state championship meet.
Girls Results:
200 Meter Dash:
Class 2A: Brooklynn Adams, North Forrest, 1:03.59, 4th.
1600 Meter Run:
Class 4A: Allie Jameson, Sumrall, 5:51.90, 4th.
Class 6A: Mari Alis Lyon, Oak Grove, 5:31, 7th
3200 Meter Run:
Class 4A: Allie Jameson, Sumrall, 13:14.83, 5th; Ashton Stringfellow, Sumrall, 14:46.27, 7th.
300 Meter Hurdles:
Class 2A: Molly Duncan, Sacred Heart, 55.73, 7th.
Class 6A: Aubrey Johnson, Oak Grove, 48.03, 7th.
4X400 Relay:
Class 2A: North Forrest, 4:44.85, 5th
Class 6A: Oak Grove, 4:12.12, 5th
4X800 Relay:
Class 2A: Sacred Heart, 13:08.33, 8th
High Jump:
Class 4A: Heidi Hudson, Sumrall, 6-00.00, 1st.
Long Jump:
Class 4A: Heidi Hudson, Sumrall, 20-00.25, 1st.
Triple Jump
Class 2A: Akira McWilliams, North Forrest, 29-09.25, 8th.
Class 4A: Peyton Cocroft, Sumrall, 33-10.59, 7th.
Discus
Class 2A: JaNiyah Jones, North Forrest, 78-03.50, 7th
Class 4A: Malisia Hopkins, FCAHS, 67-01.00, 7th.
Shot Put
Class 2A: TaMiricle Cook, North Forrest, 31-06.50, 2nd; Ramiyah Brown, North Forrest, 30-07.00, 3rd.
Boys Results:
100 Meter Dash:
Class 2A: Cephus Pruitt, North Forrest, 11.75, 7th.
4X100 Relay:
Class 2A: North Forrest, 45.41, 8th.
400 Meter Dash:
Class 2A: Raider Williams, Sacred Heart, 54.09, 5th.
800 Meter Run:
Class 6A: Jaden Gray, Oak Grove, 1:59.31, 6th.
1600 Meter Run:
Class 6A: Gavin Wheat, Oak Grove, 4:36.84, 5th.
3200 Meter Run:
Class 6A: Bennett Ferguson, Oak Grove, 9:45.48, 5th; Gavin Wheat, Oak Grove, 9:49.57, 6th.
300 Meter Hurdles
Class 6A: Jaiden Hill, Oak Grove, 42.02, 5th.
Long Jump:
Class 2A: Da’vion Young, North Forrest, 20-08.00, 5th.
High Jump:
Class 4A: Trendarrius Deloach, FCAHS, 6-02.00, 2nd.
Class 6A: Toby Woullard, Petal, 6-00.00, 5th.
Triple Jump:
Class 4A: Trendarrius Deloach, FCAHS, 44-00.00, 5nd.
Discus:
Class 4A: Trevor Daniels, Sumrall, 102-04.00, 8th.
