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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

Isabella High School’s track and field team has picked up some medal finishes through its first two meets of the season.

At Sylacauga High School on March 16, the only senior on the team, DeAsia Wilson, won the girl’s high jump with a 4-foot, 8-inch leap. Wilson placed third in the girl’s long jump with a 14-foot, 6-inch jump.

Wilson narrowly missed out on a medal in the high jump at the 2022 AHSAA State Championships finishing fourth.

“DeAsia has been with us for a long time, and she has always placed well in the high jump and it is a really good event for her,” Isabella track & field coach Landon Mims said. “She has been a state-level competitor for us for three years now, and of course we expect that coming for her, and she has met those expectations.”

Wilson earned another medal finish on March 22 at the Husky Hilltop Classic at Helena High School with a third-place finish (4-foot, 8-inch) in the high jump. She placed eighth in the long jump with a 14-foot, 5.75-inch jump.

Isabella graduated a large number of senior competitors last year, and only returned three varsity level athletes from last year’s team. Much of the team are freshmen or sophomores, however, Mims is happy with the start to the season for the Mustangs.

“I think the season has gone great, and we have had some success,” Mims said.

At the Sylacauga meet on March 16, Isabella picked up two runner-up finishes — DreVon Lee in the boy’s long jump (20-foot, 5.5-inch) and J.R. Sosa in the boy’s javelin throw (130-foot, 1-inch).

Lee, who has been a staple for the Mustangs on the football and basketball teams, is trying his hand at track for the first time this season.

“I finally got him to come out for track, and he has been explosive for us in the long jump,” Mims said.

Lee followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the long jump (19-foot, 11-inch) on March 22. Sosa threw the javelin well on March 22 as well placing fourth with a 124-foot, 7-inch throw.

“J.R. has been great so far this season, and we knew he could do big things,” Mims said.

The rest of the results for Isabella at the March 16 meet included Kaeden Abbott placing fourth in the boy’s discus (103-foot, 3.5-inch) and seventh in the boy’s shot put (35-foot, 10-inch). Bucky Smith also threw in the boy’s discus earning seventh place (84-foot, 10-inch).

Mims said both Abbot and Smith started participating in the throwing events this year, and he is impressed with how well they have picked it up.

Makenzie Barrett placed sixth in the girl’s javelin throw (70-feet, 1-inch) and eight in the girl’s discus (48-foot, 5.5-inch). This year is Barrett’s first season doing track with Isabella, and Mims said she is inching close to the state benchmark that would have gotten her to the state finals last season.

Dade McDonald finished seventh in the boy’s javelin (109-foot, 8-inch), and Hank Roberts placed seventh in the boy’s 1600 meters (5:55). Bryce Masone placed ninth in the boy’s triple jump (34-foot, 11-inch) to round out the Mustangs’ top-10 finishers at the Sylacauga meet.

At the Husky Hilltop Classic on March 22, the remaining Isabella top-10 finishers included Smith finishing second in the boy’s discus (104-foot, 7-inch) to earn a medal finish. Barrett finished fourth in the girl’s javelin (72-foot, 10-inch), and Abbott collected two top-10 finishes in the boy’s discus (100-foot, 2-inch) finishing fourth and sixth in the boy’s triple jump (32-foot, 7.5-inch). Roberts placed seventh in the boy’s 1600 meters (5:48) and ninth in the javelin (106-feet, 6-inch), and McDonald rounded out the finishers placing eighth in the boy’s javelin (110-foot, 6-inch).

“I am looking forward to continuing the success we have had (so far),” Mims said. “We are seeing how we compete against some of the bigger schools who have larger track programs and more resources. Of course, I want to win medals and get high finishes, but we are looking at competing against ourselves in these meets … Trying to get better each time we go to compete.”

The Mustangs next event is on April 1 for the King of the West meet at Central High School in Tuscaloosa.