Moody, Laster lead the pack in distance running
Rising junior has two state titles in track, third-place medal in cross-country
AVA MOODY and VANCE LASTER
She culminated the spring track season with a pair of titles at the TSSAA Class AA State Championships at Dean Hayes Stadium in Murfreesboro.
Moody, who also won a region cross country championship and finished third at the state meet in the fall, pulled off the distance double last month at the Spring Fling. She won both the 1,600-meter and the 3,200-meter runs in the Midstate.
She finished the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 2.88 seconds, and clocked a time of 11:09.64 in the 3,200, winning two of Anderson County’s championships at the meet.
She won both titles for the Lady Mavericks, while Luke Dark (another sophomore) won the boys shot put, and Vance Laster claimed a state title in the 3,200-meter run.
While thrilled to win two state distance championships for the Lady Mavericks, Moody noted that she wasn’t quite sure where she found the energy to win two titles in the two longest races on the track.
“I don’t know,” she said. “There’s just so much excitement at state that it gives you a big boost.”
“This feels pretty good because you put a lot of work into it and you feel like it all paid off.
“It’s exciting and it’s pretty cool, but I don’t think that it’s all really sunk in yet, and you wonder if it’s all really that important.”
While the thrill of winning state championships never gets old, Moody said that she was motivated to win in 2024. She’s looking forward to making a return trip next season.
“I think if you go down there and you have a bad race or you finish second, you’re more motivated to win,” she said.