Outstanding girls track athlete: Emma Aldana, Willow
Emma Aldana learned something about herself after the won the 1,600 meters at the Class 4A state outdoor track and field meet in May.
“I belong here,” she told herself. “I can race here.”
It was an especially strong statement for a seventh grader from The Willow School who raced against girls five years her senior.
Selected by The Times-Picayune as the All-Metro girls track runner of the year, Aldana went on to become a three-event champion when she won the 800- and 3,200-meter races on the way to helping the Lions win a team championship.
Willow and West Feliciana tied for the team championship with 51 points apiece, and Aldana had a hand in 34 of those points — 10 points for each of her individual event titles plus another four points on a 4x800 relay that finished fourth.
“Definitely a lot of pressure,” Aldana said about how she felt going into the day. “All of these girls have been doing this a few years. They’re all mostly older. I know I fit in here. I just know that these are my competitors, and I can be running with them as well.”
Aldana posted times that ranked among the top three among New Orleans area runners at the state meet, putting her on the All-Metro team in all three events.
She finished the state meet with a perspective of somebody who has potential to win more titles.
“It’s my first year,” she said about competing at the state meet. “I have five more years.”
Outstanding girls field athlete: Marley Richard, Destrehan
Marley Richard kept a busy schedule at the state track and field championships in May.
The Destrehan senior finished first in the 100-meter dash and then quickly hustled to the jumps area so she could compete her turn in the triple jump — another event that she won.
Richard went on to become a four-event winner by claiming titles in the 200 and long jump.
Indeed, it was a long day.
“I just really want to get it over with,” Richard said midway through the meet.
Selected by The Times-Picayune as the All-Metro girls field athlete of the year, Richard ended her high school career as a six-time state winner in the jumping events — twice indoors and twice outdoors in the triple jump, and twice outdoors in the long jump.
All told, she had nine podium finishes over the past three outdoor state championships.
Richard began running when her parents signed her up for track at age 6, and she began to believe she could win at a high level when she was around 12 or 13.
“My time started dropping in the 100,” she said.
Next, Richard will compete in college for LSU.
At first, she was not sure she wanted to attend LSU because she had been to the school so many times for the indoor and outdoor state track and field championships. She thought she might want to go someplace different.
“But as soon as I took the visit and saw the actual atmosphere and the culture,” Richard said, “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m definitely going to come here.’ ”
Girls track and field coach of the year: Lorenza Winn, Willow
Willow won the Class 4A track and field girls team championship and could be on the brink of something special.
“We only had one senior,” said Willow coach Lorenza Winn, who told her team before the meet that “if we can place really high this year, it has a chance to be the start of something big.”
Three-event winner Emma Aldana accounted for most of the Willow scoring, but sophomore Brooklyn Perkins also chipped in with a pair of podium finishes in the 100 and 200.
All-metro team
100 meters: 1. Marley Richard, Destrehan 11.53 seconds. 2. Dai’jah Robertson, Warren Easton 11.94. 3. Brooklyn Perkins, Willow 12.13.
200: 1. Marley Richard, Destrehan 23.85. 2. Madison Bailey, Hahnville 24.72. 3.Dai’jah Robertson 24.88.
400: 1. Madison Bailey, Hahnville 53.85. 2. Jahanna McGinnis, John Curtis 56.44. 3. Tatum Duncan, Ben Franklin 58.59.
800: 1. Grace Keene, Northshore 2:12.13. 2. Emma Aldana, Willow 2:18.27. 3. Anna Joubert, Mount Carmel 2:21.88.
1,600: 1. Grace Keene, Northshore 4:59.93. 2. Catalina Reichard, Mount Carmel 5:01.68. 3. Emma Aldona, Willow 5:03.94.
3,200: 1. Catalina Reichard, Mount Carmel 10:59.8. 2. Emma Aldana, Willow 11:12.42. 3. Stella Junius, Mount Carmel 11:20.89.
100 hurdles: 1. Joelle Adegboye, Mandeville 14.54. 2. Emma Prieto, St. Scholastica 14.89. 3. Keia’ly Thompson, AOL 14.96.
300 hurdles: 1. Shia Harlan, Patrick Taylor 43.91. 2. Brooklyn Baham, Covington 45.24. 3. Dihlynn Mitchell Hahnville 46.00.
4x100 relay: 1. Ben Franklin 48.36. 2. Kennedy 49.96. 3. McMain 51.84.
4x200 relay: 1. Ben Franklin 1:40.82. 2. Hahnville 1:44.41. 3. Kenndy 1:44.94.
4x400 relay: 1. Hahnville 4:04.33. 2. Mount Carmel 4:04.89. 3. Dominican 4:10.19.
4x800 relay: 1. Hannan 9:58.79. 2. Willow 10:02.87. 3. Sacred Heart 10:10.8.
Long jump: 1. Marley Richard, Destrehan 20-2½. 2. Julia Jenkins, Covington 17-8. 3. Adriane Simien, Northshore 17-5¼.
Triple jump: 1. Marley Richard, Destrehan 38-0¼. 2. Macy Robinson, Chalmette 37-10. 3. Mia Mahony, Willow 36-7.
High jump: 1. Addilyn Dufrene, John Curtis 5-7¾. 2. Stella Zippert, Dominican 5-3¾. 3. Sophia Agner, Ponchatoula and Mackenzie Hayes, Northlake 5-3¾
Pole vault: 1. Miranda Weeks, Mount Carmel 10-11. 2. Emma Romano, Northlake 9-10¾. 3. Madeline St. Cyr, Fontainebleau 8-11½.
Shot put: 1. A’Kjha Kenner, Hahnville 37-3. 2. Miquela Stelle, Salmen 31-5¾. 3. Tallulah Furman, Lakeshore 30-0¼.
Discus: 1. Autumn Johnson, Dominican 118-0. 2. Kaylee Dublin, Chapelle 116-6. 3. Kyra Moore, Pearl River 88-8.
Javelin: 1. Hannah Rose, Cabrini 122-7. 2. Sarah Wanek, Sacred Heart 112-4. 3. Hannah Ellis, Fontainebleau 104-8.
Note: All times, heights and distances are from the LHSAA state track and field championships in May.
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