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Liberty's Coaxum hurdles towards states
Liberty's Coaxum hurdles towards states
By Jeff Malmgren
Times-Democrat Staff Writer
One problem with entering multiple events at a track and field meet is the odds for disappointment increase.
So as a four-event athlete, it was almost inevitable Liberty's Rachel Coaxum would leave the the University of Virginia's Lannigan Field feeling she could have fared better in the Group AAA Northwest Region meet Friday.
"It kind of stinks that you come here in all these events and you know you can do well...and I didn’t PR [personal record] in anything today," Coaxum said. “Overall, I’m kind of disappointed. I really am."
She was disappointed despite advancing to state with a third-place finish in the 110 hurdles, helping set a school record in the 400 relay and adding a pair of top-13 finishes in the triple jump and 300 hurdles.
Loudoun Valley's Theresa Trader was the source of Coaxum's frustration in the 110 hurdles.
Trader won the race in 14.99 seconds, which is exactly Coaxum's personal record, so had the LHS senior improved at all, she would have won a regional title.
Although Coaxum didn't meet her expectations in any individual events, she was proud of her 400 relay team, which finished eighth in a Liberty-record time of 50.08. And she didn't feel stretched thin by entering that relay and three other events.
“After four years you get kind of used to it," she said. "I like doing [multiple] events...and it helps with warm-ups. You’re already doing another event, so your warm up is right there. "
Coaxum's 110 hurdles race supports that sentiment. Between attempts in the triple jump she walked over to the track to log her third-place finish in the 110 hurdles. She then finished the triple jump in 10th, with a mark of 34 feet, 1.25 feet.
Coaxum's last event of the day was the 300 hurdles, which she finished in 49.62 seconds for 13th place.
“At districts [May 13] I pulled something in my hamstring and it caught up with me," Coaxum said. "I tried to fight it off the whole day, but in the 300 you could tell."
Fauquier High was affected by injury to an even greater extent. Despite having qualified for regionals in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, Grace Loba ran only the 3,200 relay Friday. She had planed to run the 800, but was a late scratch for precautionary reasons.
Loba was hampered by a lingering foot injury during the 3,200 relay, but the Falcons still set a school record by finishing in 9:40.59. Running the other legs of that relay were Emma Helsel, Lauren Armstrong and Erica Browning.
Helsel also gave Fauquier its best finish in the girls' competition by finishing third in the 1,600. The freshman cut nearly three seconds off her personal-best time and finished in 5:08.99 behind winner Elizabeth Barclay of Albemarle (5:04.90).
“Emma came up huge. She really is coming around and doing well. I’m proud of her," FHS coach Quentin Jones said. "She looks really relaxed when she’s running and learned a lot from the mistakes she might have made earlier in the year."
Meanwhile, in the sprints, Liberty sophomore Ebony Brown had the most success of any Fauquier County athlete. She set a personal record in the 100, finishing eighth in 12.93, and took 11th in the 400.
"She gets better every week," LHS coach Dan Thompson said. "We’re in [Group] AAA, and she made it to the [100] finals this year. Last year she didn’t make it out of the [AA] trials, so she’s getting better, and that’s all we care about."
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