Lady Iron Horses prove elite at Wildcat Classic

In just four years, the Philip Simmons High School track and field program had already produced one of the best distance runners in state history in Noah Ward, who is now a student-athlete at Harvard.

 

In year five of existence, Philip Simmons has a talented student-athlete who is about to take her place in state history as one of the most elite sprinters. Super-talented senior NaJhyrai Watson has been there, done that.

 

Last year, as a junior, Watson swept the three sprint events at the State Track and Field Championships to score 30 points to lead the Iron Horses to the Class AA state championship with a 161-60 victory over Woodland in Columbia. The team might have shattered the state record of 165 team points, set by J.L. Mann in 2007, if not for a dropped baton in a relay race the Iron Horses were winning.

 

The most impressive thing about Watson’s effort at last year’s state meet was her dominance. She had national elite performances in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes with respective times of 11.86, 24.57 and 56.61 seconds.

 

Now, Watson’s back for more. She was back in the spotlight during March 5’s Wildcat Classic, hosted by West Ashley High School. 

 

Watson didn’t disappoint in the first major event of the 2022 track and field season, winning the 100-meter dash with a national elite time of 12.2, while claiming gold in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:02.07.

 

She wasn’t the only Iron Horse who turned in a national elite performance. Junior Avery Harbaugh cleared 10-6 in the pole vault to earn the elite status. 

 

Sophomore Hailey Meyers also stood on top of the victory stand, winning the 800-meter run in 2:31.00.

 

Meyers was in her first year of track as a seventh-grader in 2019 when she swept the distance events at the state meet. Meyers scored gold in the 800-meter run, 1,600-meter run and the 3,200-meter run. COVID forced cancellation of the state meet in 2020. Last year, as a freshman, Meyers was third in the 1,600, fourth in the 800 and was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that finished with a silver medal. 

 

The schools competing included defending Class AAAAA state champ Wando, Class AAA state champ Bishop England, and Watson and her Iron Horse teammates the defending Class AA state champs.

 

The Iron Horses held their own against the bigger schools. Wando won the meet with 133 points. The Iron Horses finished second with 98 points, while Lucy Beckham was third with 75 points. Bishop England finished in eighth place in the team standings.

 

Wando edged Cane Bay 124-118 to win the boys’ championship. Philip Simmons held down fifth place with 60 points. Bishop England finished in 15th place.

 

Philip Simmons, the defending Class AA boys’ champion, was led by JacQue Greene, who finished with silver medals in both the 200-meter dash and the high jump.

 

The Bishop England girls claimed gold in the distance medley relay with a time of 13:30.00. Members of the relay team are Marlee Asmer, Audra Schaafsma, Caroline Edgerton and Nora Brahim.