ROCKINGHAM — Heading into this season, Richmond Senior High School girls’ track and field coach Reggie Miller had a pretty good feeling that he had one of the best squads in the state.
And he turned out to be right as the Lady Raiders finished the 2019 campaign as the No. 19 ranked team in all classifications in North Carolina.
“The season went great, and as a team we improved tremendously,” Miller said following his eighth season as head coach. “We did some great things this season. The girls’ track team ended the season ranked No. 19 in all classifications in North Carolina.”
The key to any sport, and especially with track and field, is to always be in front of the competition. The Lady Raiders did mostly that, winning five of their six Sandhills Athletic Conference meets, as well as taking the season-opening meet at the Alton Tyree Invitational.
Richmond also nearly won the SAC championship meet in early May, but a strong showing by Pinecrest High School in the distance events snagged a come-from-behind win. Its best regular-season outing was at Hoke County High School, where the Lady Raiders took first place in 14 events.
On a roster of 52 athletes, only three Lady Raiders were seniors. Miller attributed his younger squad’s development, as well as the team’s willingness to go above and beyond during each event to the overall success of the season.
“I hold everyone accountable on this team and I have been doing that since I started coaching,” Miller explained. “I don’t believe in excuses. My parents held me and my brother accountable and they didn’t believe in excuses.
“The defining moment this season was knowing that we gave 110 percent from start to finish and the girls left everything on the track,” he added.
Richmond worked its way through the regional track meet and had its 4×100-meter relay team, along with sophomore high jumper Jakerra Covington qualify for the state championship. At the state meet at North Carolina A&T University, the relay team of Covington, Maddisyn Diggs, Monasia Kearns and Dymond McNeal took fourth place and earned All-American honors.
That group also broke the program’s all-time record in the event at states, racing around the track in 48.60 seconds to become the fastest foursome in Richmond’s history. The relay team also won the SAC regular-season and conference championship titles.
“Monasia, Jakerra, Maddisyn and Dymond broke a 31-year-old record that was set in May, 1988,” Miller explained. “The previous time was 48.89 seconds. These girls will be competing in the New Balance Nationals in both the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relay.
He added that the 4×200-meter relay team of Diggs, Kearns, McNeal, and Brianna Wall also broke a three-decade old record of 1:42.60 with the new record of 1:40.60.
“The strongest aspect of our team was our hard work in practice,” Miller noted. “The girls were always pushing each other and competing in practice like we are in a track meet. Plus we are balanced in all our events, meaning we get major points using four girls in each event.”
Of the numerous athletes to explode onto the scene this year, Covington was among the best. She had never competed in the high jump before this spring, and finished as the No. 1 sophomore in the event in the state. She set her career best jump at 5’-6”, while also serving a crucial role on the 4×100-meter relay team.
Another team member to impress Miller was freshman Jaleah McKinnon, who ran the 300-meter hurdles in 49.40 seconds in the Midwest Regional.
Other personal records set this season include: Kibreanna Stewart’s 5’-0” mark in the high jump, Jardai Tilman’s 34’-8” in the shot put, Diggs’ time of 12.85 seconds in the 100-meter dash, Taliah Wall’s 17’-0” in the long jump, Ariel Brown’s post 5:49 in the mile and Allexis Swiney’s 33’-0” in the triple jump.
With so many athletes set to return next spring, Miller is optimistic that his Lady Raiders will continue to get better and hopefully clinch an SAC title.
“To move forward with the program, I’m expecting myself and the girls to come in with the hard work, determination and committed attitude that we had this season in indoor and outdoor track,” he closed. “I believe we know what it takes to be successful next season and the sky is the limit for us.”
