West Forsyth’s track and field senior profiles — part 2

Published 12:00 am Thursday, July 2, 2020

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West Forsyth’s track-and-field program had 17 seniors in the virus-shortened 2020 season. Eight of them were featured in last week’s Courier. Here’s a look at the other nine team members.

Ziona Lancaster

Personal bests: discus, 78-5; shot put, 32-7.5

Coach Caballes: “Z is a natural athlete. The first day I saw her throw, she threw the shot put effortlessly. Last spring, she was one of the best girl shot putters in the county, while being one of the smallest. She never backed down from a challenge and worked to better her craft every practice. Whatever athletic and personal venture she has planned for the future, she’ll dominate with her grit and prowess.”

Bryce Martin

Personal bests: high jump, 5-4; long jump, 17-9; 100 dash, 12.34; 200 dash, 26.14; 400 dash, 56.72.

Coach Brown: “Bryce had a great attitude everyday while being a valuable member of our sprint and jump squad. He worked hard at every event and challenged himself in practice. He is a ‘put me in, coach’ kind of athlete and I admire his desire to compete. His humor and laughter on the high jump apron will be missed.”

Alex May

He is the son of Lucille and Oliver May. He has competed in track and field for four years at West.

Personal bests: 200 meters, 0:40; 500 meters, 1:44; 400 meters, 1:22; 1000 meters, 3:56.

Post-graduation plans: Attend Coastal Carolina University.

Favorite memory: Running all the meets.

May said: “I absolutely love track and field. The meets are so exciting.”

Coach Nate Newsome: “Alex enjoyed being a part of our teams as much as we enjoyed having him. His enthusiasm was contagious and will be greatly missed. He improved as a runner tremendously during his time as a student-athlete at West.”

Cameron McDaniel

He is the son of Scott McDaniel. He has competed in track and field for three years at West.

Personal bests: 1600 meters, 4:56; 800 meters, 2:13.

Post-graduation plans: Attend UNCC for Sports Medicine.

Favorite memory: 200s, 300s and 400s.

McDaniel said: “I enjoyed everything about running. It was a good way to get away from other things going on.”

Newsome: “Cam was a great teammate and positive role model. He contributed on many levels and was genuinely interested in making his team better however he could. He is going to be missed by all.”

Andrew Okon

Personal bests: 800 run, 2:16.28; 1600 run, 4:41.45; 3200 run, 9:50.57.

Newsome: “After moving and transferring to West last summer, he was the conference champion in cross country and established himself as one of the best distance runners in the county. He is a very hard worker who never complains. His quiet leadership was invaluable to his teammates, and he set a great example of the benefits of hard work. We wish him the best of luck running at UNC-Asheville next season.”

Brooke Tomlinson

Personal bests: 300 dash, 51.36; 400 dash, 1:09.54; 500 dash, 1:36.01; 1000, 3:48.58.

Newsome: “Brooke competed as a freshman as a middle distance runner, then the last two years helped manage both the boys and girls teams. She helped with essential day-to-day tasks and was a huge help at both home and away meets. We are going to miss her pleasant and happy-to-help attitude.”

Jeffrey Walker

Personal bests: 200 dash, 23.94; 300 dash, 38.51; 400 dash, 52.54; 500 dash, 1:10.91.

Coach Lewis: “One of our best 400 runners and a key part to our 4×400 relay team, Jeff will be hard to replace. I am so proud of what he has accomplished this season. Jeff missed the majority of preseason coming back from an injury. He battled his way back and cemented his spot as one of our top long sprinters on the team. We are super proud of Jeff and wish him the best of luck.”

Braxton Ware

Personal bests: 100 dash, 11.12; 200 dash, 22.18; 400 dash, 49.32; 55 dash, 6.77; 300 dash, 35.57; 500 dash, 1:05.43.

Lewis: “One of the best sprinters in school history, Braxton had a season to remember even with it being cut short. He holds many school records, and if it were not for the stoppage of the season I am sure many others would have fallen as well. It was an honor to train such a great athlete and to watch him grow as a young man over these four years. We wish him the best of luck with college track at UNC-Charlotte. We’ll be watching.”

Kendall Williams

Lewis: “Kendall was new to the team. I wish we could have had more time to coach Kendall this year. Kendall is a special type of athlete that does not come around very often. His work ethic and dedication to his craft will take him far. It was a pleasure to be around such a great young man. Best of luck next year playing football at Carson-Newman.”