Cove track athletes get in work at AAU track meet on Saturday

By TJ Maxwell
Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove Summer Track program recently hosted an (AAU) summer track meet at Bulldawg Stadium.
Incoming senior Kyle Stifflemire neared his own school record by clearing 16-feet even for first place in the 18-and-under pole vault during Saturday’s AAU meet. Stifflemire is in preparation for the 43rd Annual Great Southwest Track & Field Classic at the University of New Mexico’s Track & Field Stadium in Albuquerque, NM to be held May 31-June 2.
Also notching first place finishes was Kyra Gatson in the girls’ 14U division. She cleared 34 feet, 4 inches to win the triple jump and cleared 4-feet-10 to win the high jump with Akira Boast following with a 4-feet-6 jump. Gatson also notched a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:02.12 and a third-place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:37.73
The girl’s 18U 4x100-meter relay team of Tytianna West, Fanya Corbin, Norviana Crook and Tyquonda Brooks also earned a second-place finish with a time 53.75 seconds.
Crook also earned a podium finish in the 16U long jump with a mark of 15-feet-8 ½ inches to earn a third-place spot and a fifth-place spot in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.60 seconds.
Breanna Buckram earned a fifth-place finish in the 10U girls’ 100-meter dash and Simone Valot closed out the girls’ action with a pair of fifth-place finishes in the girls’ 14U division. She ran a time of 2:50.39 in the 800-meter run and cleared the 13-feet-10 ½ mark in the long jump.
Joining Stifflemire on the podium for the boys was Christian Tuiasosopo, who earned a third-place finish in the 16U 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.68 seconds. Kellen Avritt also finished third in the boys’ 16U pole vault with a 12-feet-6 vault. Tim Doyle just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the pole vault with the same height as Avritt on more attempts.
Senior A.J. Acosta also just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the 18U 200-meter dash with a time of 22.98 seconds. Jacorian Frazer also earned a fourth-place spot in the 16U 200-meter dash with a time of 24.48 seconds. Frazer finish sixth in the 100-meter dash with a mark of 12 seconds flat.
Cameron West finished fifth in the 16U 200-meter dash with a time of 25 seconds flat, Dimitri Bell finished sixth in the 18U 100-meter dash and Kamryn Pitts closed out the boys’ action with a sixth-place finish in the 12U 400-meter dash with a time of 1:12.04.