MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – One year after becoming the TSSAA’s fastest sprinter by winning the 100- and 200-meter dashs and anchoring the state-championship 4×200 relay, Signal Mountain sophomore McKenzie Ethridge topped that performance with an incredible last-place finish Thursday night.
Knowing every point scored in an individual event could mean the difference in the team standings, Ethridge disregarded a painful injury she had suffered earlier in the evening to limp through the 200, earning one point by finishing.
That effort, along with a strong night from junior distance runner Mallory Young, helped Signal Mountain nudge past Hume-Fogg to claim the Class A/AA team championship, 70-64. Young won the 1600, finished second in the 800 and was third in the 3200 to score 24 points by herself.
“The whole team is just loaded with girls that are all about determination and dedication,” Lady Eagles coach Beverly Blackwell said. “That effort defines who McKenzie is, and then the way Mallory competed in three really tough events, both were really big for us.
“Words can’t express how I feel right now. I couldn’t be happier to coach a team with so much heart, and they all deserve this championship.”