MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Facing one of the busiest weeks of his young life, Hakim McMorris certainly began it with a bang. The McCallie junior incredibly won 9 of 10 events Monday and Tuesday in dominating the Division II-AA decathlon unlike any previous area competitor.
“It was very tiring,” McMorris understated of the event at Middle Tennessee State University. “I’ve still got to study for exams and take those this week, then pack to be ready to fly home (California) for the summer.
“Plus I still have four events to run in at Friday’s state meet, so it’s a pretty tough week. But at least Friday is only four events, not 10.”
McCallie track and field athlete Hakim McMorris poses for a photo for Best of Preps at the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Tuesday, May 16, 2017.His 6,892 total points far outdistanced second-place Daniel Tell of Briarcrest, who finished with 6,204. McMorris is the sixth McCallie athlete to claim a state title in the decathlon, and Blue Tornado teammate Adams Robinson finished seventh.
In Class AAA, Walker Valley’s Bryce Nunnelly finished fourth, followed by teammate Zeke Westfield in fifth and Cleveland’s Eric Parker in seventh.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said McCallie coach Mike Wood. “Usually you have a couple of kids who are really strong in one or two events that make it tough to win, so for Hakim to win that many really says something about his versatility and ability.”
The only event McMorris failed to win was the pole vault, but he set a personal best by clearing 10 feet, 11.75 inches in that event Monday.
He followed a strong start by winning all five Tuesday events: the 110-meter hurdles, shot put, long jump, high jump and the grueling 1500-meter run in the final event of the day. In that race, McMorris was pacing himself in the middle of the pack until the final lap, when with just over 200 meters to go he took off and left the field.
“When we were coming around on the final lap I felt like I still had a good amount of energy left, so I said why not win another event,” McMorris said.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.