Brainerd’s Danielle Dunning becomes first four-time TSSAA 100-meter state champion
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Brainerd senior Danielle Dunning wins her fourth consecutive TSSAA Class A state championship in the 100-meter dash on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro. Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Brainerd senior Danielle Dunning wins her fourth consecutive TSSAA Class A state championship in the 100-meter dash on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — As all eyes inside Dean A. Hayes Stadium zoomed in on Danielle Dunning, the Brainerd High School senior track star and Vanderbilt signee delivered a first-time moment in TSSAA history.
Dunning exploded out of the blocks and never looked back as she violently pumped her arms on the way to becoming the state’s first four-time 100-meter dash state champion in either boys’ or girls’ track and field. The only thing able to slow the speedster down was a nasty headwind that had her cross the finish line in 12.06 seconds instead of in the low 11-second range she’s accustomed to.
A little later, before tornado sirens sounded on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, Dunning also helped her Lady Panthers’ 4×100 relay team to a blazing state championship finish in 47.09 seconds, not far off from the state’s top mark of 46.79 by Blackman. She was the last leg of the race that was started by her sister Daniya and followed by Maliyah Roseberry and Jamelia Bell.
“My coach told me to just focus on the race and go make history,” Dunning said of her 100-meter win. “To be the first to win four straight state championships in the 100 meters is a blessing. Hopefully, any individuals who look up to me can look up to what I’ve done as motivation to chase what I accomplished.
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain junior Marlee Burkley celebrates her TSSAA Class AA state championship in the high jump with her assistant coach on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain’s Marlee Burkley is all smiles after winning the TSSAA Class AA high jump state championship on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Brainerd senior Danielle Dunning wins her fourth consecutive TSSAA Class A state championship in the 100-meter dash on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Arts & Sciences senior Fiona Eastman shows emotion after winning the TSSAA Class A 100-meter hurdles state championship on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Arts & Sciences’ Fiona Eastman wins a state title in the TSSAA Class A 100-meter hurdles on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain’s Marlee Burkley, center, wins a state championship in the TSSAA Class A 100-meter hurdles on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain’s Marlee Burkley wins a state championship in the TSSAA Class A 100-meter hurdles on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain’s Marlee Burkley wins a state championship in the TSSAA Class A 100-meter hurdles on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner freshman Karontae Cunningham races and wins a state championship in Tuesday’s TSSAA Class A 100-meter dash at Middle Tennessee State University.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner’s Karontae Cunningham helps the Rams win a TSSAA state championship in the 4×200-meter relay at Middle Tennessee State University on Tuesday.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain junior Hudson Sveadas throws his first attempt in Tuesday’s TSSAA Class AA boys’ shot put championship event on the first day of the Spring Fling in Murfreesboro. Sveadas’ mark of 57-01 landed him a runner-up finish.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Signal Mountain junior Hudson Sveadas competes in Tuesday’s TSSAA Class AA boys’ shot put championship event on the first day of the Spring Fling in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Sale Creek’s Eisa Eilertson competes in Tuesday’s TSSAA Class A girls’ high jump championship on the first day of the Spring Fling in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner sophomore Kohl Ward wins the TSSAA Class A boys’ triple jump state championship on his fourth and final leap covering 44-feet and 4 inches on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner sophomore Kohl Ward wins the TSSAA Class A boys’ triple jump state championship on his fourth and final leap covering 44-feet and 4 inches on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Brainerd senior Danielle Dunning, center, wins her fourth consecutive TSSAA Class A state championship in the 100-meter dash on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Arts & Sciences’ Fiona Eastman, center, wins a state title in the TSSAA Class A 100-meter hurdles on the first day of the Spring Fling Tuesday in Murfreesboro.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner junior Joslyn Brookins won the TSSAA Class A girls’ high jump state championship with a personal record leap of 5-foot-2 at Middle Tennessee State University on Tuesday.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner junior Joslyn Brookins won the TSSAA Class A girls’ high jump state championship with a personal record leap of 5-foot-2 at Middle Tennessee State University on Tuesday.Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner junior Joslyn Brookins won the TSSAA Class A girls’ high jump state championship with a personal record leap of 5-foot-2 at Middle Tennessee State University on Tuesday.
“As soon as I got out of my blocks, I knew I was gone. I could see in my peripheral that I was fine. About 30 meters into the 100, I knew I had my fourth.”
