Freshman Bates wins state title in 100-meter dash; sets school record in 200
Ross Martin
Prep-Sports Reporter
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Alexis Bates never showed a shred of emotion to indicate her joy after she won the 100-meter dash, and her expression never wavered after adding a second-place finish in the 200 with a new school record.
Central's freshman phenom was content with her first Class 4 Track and Field Championships but simultaneously preoccupied with other thoughts Saturday afternoon at Dwight T. Reed Stadium after she had collected her two medals.
"To do better next year," Bates said. "I'm just glad I can actually say I won the 100; I'm state champion. But next year, I definitely want to do better."
Bates entered Saturday with some nerves after winning her heats in both the 100 and 200 but her victory in the 100 in just the third event of the meet eased her tension. Bates ran just as she has all year with pure power and confidence, and as Central girls track coach Charles Taylor said, exactly what she was capable of on paper.
The victory in the 100 made it two straight years the Indians claimed a gold medal after Katie Wenger won the 100 hurdles last year, but unlike Wenger, Bates has three more years to continue her success.
"What's neat about freshman, we always have things to improve on," Taylor said. "That's something, like I said earlier, is a good problem to have. There's some things we can't naturally teach, and that's speed.
"Speed's God given, but technique and training can come with coaching."
Easily outdistancing the field in the 100, Taylor gave a celebratory fist pump as she ran past him at about the 70-meter mark when it was obvious Bates wouldn't be caught. She finished in 11.92, the 12th best in Track and Field Championships history and just the 19th sub-12 seconds. Bates said there weren't any nerves until Hickman's Shana White, running next to Bates in Lane 3, stayed with her for the first 20 meters.
White of Hickman placed second in 12.18, and the top five placewinners ran faster than Bates' top preliminary time of 12.40. In the Class 3 100, McCluer South-Berkeley junior Alishea Usery recorded an 11.69, which broke her own Class 3 record and came within 0.03 seconds of Muna Lee's all-time record of 11.66. Bates was hoping to run a similar time.
"I wasn't disappointed with my time, but I wanted better," Bates said. "As long as I came out on top, it didn't matter."
In the 200, Bates posted the fourth-best prelim time despite winning her heat and came out of the blocks fast. She felt like she was still in the race until she finished the opening curve and came to the straightaway trailing junior Paris Daniels of Normandy.
"She just took off and I was like, 'Wait,' and she was just going," Bates said. "I was like, 'It's over.' I thought I could kick it in, but it didn't happen."
Daniels, who also won the 400, finished in 24.55, but Bates' time of 24.96 was her first under 25 seconds and broke her own school record, which she set two weeks ago at districts.
Bates wasn't the only Indians runner to set a personal best but was the only Central athlete to earn a medal.
Ross Martin
Prep-Sports Reporter
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Alexis Bates never showed a shred of emotion to indicate her joy after she won the 100-meter dash, and her expression never wavered after adding a second-place finish in the 200 with a new school record.
Central's freshman phenom was content with her first Class 4 Track and Field Championships but simultaneously preoccupied with other thoughts Saturday afternoon at Dwight T. Reed Stadium after she had collected her two medals.
"To do better next year," Bates said. "I'm just glad I can actually say I won the 100; I'm state champion. But next year, I definitely want to do better."
Bates entered Saturday with some nerves after winning her heats in both the 100 and 200 but her victory in the 100 in just the third event of the meet eased her tension. Bates ran just as she has all year with pure power and confidence, and as Central girls track coach Charles Taylor said, exactly what she was capable of on paper.
The victory in the 100 made it two straight years the Indians claimed a gold medal after Katie Wenger won the 100 hurdles last year, but unlike Wenger, Bates has three more years to continue her success.
"What's neat about freshman, we always have things to improve on," Taylor said. "That's something, like I said earlier, is a good problem to have. There's some things we can't naturally teach, and that's speed.
"Speed's God given, but technique and training can come with coaching."
Easily outdistancing the field in the 100, Taylor gave a celebratory fist pump as she ran past him at about the 70-meter mark when it was obvious Bates wouldn't be caught. She finished in 11.92, the 12th best in Track and Field Championships history and just the 19th sub-12 seconds. Bates said there weren't any nerves until Hickman's Shana White, running next to Bates in Lane 3, stayed with her for the first 20 meters.
White of Hickman placed second in 12.18, and the top five placewinners ran faster than Bates' top preliminary time of 12.40. In the Class 3 100, McCluer South-Berkeley junior Alishea Usery recorded an 11.69, which broke her own Class 3 record and came within 0.03 seconds of Muna Lee's all-time record of 11.66. Bates was hoping to run a similar time.
"I wasn't disappointed with my time, but I wanted better," Bates said. "As long as I came out on top, it didn't matter."
In the 200, Bates posted the fourth-best prelim time despite winning her heat and came out of the blocks fast. She felt like she was still in the race until she finished the opening curve and came to the straightaway trailing junior Paris Daniels of Normandy.
"She just took off and I was like, 'Wait,' and she was just going," Bates said. "I was like, 'It's over.' I thought I could kick it in, but it didn't happen."
Daniels, who also won the 400, finished in 24.55, but Bates' time of 24.96 was her first under 25 seconds and broke her own school record, which she set two weeks ago at districts.
Bates wasn't the only Indians runner to set a personal best but was the only Central athlete to earn a medal.
