JEFFERSON CITY — Ozark’s Kannon Williams responded to running out of lane eight in the 200 prelims at State with a school record time of 21.79 over the weekend.
Williams went on to medal by recording a 22.06 and finishing seventh in the finals.
The Tigers sophomore didn’t mind running in the far outside lane, even though all season he ran in lanes three, four, five or six.
“Lane eight usually gets a lot of hate,” Williams said. “You might not do good if you're in lane eight because you're all the way on the outside. But that didn't stop me.”
Williams enjoyed an incredible start and briefly found himself leading at the beginning of the stretch run.
“I felt way comfortable in my start,” he said. “Usually, around the corner, I see people catching up to me. But only one person had caught up to me.”
The State stage didn’t overwhelm Williams in the slightest.
“The pressure wasn't as much because I'm a sophomore,” he said. “I didn't have too much to lose. It almost felt like a practice.”
Williams overtook 2006 Ozark grad Seth Mason's former standard of 21.84 on the Tigers’ records board.
“I always strive for the school record, but when I'm racing, I'm not thinking about it, I'm just trying to beat my PR,” Williams said. “It’s unbelievable, I keep on surprising myself.”
The Tigers’ Napela Naihe placed fifth with a leap of 6-4 in the high jump.
Ozark’s Bria Wright also earned a medal by finishing eighth in the 100 hurdles (15.04). She was eighth in the prelims (15.07).
“I felt my start was really good,” Wright said after the prelims. “I fell off a little bit, but picked it up at the end.”
She had to wait until after the second heat to learn she made the finals.
“I didn't know for sure if I made it because all the times were really close,” Wright said. “There was a lot of anxiety.”
The 100 hurdles record is held by 2001 Ozark grad Chelsea Campbell at 15.03.
The Lady Tigers’ 4 x 200 relay finished ninth (1:44.13) and their 4 x 400 relay was 15th (4:08.22).
