Matt Vines

JACKSON, Miss – Four high school sprinters from DeSoto Parish will compete on the biggest youth track and field stage after they punched their tickets to the U.S. Track and Field National Junior Olympics.
All five compete with River Cities Track Club in the summer with four running for Mansfield High and one for North DeSoto High in the usual high school spring season.

To qualify for nationals, competitors needed to finish in the top five in their regional events, which were held at Hughes Field in Jackson, Miss., over the July 4th weekend.

Mansfield’s Jaden Youngblood won the 400 hurdles with a 55.28 in the 17-18 boys division. Youngblood also qualified in the 110 hurdles (14.84) and ran a leg of the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

Fellow Wolverine Ian White will join Youngblood in the 400 hurdles (third at 57.52) and on the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

North DeSoto’s MaCaylah Tingle blew away the competition in the 800 meters (15-16 girls division), winning by more than two seconds (personal best 2:28.46). Tingle placed second in the javelin with a 98-06.

Mansfield’s Zakhia Austin finished fifth in the 200 meters (17-18 girls) with a 25.33 and ran legs on the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

Fellow Lady Wolverine LaJordan Boykin will appear in the 15-16 girls division as a relay sprinter after River Cities won the 4×100 and 4×400 relays in that division.

The nationals are July 22-27 at Texas A&M’s E.B. Cushing Stadium.