Lady Mules ready to compete for state

The moment for athletes to prove themselves against some of the best has arrived, and the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules track and field team will be well-represented at this year’s Class 5 State Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Adkins Stadium at Jefferson City High School.

The Lady Mules are sending two state returners, seniors Kory Williams and Kennedy Zgaynor, and first-time state qualifier junior Trynitee Watkins, as they will take on some of the top track and field athletes in the state.

Williams, who will participate in the girl's 100-meter dash, said the nerves are starting to kick in as the tournament gets closer, but she’s excited because all the hard work she’s done has led her to this moment again. Last season, Williams ran with the Lady Mules relay team, this time around, she will be going in alone.

“I’m feeling very fulfilled because the season has honestly been really rough,” Williams said. “To PR really well at districts and then make it out of sectionals to land a spot at state, I just feel blessed. Competing in an event alone is a little sad because we’re more like sisters than teammates. I’m glad I will have a part of the relay team with me, so I’m happy about that.”

Williams is looking forward to watching all the good athletes at state. She said the talent level is insane, and she enjoys watching everyone compete. Despite the nerves, Williams is very excited and believes her going to state is well deserved.

Though Williams will be competing alone, she will have her fellow relay teammate beside her as Watkins will get her first shot at state by participating in the girl’s 100-meter hurdles.

“With this being my first trip to state, I’m just extremely excited,” Watkins said. “I’m excited for whatever comes with state because this is my first time. I'm nervous, but I'm just excited to see how it is.”

Watkins said having Williams along for the tournament has calmed her nerves a lot. She’s eager and happy to share the moment with Williams as this will be her last season as a Lady Mule.

“It's honestly a great feeling that Kory and I will have someone in our corner from the relay team,” Watkins said. “We’ve been handoff partners since we started running track together, so it feels great. It's just great to see how far she's come and how far I've come. Working from junior high school to us both going to state is amazing.”

Also competing for the Lady Mules is Zgaynor, who placed fourth in last year’s state tournament for girl’s javelin. Zgaynor broke the school record in javelin at the Hillsboro Invitational, where she threw 43.53m. She will go head-to-head with some of the best as she attempts to go for gold.

Head Lady Mules coach Beth Lewis said the team had many moving parts at the beginning of the season with having enough eligible runners, but they somehow saw a lot of success. The Lady Mules placed third in the SEMO conference and snagged second at districts.

“This season, it was just a matter of being patient and letting the pieces slowly come together,” Lewis said. “They came together and got the plaque for districts, which I don’t believe the girls saw coming. Having some different players on the podium this season has definitely given us a lot of confidence. I could tell that it had a positive effect on the team because everyone was striving to get better and stronger as the year progressed.”

Lewis said the fun thing about going to state is seeing the seniors get the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage.

“This group has worked extremely hard all year,” she said. “It’s always a good feeling to take your team to state. We coach all season, but this is the moment where we get to sit back and let them perform. It’s not just about our kids, it’s being able to see the top athletes in the state compete against each other. I have fun because I’m cheering for everyone. Our girls will do fine, and above all, I hope they enjoy it.”