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Area athletes aim to improve showings
Ester hopes to reclaim championship form
When the Class 3-A track and field championships start Friday at North Carolina A&T, Williams High School distance standout Lindsay Ester will have a long day ahead of her.
But after a busy spring, the senior should be in good shape to face it.
Ester has been splitting her time between track and field and girls' soccer. The Bulldogs girls' soccer team defeated Wilson Fike 4-2 in Wednesday night's Class 3-A playoff game.
She won the 3,200 meters and took second in the 1,600 as a sophomore in the state meet. Last season, with the Bulldogs' soccer team charging to an appearance in the Class 3-A Eastern Regional final, Ester managed second in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600.
This spring Ester, who won the Class 3-A cross country title last fall, has been trying to make the most of her limited practice time for Friday's races with girls' track and field coach Brian Smith.
"She hadn't been able to give as much time as before," Smith said. "Soccer has definitely helped her endurance and made her able to give that extra kick when she needs it. But we still have worked out a great deal."
Another Williams distance standout, Nick Kelly, will be looking for his first title. Kelly, who signed with Gardner-Webb, has come close, taking second in the 1,600 in the Class 1-A/2-A/3-A indoor championship in January.
"He wants his picture up on the state championship wall (in the school's gym lobby)," said Smith, who works with the Bulldogs' distance runners. "That's a great driving force. He's doing the work behind the scenes to get his picture up on that wall."
Eastern Alamance standout Chris Felmet also is looking to improve on past championship results. He took second in the 110 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles last season. He should be in the mix in each event after winning each event in last week's regional.
Eastern Alamance's Damion Reed took eighth in the shot put last season and is coming off a regional title, while Western Alamance's Logan Elliston, who took 11th in the high jump last year, is back for another try.
Williams' Yvette Wyatt will aim to improve her ninth-place finish in the 800.
Eastern Alamance Andria Walker, who won the high jump at the regional, will aim to beat her 15th-place finish from last season.
