Board recognizes indoor track students
RUSSELLVILLE – The city schools board recognized several studentathletes last week for their performances at the AHSAA Class 4A/5A State Indoor Track Meet.
Superintendent Dr. Tim Guinn said the team’s indoor season showed both depth and momentum as the program prepares to move into outdoor competition.
“We had a very impressive showing at the Class 5A state indoor meet,” Guinn said. “Darron Jones earned a silver medal in the 60-meter hurdles and set a new school record, and the boys 4×200 relay team also had a strong finish. Those kinds of performances say a lot about the work these kids have put in.”
Sophomore Jones earned a silver medal in the boys 60-meter hurdles. He ran a personal best 8.63 and set a new school record in the event. The performance also placed him among the top hurdlers in Alabama this season.
Members of the boys 4×200 relay team were also recognized after winning a bronze medal at the state meet. The relay team included Jones, Connor Devaney, Julyn Francisco and Jamarkus Mitchell.
The group ran 1:32, set a new school record and finished the season ranked 25th in Alabama, according to the team’s season summary.
Devaney also turned in a strong individual performance at the meet. He set a new school record in the boys 60-meter dash with a time of 7.16 and placed sixth in Class 4A/5A competition.
On the girls side, Keira Cruze added another school record to the weekend’s results. Cruze set the new mark in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 8.25 inches, according to the team.
Russellville also set a school record in the boys 4×400 relay with a time of 3:45.
In all, Russellville athletes recorded 11 top 15 finishes, five top 10 finishes and two top three finishes at the state meet. The program also came away with five new school records from the indoor season’s championship weekend.
Head track coach Deion Belue said the results reflected steady improvement across the roster since he arrived in 2024.
“The team as a whole had a great year,” Belue said. “They set milestones for themselves, put the work in and they accomplished it.” The indoor season for Russellville ran from December through the end of January.
The team is now preparing to open the outdoor season later this month with the Russellville Classic scheduled to launch the next phase of competition
