Published: May 08, 2008 11:45 am            

Going for gold

• Winfrey aiming for two titles in Ardmore

Nathaniel Winfrey wasn’t supposed to be a championship contender this year.

The Stillwater High junior qualified for the Class 6A State Track and Field Championships in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 300m hurdles last year, but he didn’t reach the finals in either event.

In fact, he finished 10th in the 300 (40.93) and 17th in the 110 (16.3).

But this weekend, he heads to the 2008 version of the meet in Ardmore with a tie for the fastest time in the 110 (13.91) and as a serious contender in the 300 (38.45).

If he had run those times at the championship last year, they would have been worth a state championship and a fourth-place finish, respectively.

“Any time you are in the 13s (in the 110m hurdles), that puts you in another class,” said SHS coach Craig Church. “He’s been doing that for weeks now. He’s in that position where it’s all you can ask.”

In fact, Winfrey isn’t far off the 6A State Meet record of 13.86.

“I want to make history,” he said. “I don’t just want to win. I want to be the record holder. I’m almost focusing on that more.”

But don’t let that statement fool you. He is dying for a chance to win a title. In fact, he stumbled over himself trying to express how that would feel.

“It would mean a lot to me,” said Winfrey, who has only been beaten in either hurdling event once all season. “I wouldn’t know what to think. I would be the happiest man alive.”

He tried to continue to express the sentiment before finally ending with, “I’d be speechless, just like I am now.”

His dramatic improvement since last year is because of several reasons, according to both the athlete and the coach.

“I’ve trained a lot harder than I did last year,” Winfrey said. “On weekends, I go to the OSU track and run for a few hours. After doing that so many times, after all that work, I want to see some results.”

Added Church, “His body has changed (since last year) and his confidence level went way up. He went to the Catoosa Meet and blew everyone away. I think he went, ‘I can do this.’”

Winfrey has a chance to be the first Stillwater athlete to win a state title since Hallie Hutchens won the 300m hurdles in 2001.

But Church said there are other contenders.

Max Miller will run in both the 3,200m and the 1,600m. Erica Rackley will run in both events as well. Jessy Murphy is in the long jump.

Also, the boys 4x800m team of Miller, Max Johnson, Charles Kenna and Eric Cunningham qualified with Seth Smart as the alternate.

The meet will be Friday and Saturday.

        

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