Reeths-Puffer freshman Raquel Walker broke the Rockets' school
record in long jump and finished third in the event at Saturday's
Division 1 state meet at East Kentwood.
Walker's leap of 18-7.75 surpassed the previous mark, set by Christy Schultz at the 2013 state finals, by 4.5 inches.
Rockets'
coach Parker Aerts said it was clear from the start of the day Walker
would perform well, and she leapt 18-1.5 on her first jump, which
would've earned her fifth place even had that been the best she did.
"I
texted some of the other coaches during her warmup and again after her
run-throughs, letting them know that she looked great and that we would
see a very special mark from her that day," Aerts said.
She
saved the best for last, though. Dearborn Edsel Ford's Fiona Kane
surpassed Walker with an 18-3.25 jump - by coincidence, Schultz's exact
mark - just before her own final attempt. She asked Aerts what she
needed for the record and simply responded to the information with a nod
of the head.
"I knew we would see a school record fall
in the final round," Aerts said.
The coach added that he
appreciated Walker's faith in the coaching staff in how they've
approached the season. Obviously, with three years still left to
compete, Walker can be expected to add to her new mark.
"The
next three years will be up to Raquel on how far she wants to go -
literally," Aerts said. "We will continue to provide her all the tools
in order to
do this, but it is in her hands to commit, put in the work, and trust in
the process."
Walker wasn't the only all-state Rocket at the
finals. Junior Mason Darke placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles in the
boys' meet, posting a time of 38.65 seconds - the second-best of his
career.
Darke also competed in the 110-meter hurdles, but was
disqualified. R-P's 400-meter relay team of Darke, London Rankin, Marvin
Moore and Cole Piper also was disqualified.
