Taylor soars to 3 golds, 1 silver
CRESCENT JUNIOR Kinidi Taylor leaps toward the pit during the second day of the Class 2A state track meet at Catoosa. Taylor repeated as state champ in the event, won two golds in relays and another silver at the meet. [KT&FP Staff Photo]
The Crescent girls track and field team was exceptional in 2022.
Its coach hopes 2023 can be even better.
Bolstered by a phenomenal meet by junior Kinidi Taylor, Crescent finished third in the Class 2A state track and field team standings at Catoosa High School last weekend.
Taylor won three gold medals and a silver as Crescent scored 69 team points and was just one point short of state runner-up Velma-Alma.
Hooker won the state title with 85 points.
Crescent was in the lead late in the day despite having no distance runners, nor a team in the final event, the mile relay.
“Hopefully we can get some young ladies out for those events next year,” coach J.L. Fisher said. “We don’t lose anyone off this year’s team. Maybe our success will spark some interest in those who were on the fence this year.”
Crescent won both relays in which it ran to rack up 40 points.
Taylor blazed the anchor leg to a gold medal in the 800 meter relay Friday night and then the 400 relay in the first race of the day on Saturday.
Jill Watkins, Calen Cox and Reydon Walker joined her in both of those relays.
Like Taylor, Cox and Walker are juniors. Watkins is only a sophomore.
Before running the final leg in the 400 relay, Taylor added to her long jump accolades.
She repeated as state champ in the event.
Although she didn’t know it at the time, Taylor’s first jump of the day was good enough to win.
She covered 17 feet 11.25 inches in that jump.
Velma-Alma’s Jakobi Bartling was the eventual runner-up with her best jump of 17-3.5.
But, for good measure, Taylor soared 18-5 in her final jump of the day to win the event by more than a foot.
The only event Taylor didn’t win was the 100 meter dash.
Still, she won silver with a time of 12.52 seconds. Katie Bosley of Oklahoma Christian Academy crossed the line first in 12.23.
Walker also qualified for the finals and took sixth place in 13.12.
Taylor accounted for 58 points for Crescent.
Junior Kinzie Bell scored eight points for the team.
Bell was the state runner-up in the discus throw.
Her best toss was 129-11 to finish behind Bekah Bunch of Oktaha.
Bunch’s best heave was 133-8.