Heavy hitters leading Pride track into state meet

Call them Mountain Pointe's heavy hitters.

That'd be Will Claye and Michael Woodham on the boys' side and Natasa Vulic and Aubri Carman from the girls.

All year long, the four have led their respective teams. This weekend, the Pride will be looking to them once again in the finals of the Class 5A-Division I state track meet.

"They've been competing in tough meets all year," said MP co-coach Kris Alexander. "They went over to (the) Arcadia (Calif., Invitational) and competed really well. They're not new to the spotlight."

Claye set a state record in the triple jump at that meet. In addition to challenging for an individual title in that event, he'll also be a factor in the long jump.

"Will's Will," Alexander said. "When the lights come on, Will performs, that's nothing different. I'm really excited to see him and (Chandler's) Bryce (Lamb, Claye's top rival) go after each other."

Woodham enters the meet seeded first in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, and, as such, one of the favorites.

"It's kind of like a running joke, because Will's such a big-time guy now," Alexander said. "Even Michael says, ‘Oh, Will, you don't have to do this (in practice), because you're so good.' Mike's like, ‘I want to be Will Claye.' I'm just like, ‘Mike, you're not that bad, man. You're pretty good yourself.'"

Added Woodham, on being favored: "It means that I've been doing what I'm supposed to do in training and working on all my techniques. I'm ready to win both."

Vulic could place in four events Saturday. Carman could place in three.

"They definitely can cap a really solid four years here at Mountain Pointe," Alexander said. "It's definitely going to be bittersweet. When Aubri's done in the mile on Saturday and Natasa's done in the 800, it's going to be tough to say goodbye to them because they've been such a big part of this program on the girls side."

The Pride boys were ninth at last year's state meet. The girls finished fifth.

After losing Polyanna Trotter, who won the 200 and was third in the 100, the girls were expecting a down season. It's been anything but.

A year after 10 MP girls qualified for the state meet in 14 events, with the school also sending three relay teams, 10 more qualified this season in 15 different events. The Pride are once again sending all three relay teams.

"We lost Polyanna last year, and we were saying, ‘Well, OK, it'll be a rebuilding year,'" said co-coach Shannon Radford. "Well, truly, it hasn't been. ... We'll be competitive. It's not a rebuilding year, it's a competitive year."

The boys send six different athletes in 12 different events, and also two relays. That includes Drew Bensted, the school's first male high jumper to make the meet in five years.

Last season, the Pride sent nine athletes in 11 events.

"When Will and Michael get here every day, they bring a hard work ethic in practice," Radford said. "It's contagious. I think so. They're seeing that success and it's starting to pay off."