Everhart places thrice at state meet

ASHEBORO — Shoot for the moon. But if you can’t quite reach it, take as many stars as possible on the way.

Lance Everhart shot for the moon last week at the NCHSAA Indoor Track State 3-A Championship Meet and came home with plenty of shining stars.

Everhart, who said he was aiming for two state championships and a state runner-up, finished third in the long jump, third in the high jump and third in the pole vault, winning medals in each.

Competing in just one of these events at the state meet level would be difficult enough, but Everhart was competing in these events at the same time.

He often left one event and hurried to the next, then returning to the first with a third event then added in. It was quite a day of accomplishments for an athlete who began his track career less than three years ago.

“My main goal was to get the state MVP overall, that’s all the points combined together,” said Everhart, a senior at Asheboro High School. “I was hoping for second in the high jump and first in the pole vault and long jump. It didn’t go that way, but I’m really proud of what I did.”

The 5-foot-11 Everhart excelled as he cleared 6-04 in the high jump, 13-06 in the pole vault and 22-03 in the long jump. The respective state champions recorded a high jump of 6-08, cleared 14 feet in the pole vault and recorded a jump of 22-06 in the long jump. 

“Lance is a competitor,” track coach DeNeal McNair said. “I always tell them to do the best you can. We were hoping to win the pole vault and the long jump, but he competed well. Three events at basically the same time. That’s tough. I take my hat off to him.”

Everhart said competing in three events concurrently did take a toll.

“Being at the state level, it's like your nerves are messing with you,” said Everhart, who will compete for the AHS outdoor track team and compete in the AAU Nationals in Virginia in March. “You get that feeling in your stomach because it could always go wrong. It’s really hectic. Going from the pole vault to the long jump tires your body out.”

Three events in one day is certainly tough. But Everhart is hoping for much more this track season and then in college. Everhart is training for the decathlon, a series of 10 events over the course of one meet. In the spring, he’ll compete in the long jump, high jump and triple jump each meet with another event sprinkled in. This past season he worked on sprints and hurdles.

Everhart won the NC AAU Decathlon event this past summer while competing in an older age bracket. 

“Every sport shows your athletic ability,” Everhart said. “In track, it shows you different things. I feel I can be good at something if I just put the effort into it.”

Everhart says there’s another reason for his success. The coaching he received by McNair and all the coaches at AHS. 

“I have amazing coaches,” he said. “Having coaches have your back like they all do, you know you are destined for greatness.”

Last year in the outdoor season, Everhart placed first in the region in pole vault and second in the high jump. At the state meet, he was eighth in the high jump and 12th in the pole vault.  

He certainly expects that to improve this year. He’s put in the effort, he has the drive and motivation, and with those characteristics, there is no doubt he will once again shoot for the moon.

Two other Asheboro seniors — Valentino Mark and Kai Matthews — also qualified for the state meet. Mark competed in the triple jump for a second straight year (16th place) while Matthews finished fifth in the long jump in his first championship appearance.

Sophomore Jalaya Showers made her championship debut with an 11th place showing in the 55 meter dash.

In the 1-A/2-A state meet, Randleman’s Amari Ferdna finished seventh in the triple jump and Tristan Chriscoe placed sixth in the 55 meter hurdles.

Other local athletes also competed:

— Eastern Randolph's James Jones qualified in the pole vault.

— Trinity senior Kensley Fox was 13th in women's shot put.

— Wheatmore's Zach Hazelwood placed 11th in the 3200 meter run. Hazelwood was the only PAC returner from last season's title meet.