LAKELAND — Andrew Morrison didn’t exactly get off to a fast start to the 2026 track season. The Victory Christian junior sustained a concussion at a football camp and missed the first couple of meets.
With the season winding down, however, Morrison made up for lost time and, barring a slip up at the region meet, will be a contender for the state title in the 110-meter hurdles in Class 1A.
Morrison had no trouble taking the first step to returning to the state meet as he won the 110 hurdles in 14.56 seconds on Thursday at the Class 1A, District 10 track and field meet at George Jenkins High School. He also won the high jump (5-11.5) and was second in the 200 (22.09).
His time in the 200 was a personal record and vaults him into the top eight in Class 1A, but it’s the hurdles where he’s looking to improve on his seventh-place finish last year. Morrison ran under 15 seconds just once last season. This season, he’s been under that mark in seven of eight events.
“With me coming in with a concussion and missing the first meets, I had to kind of reevaluate myself and get back on track,” he said. “I ran twice (two meets), and then I felt good.”
Morrison’s best time is 13.93, which ranks No. 1 in Class 1A but was wind-aided. His best wind-legal time of 14.48, however, ranks third and puts him in contention for a state title.
“I just want to make up for what happened last year,” Morrison said. “I kicked a couple of hurdles, and I just want to right my wrongs.”
Morrison’s focus has been to prevent the same slip-up.
“My form was the main thing because I know I can run,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the technical stuff down to important stuff, the little things.”
Morrison began as a sprinter in the 100 and 200 then tried the hurdles as a freshman.
“It was kind of scary at first because it’s jumping 10 obstacles for 110 meters,” he said. “The idea just seemed pretty scary.”
Morrison’s improvement this year isn’t just due to the physical work he’s put in. It’s been a mindset that has carried over into many aspects.
“From last year he’s elevated everything about himself,” Victory coach Jamie Lemmond said. “He moved from one level class into my AP US history class and got the second-highest score on the world history test. He’s elevated how he eats. He walks around school, and so that combination of I’m making everything better clicked.”
Morrison wasn’t the only standout for Victory. Jerrell Paul won the triple jump (43-03) and was second in the 100 hurdles (15.54) and the 400 hurdles (59.16).
Peyton Willcut won the 400 hurdles (50.59), and AJ Cunningham won the 500 hurdles (57.72).
The Storm also won the 4×100.
Searight doubles up
McLaughlin senior Trevon Searight won the 100 in 10.85 and the 200 in 21.70. He is ranked No. 5 in the 100 in Class 1A and No. 2 in the 200.
LCS boys finish runner-up
Lakeland Christian finished a close second to Victory with 190 points, with four individual champions.
Kage Goldsmith won the 800 (2:07.49) and took fourth in the 1,600. Larry Glenn won the 1,600 (4:31.46) and placed second in the 3,200 (10:29.90). Hardy Terry won the pole vault (11-03.75), and Marcus Bankston won the long jump (21-05.25).
LCS also won the 4×800.
Santa Fe Catholic’s Bertran Bates won the shot put (47-06.25).
Wilkinson, Simpsons lead LCS to girls team title
Emma Wilkinson won two events, and Kendra Simpson and Issa Simpson combined for three wins to lead Lakeland Christian to the girls team title. LCS finished with 210 points.
Wilkinson, who is ranked in the top five in Class 1A in both the 1,600 (fifth) and 3,200 (third), won the 1,600 in 5:32.24 and the 3,200 in 11:49.57.
Kendra Simpson, a sophomore, won the 400 hurdles in 1:09.42 and the long jump in 15-05.5. Issa Simpson, a senior, won the triple jump (33-0.25) and took fourth in the 500 and fifth in the long jump.
LCS also got wins from Sophia Coscia in the high jump (4-07.75), Olivia Stroud in the pole vault (7-04.5), Mia Hermina in the discus (98-03) and LaVon Pozar in the javelin (88-05).
Another first for All Saints girls
Since taking over as head coach in cross country and track, Dale Meskimen’s teams have racked various firsts. The most recent one came on Thursday when the Saints finished second for the first time in school history.
Alahna Hawkins led the Saints. She won the 400 (1.00.9) and took second in the 100 (12.76), 200 (25.32) and long jump (15-02).
Charlotte Ray won the 800 (2:30.45), and the Saints won the 4×400 and the 4×800.
More girls champions
Victory Christian soccer standout Jordyn Williams took home three gold medals by winning the 100 (12.42) and the 200 (25.29) and also ran on the winning 4×100 team (50.88).
The Storm’s Shaude Jackson won the shot put (28-05.5), and Santa Fe Catholic’s Ajayia Hodges won the 100 hurdles (18.45).
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Morrison’s 3 wins leads Victory Christian, highlights from 1A-10 meet
Reporting by Roy Fuoco, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
