The state track and field championships for Division II Class A wrapped up this past week in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Over the course of the past week, hundreds of track and field athletes from across the state descended upon Middle Tennessee State University with the hopes of walking away with the title of state champion.

Repeating championships in any sport, team or individual, is difficult, both mentally and physically. Embracing the challenge is half the battle, and that half is one that Grace Christian Academy senior Brianna Baker clearly has a leg up on.

Of the twenty-six times she has run the 300-meter hurdles, she has crossed the finish line in first place twenty-three times. Her last loss was on May 4, 2021. Baker was the defending State Champion from 2021 and 2022 and now clinches the 3-peat State Title and set a new personal and school record with a time of 44.50.

Baker, the East Tennessee State University commit, also secured the State Championship in the 100-meter hurdles setting another new personal and school record in that event with a time of 14.66 and placed third in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet.

"Unbelievable," said GCA Athletic Director Marcus Dilligard of Baker’s accomplishment. "She was undefeated the whole outdoor season, which is just amazing. She had an amazing race, and to bring home two state titles at the end of her senior season was a storybook ending to her high school career.”

“I just kept thinking about how cool it would be to be a three-time state champion,” Baker said. “That really motivated me to kick as hard as I possibly could.”

Baker also recently competed in the State Pentathlon for the very first time, setting four new personal bests in the high jump, shot put, long jump, and high jump. Breaking her school record in the long jump and shaving 7 seconds off her time in the 800-meter run. She won the 100-meter hurdles event, tied for first place in the shot put, came in second in the long jump, tied for 4th in the high jump, and placed 3rd in her heat in the 800-meter run. All her marks from each event were calculated, giving her a total of 3,143 points combined from all 5 events and a 2^nd place finish overall.

Throughout the week leading up to the race, the realization was setting in that this was the end of her high school career.

But it's been a storied career that she hopes to build on when she gets to East Tennessee State University in the fall.

“I have four state championship titles and multiple district and region titles," Baker said. "My high school career got me to ETSU, and there are big things to come at ETSU.”

GCA had several track and field athletes qualify to compete against some of the region's best athletes at the Hardin Valley Invitational on March 26.

Bri Baker won 1st place in both the 100 and 300 meter hurdle races breaking both of her previous school records. She is now ranked first in the state in all divisions for the 300 meter hurdles, and second in the state in all divisions for the 100 meter hurdles. She also qualified to throw discus.

Alyssa Johnson set a new personal record in the 300 hurdles shaving 2 seconds off of her previous time placing 7th at the meet. She also qualified to compete in the the long jump and 100 meter dash.

8th grader Avery Currier qualified to compete in the 400 meter dash.

Bobby Lewis qualified to compete in the 200 meter dash.

Sawyer Lay qualified for the 200 and 400 meter dash.

Nicholas Dukes qualified to run the 400 meter dash and the 800 meter run.

Isaiah Spoon qualified and set a new PR in the 800 meter run placing 13th in that event.

Congratulations to all of these outstanding student athletes!

As described in the 5Star Preps article, Bri "finished first in the Division II-A 300 hurdles (47.07), second in the Division II-A 100 hurdles (16.67); KIL champion in 100 hurdles; KIL runner-up in 300 hurdles."

Congratulations, Bri, on this well deserved honor!  You can read the entire article at https://www.5starpreps.com/articles/2021-all-5star-preps-girls-track-field-team/.