Mount Pisgah Track and Field made their mark at this year’s state meet, continuing a proud tradition of competing with determination and purpose.
On May 9 and 10, the team competed in Carrollton and Mount Pisgah delivered a solid performance. Several athletes advanced to finals, set personal bests and earned spots on the podium.
Carrollton provided a competitive yet welcoming environment for this year’s state meet. The venue was packed with athletes, coaches and families across Georgia, creating an intense yet sociable atmosphere.
“After running against the same teams numerous times in regular season meets, area and sectionals, we have developed great relationships with other teams. In most events, runners, jumpers and throwers were warming up with athletes on other teams,” explains junior Ellie Plunkett.
Delivering some of the strongest showings of the meet, sophomore Sophia Nasieku and junior Winston Simmons each secured top-three finishes.
Simmons earned the title of long jump State Champion and fourth in the 200-meter dash.
“Winning state was a really full-circle achievement for me. Since middle school, I’d always watch people way older than me be so competitive on the track, and now I’m filling the same shoes as the ones before me,” said Simmons.
Nasieku earned the State Runner-Up title in both the triple and long jump, a tremendous achievement and milestone for her.
“This accomplishment means a lot to me because it shows how my work wasn’t just for nothing. I’m just happy I could get a personal best at the last chance I got,” explains Nasieku.
Other athletes who placed in the top eight include junior George Thompson, earning fifth in the high jump, senior Brendan Noll, placing seventh in the pole vault, junior Ellie Plunkett, earning seventh in the 3200-meter run, and Emily Childress, placing eighth in the long jump.
As the season ends, the team is already setting its sights on what’s next. Many returning athletes are eager to build on this year’s accomplishments and have an even stronger finish next season.
When reflecting, both Nasieku and Plunkett expressed how the state meet brought the team closer together, setting the program up for success.
“This experience will help moving forward because more people will want to come to state and make it their goal to work hard to qualify for state,” explains Nasieku.
The Mount Pisgah Track and Field team achieved a lot this season, earning extraordinary achievements and making long-lasting memories.
But in Simmons’s words, the takeaway from the state meet was simple: “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.”
And that’s the energy they’ll be bringing into the 2026 season.
