TSSAA State Track & Field RECAP, powered by Garza Law || 2026 Class A & AA Meet

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DEAN FOX

KNOXVILLE — As Malerie Wiseman watched her final discus throw cut through the warm air Tuesday afternoon at UT’s Tom Black Track, she thought about the person who had been with her through most of her life.

She also thought about tragedy, the outpouring of community support and everything in between.

The memory of her older sister, Darrah — who died in a car crash 18 months ago — was definitely on Malarie’s mind.

Wiseman, a Tellico Plains junior, won the Class A state championship with a throw of 126 feet, delivering the biggest moment of her young track and field career 18 months after Darrah Wiseman, a six-time state champion in cross country, was killed in a car crash.

“It feels good after all the work I’ve put in,” said Wiseman, who also finished third in the shot put.

The title was not just a medal. It was a release.

By the end of the event, Wiseman and Tellico Plains coach Mitchell Witt both had tears in their eyes. State titles carry a lot of weight, but it’s fair to say Wiseman’s title was more meaningful than most.

“It means a lot,” Witt said. “She took up discus three years ago, and she’s just been working and grinding and working on rotation. It’s been a beautiful thing.”

Wiseman was one of several area athletes to win state championships Tuesday, a day that mixed breakthrough performances from freshmen, closing statements from seniors and one dramatic final-jump victory.

Four titles for the Spierdowis family

Gibbs junior Waylon Spierdowis won the Class AA 110-meter hurdles, edging Alcoa’s Josiah Tucker by five-hundredths of a second. Spierdowis finished in 14.17 seconds, just ahead of Tucker’s 14.22.

The title came one week after Spierdowis won the Class AA decathlon.

“It means a lot,” Spierdowis said. “It’s just so rewarding to see all this work pay off and to peak at the right time of the year.”

Tucker pushed him the entire way.

“I saw Josiah that whole race,” Spierdowis said. “I had to stay completely locked in to keep that little lead I had. I think he started to catch me at the end, and I was just trying to hold on.”

Spierdowis later added another championship in the 300-meter hurdles, winning in 38.12. Carter’s Trent TenBrook finished second in 40.54, while Northview Academy’s Park Dowd was third in 40.98.

His sister, Gibbs freshman Whitley Spierdowis, also won a state title, capturing the girls 300-meter hurdles in 43.44.

She added a runner-up finish in the 100 hurdles and placed third in the triple jump, giving the Spierdowis family four state championships over the past two weeks.

Moody claims more crowns

Ava Moody’s high school career ended in a triumphant and fitting way.

Moody, an Anderson County senior who has signed with Lipscomb, won both the Class AA 1,600 and 3,200, taking the 1,600 in 5:01 and the 3,200 in 11:18.06.

Moody is also a two-time state cross country champion and finished third in cross country as a sophomore.

“It’s a very nice way to end my senior year,” Moody said. “In the 1,600, Brynn and I always seem to be really close, and I just wanted to hold my lead.”

Seymour’s Brynn Balturshot, who has signed with Syracuse, finished three seconds behind Moody in the 1,600.

In the 3,200, Heritage freshman Hadleih Mitchey finished second, 11.44 seconds behind Moody.
On the boys’ side, Greeneville junior Trey Bailey won the 3200 and was second in the 1600.

Freshman wins pole vault

West Greene freshman Nevaeh Rowe won the Class A pole vault with a clearance of 8 feet, 6 inches, tying a school record and leading a strong showing by area vaulters.

Rowe’s victory came in a field filled with local competitors. South Greene freshman Sienna Gabbard tied for third with Gatlinburg-Pittman’s Ella Stinnett, while South Greene teammates Miranda Metcalf and Eva Weems finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

For Rowe, the championship capped her first season in track and field.

“We felt pretty good about her placing in the top two,” West Greene coach Simeon Roberts said. “I knew she had an 8-6 in her. … This is her first year of track. Did I expect her to come out and win state? No.”

Roberts said Rowe’s poise was helped by competing at the Vol Classic earlier in the season, which gave her a chance to adjust to the setting before the state meet.

“One of the biggest things can be nerves,” Roberts said. “We were at the Vol Classic earlier, and I think being familiar with the track helped. The first jump, she cleared it pretty easily, and I think that gave her a lot of confidence.”

South Greene’s Gabbard wins again

As Rowe ended her freshman year with a state championship, South Greene senior Alexa Gabbard closed her high school career with two.

Gabbard, who won the Class A pentathlon last week at Hardin Valley Academy, added another title Tuesday by winning the triple jump. Her second attempt of 35-5.5 held up for the championship and beat Union City’s Ca’Lae Ervin by more than 10 inches.

Gabbard, who will compete at Tusculum next year, said she knew she had room to be more aggressive after her opening attempt.

“I knew I was behind the board after my first jump, and so I just really hammered after that, and I went for it,” Gabbard said.

Her success in the pentathlon came after she initially resisted the event earlier in her career.

“The first year, Coach (Joe) Case told me, ‘You’re doing this,’” Gabbard said. “My sophomore year, I wasn’t too happy about it, but my junior year and senior year, I definitely got good at it, and it was something I wanted to do.”

Case said Gabbard’s growth came from learning to trust the talent that had been evident early in her career.

“Her freshman year, I knew she had great potential,” Case said, “and she’s a great young’n. She just had to believe in herself.”

Hall wins on final attempt

Anderson County’s Joseph Hall authored one of the day’s most dramatic finishes in the Class AA long jump.

Hall entered his final attempt in fifth place, then delivered a jump of 22-9.25 to vault all the way to first and win the state championship.

“I just had to make sure I had a mark,” Hall said. “I always try to get a personal record at every meet.”

Anderson County coach Harrison Calhoun said Hall’s final jump was exactly the kind of performance the Mavericks believed he was capable of producing, even as the pressure mounted.

“We always thought he would be either first or second,” Calhoun said. “We were getting a little worried there, but for him to come through right there, that’s the mark of a great competitor.”

Blackwell, relay win for Tornadoes

Good things come to those who work. Just ask Alcoa junior Jazmyne Blackwell.

Blackwell won the Class AA 400 meters in 56.53, and Alcoa’s boys 4×100 relay team of Demauri Dubose, Mason Laster, Dakari Harris and Jamir Dean won in 41.78.

“Ever since last year, the 400’s become my thing,” Blackwell said. “I used to hate it, and I told all my coaches I wouldn’t do it because it’s way too hard. But I’ve been training really hard, and I finally got what I deserved.”

Blackwell also finished fourth in the 200.

TEAM RESULTS

Both Gibbs’ boys and girls teams finished fourth in the state. Gibbs’ boys had 58 points to outdistance Alcoa, which finished fifth. Greeneville was eighth.

Gibbs’ girls tied for fourth with 43 points.

In Class A, South Greene’s girls finished seventh. Gatlinburg-Pittman’s boys finished ninth.

5STAR PHOTOS powered by Garza Law: 2026 TSSAA Class A & AA Track & Field

BOYS
CLASS AA
TRIPLE JUMP—2. Waylon Spierdowis, Gibbs, 46-9; 4. Jibriel Koko, Alcoa, 44-8.
HIGH JUMP—2. Antwaan Underwood, Loudon, 6-6.
LONG JUMP—1. Joseph Hall, Anderson County, 22-9.25.
POLE VAULT—4. Cooper Calfee, Pigeon Forge, 12-0.
4×100—1. Alcoa (Demauri Dubose, Mason Laster, Dakari Harris and Jamir Dean), 41.78; 5. South-Doyle (Jayden Norries, Levi Severson, Jeremiah Smith, Reed Reynolds), 42.83.
4×200—4. Gibbs (Braxton Swift, Graham Atkins, Lee Wolosik, Da’Juan Harris), 1:29.32; 8. Alcoa (false start)
4X400—5. Gibbs (Braxton Swift, Graham Atkins, Noah Summitt, Lee Wolosik)
4X800—4. Greeneville (Trey Bailey, Grant Tunnell, Jesse Reneau, Isaac Gibson), 8:29.63.
110 HURDLES—1. Waylon Spierdowis, Gibbs, 14.17; 2. Josiah Tucker, Alcoa, 14.22; 7. Mason Marion, Greeneville, 15.69; 8. Trent TenBrook, Carter, 16.14.
300 HURDLES—1. Waylon Spierdowis, Gibbs, 38.12; 2. Trent TenBrook, Carter, 40.54; 3. Parker Dowd, Northview Academy, 40.98.
100—4. Jamir Dean, Alcoa, 10.69; 8. Mason Laster, Alcoa, 10.83.
400—6. Jibriel Koko, Alcoa, 50.33
1600—2. Trey Bailey, Greeneville, 4:17.65.
3200—1. Trey Bailey, Greeneville, 9:23.66; 8, Cameron Hardy, Anderson County, 10:00.15.

CLASS A
SHOT PUT—5. Heath Norton, South Greene, 45-2.25; 6. Tripp Neas, South Greene, 43-5.25.
LONG JUMP—3. Jackson Savarese, Gatlinburg-Pittman, 21-2; 6. Tate Mason, Midway, 20-8.
DISCUS—6. Parker McMurry, Chuckey-Doak, 124-3.
POLE VAULT—3. Elijah Spence, Gatlinburg-Pittman, 9-6; 4. Elijah Barker, Chuckey-Doak, 9-0; 6. Colton Green, South Greene, 8-0.
TRIPLE JUMP—3. Elijah Spence, Gatlinburg-Pittman, 42-11.
200—4. Jamir Dean, Alcoa, 21.76; 5. Reed Reynolds, 22.12.
800—2. Bradyn Lewis, Gatlinburg-Pittman, 2:01.64.
1600—1. McCade Frye, Sweetwater, 4:27.89.

GIRLS
CLASS AA
TRIPLE JUMP—3. Rebekah Spierdowis, Gibbs, 35-6.50
SHOT PUT—5. Ari’Ajia Gadson, Austin-East, 36-3.5.
4X100 RELAY—3. Fulton, 48.59.
4X200 RELAY—3. Fulton, 1:43.01; 8. Austin-East (Kalani Wells, Aryel Crayon, Karmen Tribble, Taylor Cobb), 1:50.21.
4X400 RELAY—4. Gibbs (Kamilla Hardin, Addison Miller, Rebekah Spierdowis, Lauren Bentley), 4:03.
4X800 RELAY—2. Heritage (Sawyer Wood, Hadleih Mitchey, Avilynn Green, Avery Jo Thomas), 9:46.87.
100 HURDLES—2. Rebekah Spierdowis, Gibbs, 14.43.
300 HURDLES—1. Rebekah Spierdowis, Gibbs, 43.44; 4. Josalyn Thompson, Seymour, 46.03.
200—4. Jazmyne Blackwell, Alcoa, 25.37.
400—1. Jazmyne Blackwell, Alcoa, 56.53; 3. Addison Gibbs, Gibbs, 58.56.
1600—1. Ava Moody, Anderson County, 5:01.68.
3200—1. Ava Moody, Anderson County, 11:18.06; Hadleih Mitchey, Heritage, 11:29.50.

CLASS A
POLE VAULT—1. Nevaeh Rowe, West Greene, 8-6; 3 (tie). Sienna Gabbard, South Greene, 6-6; and Ella Stinnett, Gatlinburg-Pittman, 6-6; 5 (tie), Miranda Metcalf, South Greene, 6-6; 6. Eva Weems, South Greene, 6-6.
TRIPLE JUMP—1. Alexa Gabbard, South Greene, 35-5.5; 3. Ella Stinnett, Gatlinburg-Pittman, 33-8.25.
SHOT PUT—3. Malerie Wiseman, Tellico Plains, 31-1.5.
DISCUS—1. Malerie Wiseman, Tellico Plains, 126-0; 2, Natalie Foshie, North Greene, 111-11.
4×800 RELAY—8. South Greene (Sienna Gabbard, Chelsea Metcalf, Alexa Gabbard, Ava Leasure), 11:16.39.
4X400 RELAY—7, Gatlinburg-Pittman (Maliyah Glasper, Hailey Wines, Mackinzee Shrader, Caitlin Hamilton), 4:28.89.

MIXED
Class AA
4X400 RELAY—4. Pigeon Forge, 3:55.71.
Class A
4X400 RELAY—6. South Greene, 4:09.68.