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Daniels, Baker WDN’s top track athlete
By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
Washington Track Coach Jon Blank has high praises for senior Travis Daniels.
Blank says Daniels may be the best long jumper or triple jumper to pass through the halls of Washington High School in the last 20 years. He also calls Daniels the area’s best athlete since Terrence Copper, a former Pam Pack football star who graduated in 2001 and now plays for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
After the year Daniels had on both the football field and on the track, who can argue?
Daniels racked up more than 2,200 rushing yards and scored 22 touchdowns for the Pam Pack football team this fall to earn all-conference honors and capture the Washington Daily News’ Football Athlete of the Year award.
This spring, he turned his attention to track & field and came home from the N. C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A State track & Field Championships with a bronze medal around his neck after placing fourth in the triple jump. It was the first medal earned by a Pam Pack track star in more than a decade. For his accomplishments, Daniels has been named the Washington Daily News’ Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
“It means a lot to me to be the first Pam Pack track athlete to win a medal,” Daniels said. “All my hard work finally paid of this season. It’s been a great year.”
Daniels was the leading point scorer for the Washington track team and qualified for the Class 3-A state meet in three different events — the long jump, the triple jump, and the 4x200-meter relay.
“Travis came out his senior year and wanted to be the best he could be,” Blank said. “He came out here determined this season. He went to the state meet to compete against the state’s best and came home with a medal. It was a terrific year for Travis.”
At the state championships, Daniels leaped more than a foot-and-a-half better than career-best in the triple jump to earn his bronze medal. He leaped 45-feet, 9-inches at the state meet to top his previous best of 44-feet, 3-inches.
“I knew he would give his best performance of the season because he always rises to the level of his competition,” Blank said. “I was shocked at the number he put up, but I wasn’t shocked by how he finished. Travis is a gamer. He rises to the top when he has to.”
Besides his fourth in the triple jump, Daniels also advanced to the finals of the long jump for a second straight year and wound up ninth. He was also part of the 4x200-meter relay team that ended up finishing 11th at the state meet.
“That whole week I was focused,” Daniels said. “I was even doing stretches at work and trying to get my body just right. i wanted to get a medal so bad and I’m just really happy that it all worked out.”
Now that Daniels high school athletic career is over, he’s turning his attention to college football, where he hopes to make an immediate impact at UNC-Pembroke.
“I pushed myself a lot this year in track, so that’s prepared me to play college football. I’m excited to get to Pembroke this fall,” Daniels said. “The last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about how much I’m going to miss this place. My time at Washington has been great. I’ve made so many great memories here, and hopefully I can make great memories at Pembroke too.”
Baker named top female track athlete
Mary Baker defied the odds all season long.
After winning bronze medals for the shot put at the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A State Track & Field Championships as a freshman and sophomore, the Southside senior thrower took the 2007 season off to concentrate on academics, leaving her track & field career in jeopardy.
This season, she elected to give her track & field career another try, but had to do so with a busy schedule.
Last fall, Baker enrolled in the cosmetology program at Beaufort County Community College and has tried to balance a full-time high school schedule, with her part-time college duties. With her cosmetology courses taking place from 1:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, Baker couldn’t practice with the team.
After missing an entire year, being burdened with a demanding schedule, and with no time to practice, Baker’s odds of getting a medal were miniscule at best.
But two days a week, the Seahawks’ senior would skip lunch and venture out to the throwing circles where she’d hurl the shot put and discus for half an hour with track coach Dr. Everett Phillips.
Her hectic schedule only allowed her to compete in four events, but Baker made the most of her opportunities as she captured the Atlantic Conference Championship in both the shot put and discus, won a regional championship in the discus, was the regional runner-up in the shot put, earned a bronze medal at the state championships in the discus and placed sixth in the state meet in the shot put.
After an impressive 2008 campaign, Baker has been named the Washington Daily News’ Female Track Athlete of the Year.
“Everything I’ve accomplished this season means a lot to me,” Baker said. “Four years ago, I didn’t even know what a discus or shot put was. Now I’ve got state championship medals from both events. I’m proud of what I was able to do. It’s definately been a hectic spring, and I’m glad that I was able to do as well as I did with so much on my plate.”
Baker threw a career best 110-feet, 7-inches in the discus at the regional meet, and also had a career-best throw of 34-feet, 11-inches in the shot put at the Atlantic Conference Championships.
“For her to throw almost 111-feet in the discus with the limited amount of times she had to throw was an impressive feat,” Southside coach Gerry Klas said. “We always knew that she’d be good in the discus, but to do that well this season with only practicing two days a week was surprising.
“We’ve had high expectations for her every since she was a freshman. I know she wanted to medal at states in the shot put as well, but to get a shot put medal her first two years, then a discus medal this year is something she can really be proud of.”
After graduating next month, Baker will continue with the cosmetology program at Beaufort County Community College for another year, and then hopes to transfer to a four-year institution to get her degree in business management. She’s got big dreams for her life. Some of which have already come true.
“It’s a dream come true to win a medal at states. I’m really proud to have won three bronze medals n the last four years,” Baker said. “When I get older, I can look back and have something that I’ll always be proud of.”
Blank says Daniels may be the best long jumper or triple jumper to pass through the halls of Washington High School in the last 20 years. He also calls Daniels the area’s best athlete since Terrence Copper, a former Pam Pack football star who graduated in 2001 and now plays for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
After the year Daniels had on both the football field and on the track, who can argue?
Daniels racked up more than 2,200 rushing yards and scored 22 touchdowns for the Pam Pack football team this fall to earn all-conference honors and capture the Washington Daily News’ Football Athlete of the Year award.
This spring, he turned his attention to track & field and came home from the N. C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A State track & Field Championships with a bronze medal around his neck after placing fourth in the triple jump. It was the first medal earned by a Pam Pack track star in more than a decade. For his accomplishments, Daniels has been named the Washington Daily News’ Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
“It means a lot to me to be the first Pam Pack track athlete to win a medal,” Daniels said. “All my hard work finally paid of this season. It’s been a great year.”
Daniels was the leading point scorer for the Washington track team and qualified for the Class 3-A state meet in three different events — the long jump, the triple jump, and the 4x200-meter relay.
“Travis came out his senior year and wanted to be the best he could be,” Blank said. “He came out here determined this season. He went to the state meet to compete against the state’s best and came home with a medal. It was a terrific year for Travis.”
At the state championships, Daniels leaped more than a foot-and-a-half better than career-best in the triple jump to earn his bronze medal. He leaped 45-feet, 9-inches at the state meet to top his previous best of 44-feet, 3-inches.
“I knew he would give his best performance of the season because he always rises to the level of his competition,” Blank said. “I was shocked at the number he put up, but I wasn’t shocked by how he finished. Travis is a gamer. He rises to the top when he has to.”
Besides his fourth in the triple jump, Daniels also advanced to the finals of the long jump for a second straight year and wound up ninth. He was also part of the 4x200-meter relay team that ended up finishing 11th at the state meet.
“That whole week I was focused,” Daniels said. “I was even doing stretches at work and trying to get my body just right. i wanted to get a medal so bad and I’m just really happy that it all worked out.”
Now that Daniels high school athletic career is over, he’s turning his attention to college football, where he hopes to make an immediate impact at UNC-Pembroke.
“I pushed myself a lot this year in track, so that’s prepared me to play college football. I’m excited to get to Pembroke this fall,” Daniels said. “The last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about how much I’m going to miss this place. My time at Washington has been great. I’ve made so many great memories here, and hopefully I can make great memories at Pembroke too.”
Baker named top female track athlete
Mary Baker defied the odds all season long.
After winning bronze medals for the shot put at the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A State Track & Field Championships as a freshman and sophomore, the Southside senior thrower took the 2007 season off to concentrate on academics, leaving her track & field career in jeopardy.
This season, she elected to give her track & field career another try, but had to do so with a busy schedule.
Last fall, Baker enrolled in the cosmetology program at Beaufort County Community College and has tried to balance a full-time high school schedule, with her part-time college duties. With her cosmetology courses taking place from 1:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, Baker couldn’t practice with the team.
After missing an entire year, being burdened with a demanding schedule, and with no time to practice, Baker’s odds of getting a medal were miniscule at best.
But two days a week, the Seahawks’ senior would skip lunch and venture out to the throwing circles where she’d hurl the shot put and discus for half an hour with track coach Dr. Everett Phillips.
Her hectic schedule only allowed her to compete in four events, but Baker made the most of her opportunities as she captured the Atlantic Conference Championship in both the shot put and discus, won a regional championship in the discus, was the regional runner-up in the shot put, earned a bronze medal at the state championships in the discus and placed sixth in the state meet in the shot put.
After an impressive 2008 campaign, Baker has been named the Washington Daily News’ Female Track Athlete of the Year.
“Everything I’ve accomplished this season means a lot to me,” Baker said. “Four years ago, I didn’t even know what a discus or shot put was. Now I’ve got state championship medals from both events. I’m proud of what I was able to do. It’s definately been a hectic spring, and I’m glad that I was able to do as well as I did with so much on my plate.”
Baker threw a career best 110-feet, 7-inches in the discus at the regional meet, and also had a career-best throw of 34-feet, 11-inches in the shot put at the Atlantic Conference Championships.
“For her to throw almost 111-feet in the discus with the limited amount of times she had to throw was an impressive feat,” Southside coach Gerry Klas said. “We always knew that she’d be good in the discus, but to do that well this season with only practicing two days a week was surprising.
“We’ve had high expectations for her every since she was a freshman. I know she wanted to medal at states in the shot put as well, but to get a shot put medal her first two years, then a discus medal this year is something she can really be proud of.”
After graduating next month, Baker will continue with the cosmetology program at Beaufort County Community College for another year, and then hopes to transfer to a four-year institution to get her degree in business management. She’s got big dreams for her life. Some of which have already come true.
“It’s a dream come true to win a medal at states. I’m really proud to have won three bronze medals n the last four years,” Baker said. “When I get older, I can look back and have something that I’ll always be proud of.”
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