Big dreams are played out on the biggest stages in sports.
With this in mind, track and field athletes from Savannah-area middle and high schools are competing in national meets this week in Eugene, Ore., Greensboro, N.C., and Philadelphia.
“The faster we can get the kids into this exposure and show how big this can be or how good they already are, I think the better their careers can be,” said 
sports performance trainer Kim Wilson of Savannah. “Then they can take it more seriously. ‘Hey, I do have a shot at this.’ They wouldn’t know if no one reaches out to them.”
Wilson trains about 90 children who participate in multiple sports as well as conducts classes for adults at her gym, Northern Lights Athletics on Chatham Parkway, near Savannah Christian, where she also works with the middle school track team. She said young athletes from across the area were unaware that during the spring had met qualifying standards for the national meets.
That needs to change, Wilson said.
“They were kind of shocked they even qualified,” she said. “They were like, ‘I didn’t even know that was a thing.’ That’s why we’re doing this.”
Wilson, who hails from Alaska, was a sprinter and jumper in track and field, and also played basketball at Lane Community College in Eugene. Then she focused on long jump and triple jump and trained for the pentathlon at Savannah State University, graduating with a degree in social sciences in 2015.
She trained under then-SSU assistant track coach Rephel Martin, a former All-American in the triple jump and versatile track standout at UNC Charlotte. Martin now is a private coach and, like Wilson, trains local children for multiple sports.
Martin said the national youth meets are part of the process of developing Olympic athletes. He trains young athletes for this competition level, just as his coaches trained him.
“This is an opportunity for them to actually get a taste for what the sport really is,” Martin said. “These kids train hard either way. But when you get out there and either have success or get beat, you come back and re-evaluate. ‘Did I do everything that I should have done?’ That’s when things start to change.”
Martin trains three athletes competing this week. Rising seniors Jadyn Singleton of Savannah Christian – the GHSA Class 3A long jump champion -- and Haely Grant of Calvary Day will be at the Nike Outdoor Nationals on June 15-18 in Eugene. Calleigh Peterson, an eighth-grader this spring at Garrison School for the Arts, will be at the Adidas Outdoor Nationals on June 16-18 at the Marcus T. Johnson Track at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro.
Nike is based in Oregon, and Hayward Field at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field is beyond iconic in the track world – it’s a Mecca for the sport.
“If you’re a track athlete, it’s like doing a pilgrimage if you can make it to Oregon,” said Martin, who competed there during and after college. “Oregon is where every great track athlete wants to go. It’s a track town, literally. They say ‘TrackTown USA.’ Everybody in the city knows everything about track and field. They understand the relevance of the city that they live in and how historic Hayward Field is, especially when it comes to Nike, (Steve) Prefontaine and all the distance runners that were world-record holders and the sprint times that occurred in that stadium.
“I want these kids to go out there and see what the dream looks like and to come back and have a different perspective about the sport.”
Among those going to Hayward Field is Richmond Hill rising senior Noah Sybert, son of Wildcats coach Levi Sybert. Noah qualified for a unique event, the 2,000-meter steeplechase, with his time of 6 minutes, 11 seconds in an exhibition race at the school. The standard is 6:20.
Also competing at the Nike is Jenkins hurdler Billy Johnson, a junior in the spring, said Jenkins coach Zachary Schiffman, adding that freshman Blessed Diogo was planning to compete in the Adidas meet in three events (100, 400, triple jump) but is unable to attend.
Jenkins freshman Ivey Hall (400 meters) and Savannah Christian junior Jamari McIvory (400) – the Class 3A champion in the 200 and 400 -- will be part of the Coastal Georgia Track Team contingent going to the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet June 15-18 at another of track’s cathedrals, Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania.
South Effingham High School coach Rico Campbell is sending a group to the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia.
Riley Browne, who recently graduated and will be competing for Georgia Southern University, qualified in the high school with her personal best of 5 feet, 6 inches, Campbell said.
High jumper Justice Mydell, who tied the school record (6-6), has qualified but will be able to attend.
The boys 4x400 relay team, which placed fifth at the GHSA Class 6A state champions with a school-record time of 3:20.51, also is competing in Philadelphia.
The quartet is Devin Hallman, Kaleb Hodges, Isaiah Campbell (the coach’s son) and Amari Branch. Hallman and Branch are headed to Kennesaw State for track and Isaiah Campbell to South Carolina State, with Hodges to attend Georgia Southern as a student only, the coach said.
Rico Campbell said the five going to Philadelphia have a goal of making All-America with a top-six finish, which he believes is possible.
“I think so; I really do,” he said. “They were right in the middle when looking at the times from last year (2022 meet). I think they have a good shot.”
Here’s a rundown of more Savannah-area athletes who qualified for these national meets:
Coastal Georgia Track Team
Coach Isaiah Taylor said the following members are competing in the New Balance meet in Philadelphia:
Kinley Gibson, Richmond Hill Middle School, eighth-grader, Freshman division 200 and 400
Ivey Hall, Jenkins High, freshman, Freshman division 400
Kendrick Joshua, RHHS, freshman, Freshman division 400 hurdles
Jayla Lawrence, RHHS, junior, Rising Stars division 100 and 200
Jamari McIvory, SCPS, junior, Championship division 400
Marissa Palmer, New Hampstead High, junior, Championship division 100, Rising Stars 200
Shiv Patel, SCPS, junior, Championship high jump
Jayden Taylor, RHHS freshman, Freshman division 400
The following members are competing in the Adidas meet in Greensboro:
Melik Mclaughlin, RHHS, freshman, Freshman division 400
Stanley Smart Jr., Blessed Sacrament, eighth-grader, Middle School division 100, 200 and 400
Dakari Walker, Effingham County High, sophomore, National Elite division 100
Savannah Christian Middle School
Kim Wilson, who helps coach the SCPS Middle School track and field team, said the following members have qualified for the Nike meet in Eugene. Those not expected to attend have a (N/A) designation.
Cole Minnich, eighth grade, 1,600 (5:08.23; qualifying time 5:08.80)
Avery Pflibsen, eighth grade, 100 (13.96; 14.04); 200 (29.08, 32.00)
Aiyanna Butler, fifth grade, 200 (28.55; 32.00)
Aylee Hirata, sixth grade, 200 (30.99; 32.00) (N/A)
Lilly Cejic, sixth grade, 200 (31.79; 32.00) (N/A)
Devin Patel, eighth grade, 200 (25.75; 29.00)
Caden Thomas, seventh grade, 200 (27.58; 29.00)
William Keller, sixth grade, 200 (27.65; 29.00) (N/A)
Christopher Butler, eighth grade, 200 (28.23; 29.00)
Devin Trawick, seventh grade, long jump (14-3.50; 14-0) (N/A)
Christian Robinson, seventh grade, shot put (33-1; 32-0) (N/A)
PHOTO CREDIT: Collage photo credits
Photo 1: Kim Wilson of Northern Lights Athletics and Savannah Christian Middle School. (Photo provided)
Photo 2: Shiv Patel of the Coastal Georgia Track Team and Savannah Christian. (Photo by Brittany Joshua)
Photo 3: Melik McLaughlin of the Coastal Georgia Track Team and Richmond Hill High. (Photo by Brittany Joshua)
Photo 4: Marissa Palmer of the Coastal Georgia Track Team and New Hampstead High. (Photo by Brittany Joshua)
Photo 5: South Effingham High's Riley Browne, left, and coach Rico Campbell. (Photo provided)
Photo 6: From left, Billy Johnson, Caden Thomas, Avery Pflibsen, Devin Patel and coach Kim Wilson. (Photo provided)
Photo 7: South Effingham's 4x400 relay team, front row, from left, Devin Hallman, Isaiah Campbell, back row, Kaleb Hodges, Amari Branch. (Photo by Rico Campbell)
Photo 8: South Effingham's 4x400 relay team, from left, Kaleb Hodges, Devin Hallman, coach Rico Campbell, Isaiah Campbell, Amari Branch. (Photo provided)
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