Alyssa Watkins looks to leave her track and field career Thursday, May 12, on top of the Camp Verde High School record books as well as Division IV in discus.
At the Arizona Meet of Champions in Phoenix, the Cowboys senior will attempt to set a new school record in the event after throwing nearly 111 feet to win the Division IV discus championship Saturday, May 7.
“We’re very happy,” said her mother and throwing coach, Pam Edgerton, after Watkins got the gold at
110 feet, 11 inches. “She’s excited about it but bummed she didn’t break the school record.”
Watkins, who has offers from Pima Community College, in Tucson, as well as universities in California and Colorado, will need to throw over four-and-a-half feet farther at her final meet at Brophy Preparatory Academy to topple the old record, set when she was a freshman by Class of 2013 graduate Katie Wilson.
Watkins will need to throw over 115½ feet to break Wilson’s old record.
“So she’s going to take this final opportunity to try and do that,” said head coach Michael Prow after Watkins won the first individual state title in Prow’s two seasons. “She had thrown 113 [feet, 11 inches], so not far away.”
Watkins and fellow senior Allee Drake also finished seventh and eighth in the shot put, respectively, for the Cowboys, whose boys team also scored a point for the first time in Prow’s tenure.
“We’re really going to miss our senior leadership,” said Prow, who also has to replace sprinter and jumper Samuel Swick along with Luis Valdez, who finished ninth in the 800-meter dash. “They really helped to mold the young guys to where they say, ‘Just wait until we’re juniors and seniors; we’re really going to rock the place.’”
That point came from a top-eight finish by freshman Chris Holdgrafer who ran the 110-meter hurdles in less than 17 seconds. Sophomore Nate Schultz added his best triple jump of 40 feet, 3½ inches to take ninth place.
