Last week kicked off the first indoor track meet of the year. Located in Birmingham, the Magic City Invitational was the season opener for the varsity high school athletes. Over 100 schools from multiple states (Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama) competed. Bob Jones, in particular, had an excellent outcome with some of our students placing in the top in multiple categories.  

John Murray- High Jump (2nd), 400 Meter Run (3rd), 60 Meter Hurdles (4th)

Kyla Diei- Shot Put (1st)

Xavier Wright- 60 Meter Hurdles (4th), Long Jump (4th)

Adaeze Okafor- Shot Put (6th)

Je’Han King- Shot Put (13th)

One of the longest-standing track team members and most dedicated athlete, John Murray, is planning on going “Big” in the sport. He has been a track athlete since his eighth-grade year. Ever since then, he has been working hard to be the best, to become a state champion. In his junior year of high school, he quit football, a sport he had been playing for years, to focus solely on track. Which shows his dedication to the sport. In the Last Chance Invitational earlier this year, he “placed second in the state in the pentathlon, fifth overall in the high jump, and third in 7A.”

However, John Murray is not the only athlete who competes in multiple events and shows motivation. Kyla Diei has been on the track team since her freshman year. She states, “At first it started off as a way for me to be healthy and stay in shape, but then I realized that I was actually good at it and I could go all the way. Plus, I knew that if I wanted to go to a good college and not stress my parents out with loans for university I could get a scholarship.”

These two athletes have shown that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. And so, Kyla adds, “This year I have faith that we will bring home the state championship. Game on Bob Jones!”