In football, the saying goes that a team will improve more from Week No.1 to Week No. 2 than they will at any other time of the year. The same must be true for high school long jumpers. At least that was the case for Menard junior A'Shyria Burns, who broke the McNeese Indoor No. 1 record on Saturday morning with a jump of 18-2.
Last week, Burns opened up her season at the LSU High School Classic with a jump of 17-6. The effort was good enough for 8th place in a competition littered with some of the best jumpers in Louisiana.
Burns faced her share of quality competition again at McNeese as Huntington's Demetria Harris finished second with a jump of 17-6.
The pair have shared more in common than the podium at the McNeese Recreation Complex. They both have MVP hardware from the LHSAA State Outdoor Meet. Burns was the LHSAA Class 2A State Outdoor MVP in 2022. Harris was the LHSAA Class 4A State Outdoor Meet MVP in 2021. Both were sophomores win they won the award.
While both Burns and Harris have state championship resume in the hurdles, only Burns is scheduled to compete in the 55m hurdles at McNeese.
Burns was not the only CENLA field event athlete to come away with a victory in the morning at McNeese. Alexandria Senior High's Hunter Rivet won the shot put with a throw of 47-5.