DESTEHAN'S MARLEY RICHARD COMPETES IN A '23 INDOOR MEET!
WATCH THE LSU HS QUALIFIER LIVE ON MILESPLIT LA!
Two of the best track and field athletes in the state of Louisiana will open up their indoor season at the LSU High School Qualifier. And it just so happens they are from the same school--Destrehan High School.
Junior Marley Richard had the best marks indoors in Louisiana last year in both the long jump (18-5.25) and triple jump (39-9.25). She won the LHSAA D1 State Indoor title in the triple jump and finished fourth in the long jump.
"I am very excited to start my indoor season because it's the first meet of my junior year and I have a lot of goals I want to accomplish," Richard said. "My training has been going good. I started off early this year and did more weightlifting than I have done before. I feel that I am stronger and faster than last year because of all the strengthening and speed training I have been doing during the offseason. I have definitely seen progress. My trainer has too. I am looking forward to applying all that I have learned to the track."
Richard is not the only Destrehan track star who will make a season debut on Saturday.
Junior sprinter Phillip Wright III, will make his first appearance of 2024 as well.
Last year, Wright made a statement in the LSU High School Qualifier as he finished second with a personal record time of 6.88. That time would end up being ranked No. 2 in the nation among all sophomores. North Carolina's Christian Dixon (6.85) would be the only 10th grader in the nation to record a faster time.
While he was the District 7-5A 100m meter champion outdoors, Wright was injured in the district meet and unable to finish the championship season or compete during the summer.
Wright's injury did not prevent him from playing football for the Wildcats. And it hasn't prevented the offers from rolling in from the likes of the national champions University of Michigan, Penn State, Baylor, South Carolina, University of Nebraska, University of Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech to name of few.
"I feel like I have put in the work over the offseason and I'm faster, stronger, and ready to compete," Wright III said. "I'm looking for a PR this Saturday, beating my time from last year, attacking that track and race from start to finish."
