The C.E. Byrd girls 4x800 relay team has already broken two records in 2025. They broke the school record at the LSU Last Chance Qualifier with a time of 10:13. Then, they broke their own record at the LHSAA State Indoor Championships as they improved to 10:06.
You can expect more of the same from this team which includes three sophomores (Emma Burney, Pressley Lockey, Anna Lake Watts) and senior Mallory Swint, even with slight adjustments that Byrd head coach Juan Plaza will make week-to-week, the record-breaking year(s) are just getting started for this group.
This week, Watts will not be on the relay. Instead, senior Aubree LaCroix will join the other runners. The record in their sights this week will be the meet record at their home meet--The Yellow Jacket Relays--which is currently held by St. Louis Catholic, who ran a 10:34.50 in 2021. That team consisted of Ella Segura, Emma Karam, Mary Claire Groves, and Kendal Touchet.
The C.E. Byrd girls 4x800m record outdoors is 10:02.28. That record is living on borrowed time.
The best part for Plaza is that three of the four runners are sophomores. But there is even younger talented runners in this Lady Jackets distance group. Freshman Emmy Banker is ranked No. 5 in Louisiana among freshmen girls in the 3200m with an indoor best of 12:51. In the 1600m, Banker is ranked No. 7 with a 5:47. Both times came from the LSU Last Chance Qualifier.
The Yellow Jacket Relays record holder in the girls' 3200m is Elysian Field's Cara Sims, who ran a time of 11:12 at last year's meet. That record and the 1600m record meet record of 5:13 by Gabrielle Jennings are in jeopardy tomorrow as the Texan crosses the border one more time.
OTHER ATHLETES TO WATCH
Captain Shreve's Lionel Prudhomme - Prudhomme, who will be playing football for the University of Arkansas later this year, will be going after the discus record. He is the defending District 1-5A Champion. He won the title last year with a throw of 165-0.5. That mark has him listed as the No. 3 returner in the Louisiana.
Huntington's Landon Gibbs--The junior is coming off a successful indoor campaign where he had a best of 6-6.75. That effort has his ranked as the No. 3 jumper in Louisiana. Last year, Gibbs jumped 6-8 on his way to winning the Region 1-4A championship. The meet record in the event is 6-10 set by Northwood's Kwame Magee in 2015
Loyola College Prep's Mark Henry-- Henry had a best of 2:02 in the 800m during 2024. He split a 2:01 yesterday at the Shamocus Patton Memorial Relays at Benton in the 4x800 helping the Flyers get the win. He is scheduled to run in the open 800m at the Yellow Jacket Relays. The meet record in the event is 2:02 set by LaDann Thomas in 2019.
