A trio of Durant track and field senior athletes recently signed scholarship offers to continue their careers at the next level.
Aiden Sager inked to run track at East Central University, Laila Ahmed will compete in track and field at Oklahoma Christian while Zoe Jones signed on to run cross country in the inaugural season at Murray State College.
Sager finished his high school career as the school record holder in both the 400 meters and 800 meters. His best mark of 1:53.12 in the 800 garnered him state runner-up honors while he also ran a personal top time of 49.43 in the 400.
He also was part of the team’s school record breaking 800 relay unit that tallied a time of 1:29.76 at the state meet. His personal best mark of 16:50.29 in cross country came at the state meet during his senior year.
“Aiden has been a force to be reckoned with on the track as well as the cross-country course,” Durant assistant coach Amanda Reynolds commented. “He was an outstanding leader for us. We definitely look forward to watching him at the next level.”
Jones is a two-time state cross country qualifier, posting a career-best mark of 22 minutes and 23 seconds. She also ran track for the Lady Lions, notching a personal best time of 6:14 in the mile and 13:14 in the two mile.
“As a Murray State College alum, I am very excited to see Zoe become an Aggie,” Reynolds said. “Her dedication and leadership will be missed on the cross country course, but we are looking forward to seeing her run at the college level.” Ahmed was a key contributor on the Durant High softball run to four straight state appearances while also becoming a three-time state champion in the high jump, which included a leap of 5 feet, 6 inches to claim the title as a senior. She also reached the state meet and placed fourth as a freshman.
The DHS standout athlete broke the school record twice, including a 5-7 jump at the Class 5A regional this year.
“The sky’s the limit for this girl,” Reynolds said of Ahmed. “There is no telling what heights she can achieve at the next level.”
