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Potter, a senior at Winona Senior High School, won the Class AA state title in the discus Friday in her first appearance at the Class AA state track and field championships.
Potter set a personal best with a toss of 146 feet, 9 inches at Klas Field at Hamline University. It was more than 10 feet better than her previous best and allowed her to win by more than 7 feet.
Grand Rapids’ Jessica Cagle was second at 139-4 and St. Louis Park’s LaiShema Hampton was third at 135-0.
Potter’s best throw came in the preliminary round and she spent the rest of the event chasing her established mark.
“I was afraid the Grand Rapids girl would come up and beat me, so I kept trying to go after it,” said Potter, still smiling well after winning the state title. “I was hoping to win but I wasn’t sure how it would go. There was one girl who was quite a bit ahead of me in distance, but I just kept my mind clear and told myself I could do it. It was just another meet and I had fun.“
Potter said knowing she was among the favorites didn’t bother her. Cagle came is as the top seed at 148-7, while Potter was seeded second at 136-4. Also in the field was Lakeville South’s Felisha Willaert, last year’s state champion. Willaert finished fifth.
“If you think about it, it does put pressure on you,” said Potter, who also will compete today in the finals of the shot put. “I tried not to and today went pretty well. I just went in and stayed relaxed.“
It was the second championship of the day for the Winhawks. Fellow senior Elliott Heath won the 3,200 meters earlier Friday. The two shared a hug and high-five after Potter’s victory.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Potter said. “We both put in a lot of work. It’s good to see all of our hard work has paid off.“
