Tuesday marked the first day back to competitive running for Newton County sprinter Jada McDougle, who tore her ACL last November and underwent surgery.

McDougle returned to true form in her first taste of competitive running since the injury as she placed first in the 100-meter dash (11.82) and the 200-meter dash (24.15).

“It kind of felt the same,” McDougle said of her return to the track. “The thrills, and the excitement and the nerves were still there, but it still was really, really fun. (There was) no pain at all. Maybe it was just the adrenaline, but I still don’t feel any pain. For it to be my first time back, I think I’ll be fine.” 

McDougle also participated in the Lady Cougars’ 4×100 relay.

More than 15 teams and hundreds of athletes from around the state converged on Meridian High School Tuesday afternoon for the annual Big Blue Invitational track and field meet. 

In Division I, Meridian’s boys’ and girls’ track teams earned first-place finishes in the team rankings with scores of 179.50 and 173, respectively. The Northeast Lauderdale boys’ team placed first in Division II with a score of 163.

Also in Division I, the Newton County girls finished fourth with a score of  71, and Quitman ended with a score of 50.50 to earn a seventh-place finish.

The Newton girls posted an 88 en route to a third-place finish in Division II, while Kemper County finished fourth (57), Northeast Lauderdale fifth (50), Choctaw Central sixth (46) and West Lauderdale ninth (25).

In additional Division I boys’ action, Quitman scored a sixth-place finish (45), while Newton County landed in seventh place (31).

Choctaw Central placed second (71) in Division II, and Kemper County (52), Newton (45.50) and West Lauderdale finished in seventh, eighth and ninth place, respectively. 

Zack Carter joined Meridian’s 4×800 relay team two years ago, but he’s run competitively for much longer. Running the No. 2 leg  Tuesday’s Big Blue Invitation, Carter’s speed provided a boost that propelled Meridian to a first-place finish in the relay with a time of 9:02.48. Meridian’s four runners posted personal-bests.

“We were in third place when I got that baton, but I pushed on through it,” Carter said. “Our goal is, ‘It’s ring season.’ That’s our motto, so we’re trying to get to state and get a ring.”

Emma Claire James shook off the cobwebs of sickness this week to participate in the 3,200-meter run. Although she didn’t run her usual 4×800, James said she wasn’t planning on missing the opportunity to compete in the invitational. 

“If I don’t feel well, it just bothers me if I don’t come out and do a race,” James said. “So I decided to let some of the other girls who were running this Thursday get some practice in my 4×800. They’re middle schoolers, and I just decided to try the 3200 (meter) because I’ve only done it one other time, and I really liked it. So I just thought it’s better than nothing.”

Northeast Lauderdale’s boys’ 4×800 team placed first in the event with a time of 9:20:51. Tyler Smith led off with the first leg.

“Our team has been working hard this year, and we’ve been focusing on the 4×800 together as a team,” Smith said. “Today, I feel like our team ran decent. We didn’t beat our time, but we ran really hard to get to first place for today. I feel like our team did really well.”