Sitting in fourth place heading into the final event of the pentathlon state-qualifier Tuesday, Union City’s Ca’Lae Ervin was implored by head coach Wade Maddox to give it her all.
Ervin’s best was good enough for a spot in the Class 1A state field.
School Communications Director Mike Hutchens said the Lady Tornado sophomore was clocked at 2:50 in the 800-meter run to vault into second place and secure her spot in Murfreesboro.
The performance bettered her previous time by nearly 30 seconds.
Ervin, who narrowly missed out on a state trip last year, totaled 2,300 points in five competitions (high jump, shot put, long jump, 100-meter hurdles, and the 800) to trail only Alexandria Burford (2,499 points) of Memphis Middle College in her runner-up finish.
Both will now compete with 10 other girls on May 15 in Murfreesboro for the title of state champion.
Coach Maddox insisted he had no magic words for Ervin before her magical finish in the 800 Tuesday.
“I just told her that she was in fourth (place), and I was proud of her for out-performing what she did last year,” he said. “Then, I said, ‘Now go out there and out-perform that – and she did.”
“It was a great testament to her grittiness, and I’m so proud of her.”
Ervin became just the third Union City High School athlete to qualify for the state in the pentathlon since the early 1980s, joining Tammy Critchfield and Ada Rogers.
The top two finishers in the East, Middle, and West Qualifiers automatically punch their state tickets, with the rest of the field filled by wildcards, to be determined in the next few days.
Ervin placed second in the shot put, fourth in the 800, fifth in both the high jump and hurdles and sixth in the long jump.
Her 2,300-point total was significantly better than last years total of 1,769.
