By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

ALBANY – Her final state appearance was a memorable one.

Jada Grant, part of a gifted group of seniors on the LaGrange High girls’ track and field team, returned home with four medals from the Class AAAA state meet in Albany.

The highlight of Grant’s state stay included a championship-winning performance in the long jump, and she was second in the triple jump.

Grant also finished seventh in the 100-meter dash, and she was a member of the 400-meter relay team that placed seventh.

Grant, who is set to sign a letter of intent to join the Mississippi State track team, found herself in a showdown with Sandy Creek’s Jania Hodges in the long jump.

Grant’s winning distance of 18 feet, nine inches, was exactly one inch better than Hodges’ best jump.

The triple jump was even closer.

Qua’Neshia Hamilton of Burke County won with a jump of 38 feet, 1.5 inches, and Grant was a half-inch behind in second place.

It was an all-around successful weekend for LaGrange’s girls’ track team, which won seven medals and earned a top-10 finish.

One of those medals was won by LaGrange’s stellar 400-meter relay team, which placed seventh in the finals with a time of 49.09 seconds.

It’s a team that includes three seniors in Annaya Chelcy, Jada Grant and Zakeria Staples, along with underclassmen Quay Robinson.

Grant (Mississippi State), Edmondson (Albany State) and Chelcy (West Alabama) will each continue their track and field careers in college.

Chelcy earned two state medals in her final high-school competition.

In addition to helping the relay team finish seventh, Chelcy was seventh in the 200-meter dash (25.83).

Another senior, Renaya Edmondson, was sixth in the discus with a throw of 112 feet, five inches.

Staples competed in the 300-meter hurdles but didn’t make it through the preliminary race.

Also for LaGrange, Zamya Rhaney ran in the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200-meter run, and Zanay Rhaney competed in the 800-meter run.

Miller Penn participated in the 3,200-meter run.