MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Cold Springs High School rising senior Ethan Edgeworth saved his best performance for the last track and field meet of the 2022-2023 school year. Edgeworth clocked 8:53.56 in the 3,200 meters at the recent RunningLane Track Championships held at Huntsville’s Milton Frank Stadium. Edgeworth recorded the best 3,200-meter time in AHSAA history, according to AHSAA records.
Edgeworth, who competed as an independent, told www.alabamarunners.com after the race that he’d been working throughout the spring season to break the 9-minute barrier. His time ranks 38th nationally this year, according to MileSplit.
“I knew when I did, I’d break it big,” he said. “I’ve got a lot more work to go and hope to do big things next year.”
The previous AHSAA outdoor 3,200-meter record of 9:01.74 set by Scottsboro’s Evan Hill in 2022 was broken by another Cullman County student-athlete Ethan Lemons of Vinemont in the AHSAA Class 3A state track championships in May. Lemons had the fastest time in state meet history with a winning with a time of 8:56.50 in the state meet race at Cullman High School. Edgeworth won the AHSAA Class 2A state championship that same day with a time of 9:18.47 to set a new 2A state meet record. The indoor 3,200-meter record of 9:04.09 was set in 2021 by Scottsboro’s Cooper Atkins.
Edgeworth won four events at the Class 2A Outdoor Championships in Cullman in early May. He won the 800 meters in a personal-best 1:54.76, won the 1,600 meters in a personal-best 4:11.96, won the 3,200 meters with his 2A record-setting time. He also ran on the Cold Springs’ winning 4×800-meter relay team with a final leg timed at just over 1:53. He took the baton with his team behind by 25 yards and won by 12 yards at the finish line.
Edgeworth finished fourth in the 3,200-meter run at the RunningLane Track Championships, as Herriman (Utah)’s Noah Jenkins won in 8:49.68, followed by Stillwater (Okla.)’s Keegan Thomas in 8:50.14 and Valor Christian (Colo.)’s Dane Eike in 8:52.51.
The performance in Huntsville capped a successful junior year of high school for Edgeworth.
He also won the 2022 Class 1A-2A cross country title in 15:53.26, helping Cold Springs win the team title while winning his third straight individual championship. Then, at the AHSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in February, Edgeworth won the 1,600 meters in 4:14.55, a new 1A-3A record, and won the 3,200 meters in 9:22.31.
Vestavia Hills’ Henry Strand and UMS-Wright’s Charles Perry also ran well at the RunningLane Track Championships in Huntsville, as Strand clocked the state’s fastest 1-mile time of the outdoor season with a time of 4:10.31. He was just ahead of Perry, who clocked 4:10.91.
