It’s been said that “in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”

In life, we all are dealt a hand of adversity. Whether it’s in the workplace, in a classroom, on the field, or even just in daily tasks and routines, it would be nearly impossible to find someone who has never faced any sort of challenge or setback.

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Within those setbacks, though, lie some of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. We just have to dig deep and battle through difficulties to find them.

For WVU track and field standout Lily Haught, her two years as a runner for the Mountaineers have been nothing short of challenging. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, the daunting task of being a collegiate-athlete, like it does for many, has often taken a toll on her ability to fight through expected adversity.

To her, though, the rewards have been worth the struggle. And with two years left in her career, she’s sure that the best moments are yet to come.

Haught, a former track and field standout at Hurricane High School, says that the decision to continue to pursue track in college became apparent early on in her career. Despite uncertainties that stayed with her throughout her time as part of the Redskins’ squad, she cites receiving inspiration from a few key figures in her life as a turning point when faced with making the call to either keep running or leave it behind after high school.

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“I knew I wanted to run track at the collegiate level in 8th grade, because I had just found out that my role model, Sydney McLaughlin, went to the Olympics at 16,” Haught said. “I felt inspired by that. Once I got to high school, I still wasn’t sure of my abilities and whether or not they would take me to the collegiate level. It wasn’t until my junior year that I really began to focus on training for college track.”

“My hurdle coach, Justin Tidd, was a crucial part of shaping me as an athlete, and he gave me the inspiration to even run hurdles in the first place. Being undefeated in the 100 and 300 hurdles during high school made me realize that a college track career was within my reach.”

Like most high school athletes with plans to continue their athletic career at the next level, Haught describes the decision process regarding where to attend school as one that presented challenges. For her, though, after visiting the campus and meeting with the track and field coaching staff, WVU just felt like the right fit.

More importantly, the ability to be surrounded by coaches and teammates who are always seeking to push her to the highest level possible is what has been her driving force during the first two years of her career.

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“My time at WVU has been rewarding so far,” Haught said. “I’ve liked the experience and the atmosphere my team creates is exactly what I was searching for. My coach, Shelly-Ann Gallimore, knows exactly how to coach me, and I’m blessed to have found that so easily.”

Haught also says, despite controversial takes from the talking heads within the media, that the Big 12 Conference is one of the toughest out there. In track and field, the competitions are up there with some of the best in the country, a feat she believes has helped her reach another level in her career.

“The Big 12 Conference meets I’ve attended have been the most memorable for me,” Haught said. “They brought me around competition I’ve never seen before. The athletes at these meets push me to be better and I feel lucky to have been able to go four times.”

Despite finishing the 2024-25 season setting a personal best in hurdles in the conference competitions, Haught said her sophomore year was not always as it appeared to be when on the track. While some athletes struggle with vulnerability and allow setbacks to mess with their game, Haught used the adversity she faced to push herself to become stronger both physically and mentally, which she said she will take with her moving forward into next season.

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“My main event is the 400 meter hurdles, and in practice I had a couple falls,” Haught said. “I also had a couple meets that messed with my mental health. I battled a ton of anxiety during the season, but fought through it because I didn’t want to let it control my sport. Through journaling and sports psychology, I was able to finish out my season strong.”

While it may be a misconception among those unfamiliar with track and field as a sport, athletes who participate in the events don’t stop once the season is over. Like every other sport, an offseason exists, and intense preparation is required to stay physically fit before the upcoming calendar year.

With summer now in full swing, Haught said that for her, the offseason is just as important as the regular season, and ultimately, recovery is necessary in order to be able to regain composure mentally and physically in time for next season.

“Recovery is important to implement because your body goes through so much all season long,” Haught said. “The season lasts from December to May, and we’re training even before that, so there’s a lot of stress put on the body. I’m planning to continue to weight train, while also following the running plan that my coach gives me.”

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As she approaches the beginning of her junior year, Haught said she still has plenty of room to grow both on and off the track. One thing she is choosing to prioritize, though, is maintaining physical and mental toughness in order to continue achieving her personal goals.

“I plan to continue to PR and become stronger mentally and physically,” Haught said. “I want to also get my time under a minute in the 400 meter hurdles. I’m currently at 1:00.67, so I specifically need to work on getting lower when jumping over the hurdles.”

Although she still has two years left as a Mountaineer, Haught’s journey thus far has been nothing short of inspiring.

PHOTOS by Jamie Nygaard / CLICK gallery to enlarge and view at your own pace

6 individuals, 1 relay compete in Saturday finals 

By Cort Reynolds

COLUMBUS – Two Bluffton High School boys and one relay team advanced to Saturday finals with strong day one showings in the 2025 Div. II OHSAA Track and Field State Tournament at The Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Senior sprinter Griffin Stackhouse crossed the finish line second in the 200-meter dash, and finished sixth in the 100-meters to advance to Saturday finals in both events.

The 100-meter finals are at 1:10 p.m., with the 200 meters at 2:40 p.m.

Junior Kain Wright took second in the 400-meter run prelims. He runs in the 400-meter finals Saturday at 2:05 p.m.

The Bluffton boys 4×200 relay quartet of Carson Kruse, Tayte Giesige, Wright and Stackhouse came in fourth place to advance to the finals at 1:25 p.m.  

Four Bluffton athletes did not compete Friday, and are in Saturday final events. Field events begin mid-morning, with running events starting at 1 p.m.

Senior Noah Bricker competes in the high jump finals Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Junior Alayna Mueller will also compete in the pole vault final Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

Pirate senior and regional champion Marek Donaldson will run in the 800-meter finals Saturday at approximately 2:30 p.m. He has the best qualifying seed time in the 18-runner field.

Sophomore Nora Matthews runs in the 800-meter finals Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Sophomore Tayte Giesige finished 15th in the long jump finals Friday.

Two Pirate girls competed in their event prelims Friday, but did not advance to the finals Saturday.

Freshman Maelee Miller came in 13th in the 400-meter run, and finished 17th in the 100-meter hurdle race.

Junior Aubrey Burkholder ended up 14th in the 300-meter hurdle preliminary heats.

A top-nine finish in the state prelims advances a runner or team to an event finals.

Bluffton Div. II state meet day 1 results:

EVENT PLACE ATHLETE YEAR TEAM TIME WIND HEAT

Boys 200 Meter Dash Prelims

2 Griffin Stackhouse 12 Bluffton 21.64 +3.1 1

Boys 400 Meter Dash Prelims

2 Kain Wright 11 Bluffton 48.77 

Boys 4×200 Meter Relay Prelims

4 Bluffton 1:27.98 

Boys 100 Meter Dash Prelims

6 Griffin Stackhouse 12 Bluffton 10.80 -0.4 1

Girls 400 Meter Dash Prelims

13 Maelee Miller 9 Bluffton 58.36 1

Girls 300 Meter Hurdles Prelims

14 Aubrey Burkholder 11 Bluffton 46.43 1

Boys Long Jump Finals

15 Tayte Giesige 10 Bluffton 20-3  +1.6 1

Girls 100 Meter Hurdles Prelims

17 Maelee Miller 9 Bluffton 15.90 +2.5 2

In this week’s CCX Sports Spotlight, Chaz Mootz profiles Hopkins track and field senior runner Henry Risser.

Growing up Risser’s first love was always soccer, but after trying out for track his freshman year at Hopkins, Risser realized that running track gave him the best opportunity to compete in college.

Risser now holds both the 400 meter and 800 meter school records at Hopkins.

Both his 400 (47.19 seconds) and 800 (1:49.52) times rank in the top five in MSHSL boys track all-time records.

Risser will run at the University of Wisconsin next year.

Hopkins High School

Track & Field

CCX News – Daily Sportscast

AB Hernandez has been competing in track and field and volleyball at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County since her freshman year, but it wasn’t until this year, her junior year, people began protesting her participation because she’s transgender.

The 16-year-old athlete became the center of attention at last week’s California Track and Field Championships in Clovis. Controversy over Hernandez’s participation in girls’ sports included rule changes, federal investigations and online threats to the state of California by President Donald Trump.

| MORE | California track and field finals: Trans athlete AB Hernandez wins 2 events, shares podium

In an interview with KCRA 3’s Sarah McGrew, Hernandez said she just laughs off the hate.

“It’s definitely crazy, I get a lot of hate comments but I’m like, ‘I don’t care’,” Hernandez said. “[I’m a] 16-year-old girl with a mad attitude. You think I’m going to care?”

When she was outed as transgender by the president of the Jurupa Valley Unified School Board, she had no idea what to expect next.

“I just tried to fly under the radar because you know trans athletes get a lot of hate,” Hernandez said.

But soon protesters were showing up to her track and field meets, following her throughout the season, including at the state championships.

“It’s just weird at this point,” she said.

While the few dozen protestors were contained outside of the stadium gates during the state championships, Hernandez found support inside the stadium that she described as intense.

“I wasn’t expecting any of it to be honest. I was just expecting to go out there and compete alone, but the support was amazing,” Hernandez said. “They really made my experience perfect. I will forever be grateful for them because they helped me get through the weekend.”

Her biggest supporter was watching from the stands.

Nereyda Hernandez, AB’s mother, was surprised when her daughter came out to her in the eighth grade, but both say it was an experience that brought them closer together.

| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Mom of AB Hernandez shares unwavering support for daughter in midst of anti-transgender protests

“It means a lot,” AB Hernandez said. “There’s some kids out there whose parents don’t accept who they are.”

AB Hernandez won two first-place medals and a second-place medal at the track and field state championships, awards which were shared because of a rule change by the California Interscholastic Federation days before.

“I did what I wanted to do,” AB Hernandez said. “My performance was all I wanted to be good. So all this backlash… I performed my best so that’s all I cared about.”

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MONROE, CT — Masuk High’s boys volleyball team, the No. 2 seed in the Class M State Tournament, defeated No. 7 Pomperaug of Southbury 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 28-18) in the quarterfinals on Friday.

With the win the Panthers will take on No. 3 New Canaan at neutral site Naugatuck High on Tuesday at either 4:30 or 7 p.m. The winner faces either No. 1 Joel Barlow or No. 4 Newington in the title match at Newtown High on June 12 starting at 4:30 p.m.

Owen Lafond (No. 5) and Tyler Barringer (No. 25) go up for a block in the win over Pomperaug.

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