Sudan senior, Lane Wilson, capped off his high school career by capturing the gold in the Class 2A Boy’s 110-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 14.73.
The time also made Wilson the school record holder for the event breaking the previous record of 15.00 set in 2016 by Stephen Schovajsa.
Wilson talked about having the title of State Champion by his name for the rest of his life, saying, “It means a lot. It’s something that no one can take away from you. For a couple of hours after I won, I was still shook that I had won, so I didn’t know how to celebrate, but once we got home we celebrated a lot and had a good time.”
He added, “It’s the way to go out. You wouldn’t want to go out any other way.”
Head Coach John Cornelius talked about what it meant to him to be able to help Wilson achieve this goal, saying, “The biggest thing for me is to watch the progression. From the time we started working last year to where he finished at this year, it is amazing to watch that growth.”
He added, “It takes a lot of work and Lane was never shy about putting in the work. He listened and was very coachable and just to see him slowly improve on this and that until he became the best in the state; it was amazing to watch.”
Wilson reflected on his time leading up to his race, saying, “The first thing we did when we got to Austin was, we went to Papadeaux’s. Then we went to the stadium and watched the 3A and 4A races and that kid from 3A that ran the 110’s was a beast. We sat there all day and I tried to listen to the starter to see how he sounded. I was just trying to get focused and it was fun.”
He added, “Leading up to my race, we walked into Texas Stadium and I told Coach Cornelius, ‘Coach I’m scared.’ It was nerve-racking. We did our stretches and then on our way to the track, I was just trying to get my mindset right; as coach says, it is not one race, it’s 10 different races, a race in between every hurdle.”
Wilson explained that he was just trying to mainly focus on his start and finish.
“At that level of competition, that is where you’re going to win the race is in between the hurdles,” he stated. “The start and finish is the most important part. Those 14 seconds felt like forever, but also felt like they went by in a flash.”
Coach Cornelius said that he told Wilson when they were at the stadium not to worry about the result, just focus on the little things and the process. It’s a big deal and a big stage, and we talk about it all year long, ‘focus on the things you can control’, that’s where you put your energy and I think he took that advice and he did a great job.”
Wilson said that he has been running hurdles since his sophomore year of high school.
“I’ve enjoyed learning the form, but honestly I think the thing I’ve enjoyed the most about doing hurdles is the people I’ve met along the way,” he said. “I didn’t think I would meet that many people doing the hurdles, but I’ve actually became close with a lot of people.”
He added, “My sophomore year, I didn’t think much of the hurdles because my times were in the high 17’s almost 18’s. My junior year, Coach Cornelius came in and he helped me with my form and I started getting second place finishes and I was like, ‘Hey this is pretty fun. This year, we worked really hard and I didn’t play basketball, so we got a little bit of a head start on the hurdles. From meet-to-meet I just tried to improve my time from the meet before.”
Wilson talked about how his coach has helped him since coming to Sudan two years ago, saying, “Coach Cornelius has helped me out a lot in a bunch of aspects, not only as an athlete, but also as a man. He has taught me things that I don’t know if I ever would have learned if he wouldn’t have been here. He is just a great all around guy and I’m never going to forget him.”
Coach Cornelius talked about how he has seen Wilson grow over the last two years, saying, “When we first started, Lane was still trying to figure out three-stepping all the way. I saw it immediately, from the middle of our shortened track season last year, that this guy has a chance to go to state one day. He just kept working and sticking with it, not only in the weight room, but any time we got on the track to run for conditioning, he pushed himself to the limit. It took a lot of work, but that is a testament to his character.”
Wilson said that his family support has always been amazing.
“My family comes to all of my stuff and I thank each and every one of them because they have helped push me along the way,” he explained.
He talked about his family’s reaction when he crossed the finish line first, saying, “In the video that Pete Christy posted, you could hear my grandpa in the background saying, ‘Way to go Lane.’ He tells that story to everyone we see, whether it’s a family member or a stranger. I think he is more stoked about it than I am.”
Wilson said that the thing he has enjoyed most about being in Sudan is the people.
“Competing and everything is fun, but I just enjoy my class and everyone here in Sudan,” he stated. It’s an amazing place.”
Lastly, Wilson spoke on what it meant to him to be able to represent Sudan down in Austin at the State Track Meet, saying, “It meant a lot just wearing Sudan across my chest. My whole high school career, I don’t think we’ve had anybody go to state. For me to be the first one to do that, it was pretty exciting and I just wanted to represent Sudan well.”