TSSAA Spring Fling: Southwind rides sensational confidence to state track title

MURFREESBORO — Southwind track and field coach Alisa Seymour sensed her girls team was something special so they needed a nickname.

She dubbed them the Sensational Six. A nod to how Breana Miles, Faith Wilson, Tyra Nabors, Lamyria Robinson and sisters Aliyah and India Wilson continued to amaze Seymour heading into the TSSAA Division I Large Class state track and field finals.

“As the season went along, they start hitting PRs and we said, you know what, we’re going to go to the state championship and do what we do every week,” Seymour said.

With three freshmen and all but one member having ever been to state, the newness kept them loose but focused at Middle Tennessee. It paid off Thursday winning the first state track and field team title in school history, boys or girls.

Not only did Southwind end Whitehaven’s three-year reign as state champs, the Jaguars did it with style. Miles, Aliyah Wilson, Faith Wilson and Nabors set a state record in the girls 4x400 meter relay by winning in 3:49.70, breaking the previous record of 3:51.12 set by Knoxville West in 2008.

It was a final bonus in a season that turned the corner after a second-place finish to Hardin Valley at the Volunteer Track Classic in Knoxville in April. Seymour and her team said that meet changed their attitude and winning state started to go from a dream to a reality.

“We just started working harder because we knew could come here and do it,” said Nabors, who ran anchor on the 4x400.

That confidence also made the Jaguars not afraid of challenging Whitehaven. Prior to Thursday, Southwind had only one individual girls state champion in program history with Angelica Lightfoot winning the long jump in 2016.

By day’s end, they added two more individual state titles with Nabors and Miles in the 300 hurdles and 400 meters, respectively. And they added respect that made their trek back to Memphis even sweeter.  

It was a feeling best described by one word. Sensational.

“We’re happy that we came out here, drove three hours, showed out, won four medals and we get to go home with that trophy,” sophomore Breana Miles said.