Rogers primed to defend state title at state track meet

CLINCHPORT — Could history repeat itself? Jalynn Rogers will do her best to make it happen. A recent graduate of Rye Cove, Rogers will look to defend her Class 1 state high jump championship this weekend at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. "There is very good competition throughout the state of Virginia," Rogers said. "I am hoping to defend my title, but there are other great athletes out there and we will see what happens." Rogers became the first Rye Cove track athlete to claim a state championship last season, defeating Rylee Coates of Northampton by tying the school record of 5 feet, 2 inches in a jump-off to claim the gold medal. They will meet again on Saturday. "I think her PR is around 5'4" this year so I think that is going to be my bigger competition again," said Rogers, who is eyeing possible school records in the high jump and 300 hurdles. Don't count out the Cumberland District female athlete of the year, who has also thrived at volleyball and basketball for Rye Cove. She was originally considering playing volleyball in college, but has chosen to focus on track at the University of Virginia's College at Wise. "She is very stubborn in the sense that if she wants it she is going to get it. She worked very hard this year," said Rye Cove co-girls coach Emma Gibson, a former UVA Wise track participant who says Rogers has "insane" potential on the track. "She is going in five events this year at the state, but her main goal is high jump. She worked a lot on her technique. She has worked very hard every practice, very determined to do better if she has a bad jump." That doesn't happen often to Rogers, who has thrived on the track at a school without a track, with much of the practice done on the Rye Cove football field. "I always feel like I could do better. I always try to push myself to do better no matter the circumstances where we don't have a track," said Rogers, who plans to work toward a career in physical therapy at UVA Wise. "I just don't let that defeat me and then I just go and work as hard as I can to do better." Rye Cove, which will send six boys and five girls to the state track meet, has gotten on tracks in preparation for the state meet in the last few days. "I am pretty excited and I feel pretty good about it," Rogers said. "Me and my team have been practicing down at Bullitt Park (in Big Stone Gap) and working on handoffs for the 4x100. I feel pretty good about it, thanks to Lee (High School), they actually let us high jump the other day on the track... "I have actually worked on high jump a lot this week. We have been going down to the track twice and just getting more reps on a track instead of just running around the football field." Rogers has had another terrific season on the track and field, recording personal records in the long jump (16'6) and triple jump (32'7), and is painstakingly close to breaking the 300 meter hurdle mark of 53.34. "I have been so close this year. I have almost got it in four different meets, I have been milliseconds away," said Rogers, who also finds time to work at McDonald's in Duffield. "I am hoping to get that at state also. The closest I have gotten was .60 seconds away this year. Last year at state I was .20 away from it." Rogers has also combined with Lexi Shupe, Kendal Osborne and Lea Massengale to set a school record of 53.50 in the 4x100 relay. "She is a beast, honestly, she is a beast in everything she does," said Gibson, who shares Rye Cove girls track coaching duties with Eva Herron. "If she has her mind set to it she is going to do it." That includes dealing with a hectic schedule of events. She will participate in four events on Saturday with temperatures expected to soar into the high-80s at James Madison. She has done this before, finishing first in three events and second in three more to lead the five-girl Eagles to a second place finish in the Cumberland District meet. "We ended up getting second in the meet," Gibson said. "That was thanks to all the girls, we couldn't have done it without all of them, but Jalynn really brings the points." She did it again in the Region 1D meet, going back and forth from running and field events all day long, still finishing in the top in five five events to help the Eagles to a stellar sixth place finish. "I was so proud of her at regionals because she was being run ragged at that meet," Gibson said. The "Emory & Henry track kind of spaces out a lot...She told me, 'I am so tired.' I told her, 'Listen, I am so proud of you'. A lot of athletes couldn't do that'." Don't expect Rogers to complain. She will represent the Eagles one last time, leaving behind a legacy that won't soon be forgotten at Rye Cove. She won't forget it either. "I will forever have a soft spot for Rye Cove," Rogers said. "I just want to thank all my friends, family and especially God, He is the reason I can accomplish any of this. I am just so thankful for the community of Rye Cove and everyone who has helped me and pushed me throughout the years."