[Batpuff]

Louisa — Lawrence County’s sprint relay teams never cease to amaze coach Pam Frazier.

The school is scheduled to open a new track next season, but until then her squad goes on the road for every meet and works to overcome primitive training conditions at home.

Despite the limitations, Lawrence County will be seeking a third consecutive Class AA state title in the girls’ 800-meter relay this weekend.

Bree Frazier, Lynden O’Brian, Hilary Laney and newcomer Iris Meddings face a new challenge this weekend in the form of new surroundings. The State Track Meet has been moved from its traditional locale at the University of Kentucky to Paul Dunbar High School.

“We’ve never been there,’’ Laney said. “It’s going to be different. We were starting to get use to UK.’’

The team traveled to Lexington on Thursday to get acquainted with Dunbar’s Jon R. Akers Stadium.

Lawrence County geared up for the State Meet by breaking school records in the 800 and 400 relays during regional competition last week at Russell. The new standard for the 800 relay is 1 minute, 45.5 seconds.

In the 400 relay, O’Brian and her teammates posted a winning time of 51.07 seconds to eclipse the old mark of 51.3 that her mother (Jene) helped set in 1979.

“Mom thinks it’s great,’’ Lynden said. “She doesn’t care. I think if anybody was going to break it, she would want it to be us.’’

Lawrence County’s sprinters celebrated the moment.

“When we saw the time, we all just stood in a circle and screamed,’’ O’Brian said. “We had been trying to break it for two years. I think Iris made the difference.’’

Meddings, the only senior in the group, is in her first track season after transferring from Tolsia (W.Va.). She signed this spring with University of Charleston.

Meddings filled a void on Lawrence County’s sprint relays with Jenna Kelly sidelined by an injury. Meddings and Frazier were the starting guards for the school’s basketball team.

“Iris beat me up and down the court, so I knew she would be good in track,’’ said Frazier, who was regional champion in the 100 and 200 dashes. “We are really going to miss her next year.’’

Meddings is enjoying track more than she expected.

“I’m just happy they took me in,’’ Meddings said of her teammates. “I’m glad I fit OK with everyone.’’

Lawrence County received a big scare last week. The team often does running drills on Bulldog Lane, a road leading up to the high school, and Laney was struck by a car while practicing a hand-off.

“It scared the life out of us,’’ Pam Frazier said. “Hilary kind of took a jump to protect her legs. It (car) hit her on the thigh, but she said she wasn’t hurt.’’

Laney, a freshman and the youngest member of the two relays, said the car was speeding and caught her by surprise.

“I’m thankful that I didn’t really get hurt,’’ Laney said. “It could have been a whole lot worse.’’

Laney won her first relay state title as a seventh-grader.

“It seems like I’ve been running track forever, but I’m just getting started,’’ she said.

[Image: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c376/b...ayteam.jpg]

[CatDawg]

Well they made it three in a row and almost got the 4 x 100 to boot.