BY ASHLEY WOOD | Richmond Times-Dispatch Mar 30, 2020
Meet the Athletes of the Year:
Girls: Jailah Channer
Year: Senior
School: St. Catherine’s
The skinny: Channer is a multi-event athlete who claimed top three finishes in all of her events at the VISAA state championship meet. She scored 44.5 points at the state meet, placing in the 55m dash (1st), high jump (1st), long jump (1st), triple jump (3rd), and 300m dash (3rd). Channer also achieved two personal records at that meet in the 55m dash (7.31) and the 300m dash (42.19). Channer also claimed several top two finishes at the LIS Championship. She finished the meet placing in the 55m dash (1st), high jump (1st), long jump (1st), and 300m dash (2nd).
Best advice you’ve been given: “Don’t be afraid of competing. You can’t compete scared, you have to go out there and do your own thing.” – Coach Derrhyl Duncan
The story:
On the day of the VISAA championship meet, Jailah Channer gave herself a pep talk to get through the meet. She knew she could finish top three in some events, but was worried about the others.
She reminded herself that she could do it, and that she could put together all the hard work her coaches were telling her to make it happen.
That afternoon, Channer scored 44.5 of St. Catherine’s 162.5 points, helping the team earn its fourth consecutive state title.
Channer said that if she could describe the season in one word it would be “eventful.”
“It was everything I could’ve asked for in my last season,” said the senior. “It had its ups, it had its downs, but I think overall, because of those things, it just made it into the perfect season I wanted it to end as.”
Last year, Channer was coming off of an injury, and was pushing to get back to top form. The determination showed this year, as she improved in all of her events.
“Honestly, just the fact that it was my last year, I wanted to make sure that I ended the season accomplishing much as I could," she said.
Channer was motivated to reach a variety of goals: setting new personal records, winning at the LIS meet and helping St. Catherine's to a state title - she accomplished all three.
She finished in the top three of all of her state championship events and top two at the conference meet. Channer was also able to post personal records in the 55m dash and the 300m dash at the state meet.
Her 4x200 relay team was able to break the school record at the St. Christopher’s Indoor Track and Field Invitational with a time of 1:48.24. Channer refers to that event as her favorite moment of the season.
“It was such an amazing feeling because none of us was expecting to break the record,” said Channer. “It wasn’t until the last leg that we came across the finish line and it was like, wow, we really just broke the record.”
At that meet, Channer also finished third in the high jump and fourth in the long jump.
After high school, Channer will continue her academic and athletic career at VCU. She will be competing as a multi-event athlete focusing on sprints and jumps.