Falcon Runners Claim NCISAA TFCCCA Track and Field Awards
After a stellar spring season that saw the girls’ team bring home 3rd place in NCISAA meet and the boys’ team crowned NCISAA State Champions, the Falcons added another set of awards to the list. The NCISAA TFCCCA recently announced Jalen Lindsey and Molly Kuzma as the Athletes of the Year and Head Coach Marcus Millard as the Boy’s Coach of the Year for the 2021 season.
Senior Molly Kuzma capped off a stellar O’Neal running career with another impressive performance at the NCISAA State Championships at Gaston Christian. She kicked off her day’s events winning the 3200 with an impressive time of 11.21.40. Individually, Kuzma added two more state championships to her day winning both the 1600 and 800 races. Wrapping up to her day, Kuzma anchored the Girls 4x800 meter relay which not only claimed a state championship but also broke the O’Neal School record by 8 seconds with a time of 10:45:12. The state meet finished out a historical career at The O’Neal School for Kuzma who has won a combined 10 State Championships in both Cross Country and Track and Field throughout her career.
Similarly, junior Jalen Lindsey had an outstanding season culminating at the State Championship meet. Lindsey was crowned state champion in both the 200 and 400-meter sprints joining Kuzma on the NCISAA All-State Team. In addition to his successes individually, Lindsey anchored the Boys 4x200 relay which secured the State Championship victory with a time of 1:33.17. Ending the afternoon, Lindsey again found himself the anchor this time in the 4x400 relay and although the team finished in 2nd by a narrow margin, their time of 3:38.14 earned the Falcons a place on the O’Neal record board and helped clinch the Boys Team NCISAA D3 State Championship!
The success of all the student-athletes this season would not have been possible without the leadership, direction, and mentorship of Head Coach Marcus Millard. It is his dedication to cultivating student-athletes and building successful teams that earned Marcus Millard the TFCCCA NCISAA D3 Boys Coach of the Year.
“We are very proud of Molly, Jalen, and Coach Millard,” shared Athletic Director James Franklin. “They are wonderful examples of being driven, dedicated, and disciplined. They truly deserve this recognition.”
Division 3 Girls Athlete of the Year
Molly Kuzma
The O’Neal School
Molly Kuzma
The O’Neal School
Division 3 Boys Athlete of the Year
Jalen Lindsey
The O’Neal School
Jalen Lindsey
The O’Neal School
Division 3 Boys Coach of the Year
Marcus Millard
The O’Neal School
Marcus Millard
The O’Neal School
The O'Neal School
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