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Several Memorial High student athletes are representing the girls track team in the area meet this week.

Memorial is having girls compete in the open 100, 200 and 400-memter dashes, the 4×100 and 4×200 relays and the long jump.

Track Coach Tammy Roberts is excited to see what her team can do.

“I think we are in a good place,” she said. “The girls have been working really hard. They are getting better, and times are dropping every week. I feel like we are ready. I feel like we have a good shot to advance to regionals. There is only one other school that is running the times that we are running. I feel like it is going to be a little closer.”

Roberts thinks Erial Fontenot has a good chance to advance to regionals, along with the 4×100 and 4×200 teams.

In the district meet, Fontenot finished first by a half-second. Fontenot runs the second leg in both relay teams, as well.

The relay teams are identical with Alexia Lewis running the first leg, followed by Fontenot, who hands off to Paris Martin with Camyra Atkins in the anchor position.

Lewis said the unit’s chemistry has made the team great over the course of the season.

“We have built a family,” she said. “I feel like we are going to go into area doing good.”

Fontenot said the team has improved its handoffs, allowing the student-athletes to trim seconds off their times.

“It was not hard but it takes a lot of practice,” she said.

Martin said the unit spent countless hours on the track perfecting the craft.

Atkins said she gets anxious as the last person to run relays.

“My job is to hold the spot or go get a spot if we are behind,” she said. “It is a rush, but that rush helps me.”

While all are excellent, they said their competitive spirits do not spill into each other. When asked who is the fastest, all deferred, adding they are only worried about the team.

Fontenot and Lewis said they feel more pressure to perform in the individual events due to not having teammates to help.

The 4×100 team ran a 48.70 in the district meet. The team said they have their eyes on the school record, which is in the 46-second range.

The area meet will be held at Barbers Hill this week. The field events will be Thursday, with the track event taking place Friday. The top four participants in each category advance to the regional meet.