By Guest Columnist April Williams, East Rankin Academy
East Rankin Academy (ERA) Patriot Track & Field team concluded the 2026 track & field season on Saturday, May 2nd at the 2025 Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (“MAIS”) State Championship. The Lady Patriots repeated as state runner up in the Division I championship while the Patriot men finished fourth.
Prior to the 2026 sports season, the MAIS realigned divisions, moving twenty former 5A and 6A schools into one division competing under 4A. In an additional change unique to the 2026 season, district championship teams qualified directly to the Division I state championship (non-district winners further competed at regionals and qualified to the Division II state championship). In years past, individual district winners further attended a regional meet and attempted to qualify to the state championship as a top four finisher in the north or the south.
East Rankin Academy was the only former 5A school to win both boys and girls district championships, qualifying the entire team directly to state. At state, the girls faced two former 5A schools, Bayou Academy and Silliman Institute, and former 6A powerhouse Madison Ridgeland Academy.
The boys were the only former 5A school to win their district, grouped with former 6A schools Madison Ridgeland Academy, Jackson Prep and Jackson Academy.
The 2026 MAIS State Championship was hosted by Jackson Academy on May 1st and Jackson Prep on May 2nd. Multiple Patriots became state champions among both varsity teams including senior Gage Crapps, who won the state title in shot put with a throw of 45’6”; senior and Millsaps Majors signee Rone “RT” Tate, who won the varsity boys 3200 meter in a time of 10:13.31; and eighth grader Jewel Baker, who won both the varsity girls 1600 meter with a time of 5:21.44 AND the 3200 meter with a time of 11:41.49. Additionally, both 4x800 relay teams won the state title. The girls 4x800 team consisted of sixth grader Isabella McLeod; seventh grader Caroline Thornton; and eighth graders Chandler Hunt and Jewel Baker, racing to a winning time of 10:11.38. The varsity boys 4x800 relay team became THREE time consecutive state champions with a team consisting of senior RT Tate and sophomores Walker Sartin, Taylor Stroh, and Zack Price. The boys faced stiff competition from the other teams, the lead changing hands multiple times during the course of the race with the boys finally pulling away to a time of 8:35.30.
Other Patriot finalists making the podium as the top five finishers or medalists included:
SENIORS
Gage Crapps Discus 2nd 133-3
Aiden Carlisle Triple Jump 4th 41-.05
Addison Derrick
Discus 2nd 106-5
Shot Put 3rd 31-4.5
Channing Diveley
400 Meter Dash 2nd 50.82
Rone Tate 1600 Meter 3rd 4:46.65
JUNIORS
Leah Collipp
100 Meter Dash 3rd 13.60
400 Meter Dash 3rd 27.60
Leyton Phillips
High Jump 4th 5-8
Long Jump 4th 20-0
Jon Riemann
300 Hurdles 3rd 41.62
Long Jump 5th 19-11.25
Taitum Thomas High Jump 5th 4-2
SOPHOMORES
Jillian Breland
Discus 3rd 105-2
Shot Put 4th 29-10.25
Ethan Butler 100 Hurdles 5th 17.44
Emma Raines 100 Hurdles 2nd 17.00
Taylor Stroh 800 Meter 3rd 2:05.34
EIGHTH GRADERS
Jewel Baker 800 Meter 2nd 2:28.20
Chandler Hunt
800 Meter 3rd 2:32.71
3200 Meter 2nd 12:14.24
SIXTH GRADERS
Isabella McLeod
1600 Meter 2nd 5:21.73
RELAY TEAMS
4x100 Boys
Ethan Butler, Jon Riemann, Aiden Carlisle, Channing Diveley 4th 44.45
4x200 Boys
Ethan Butler, Jon Riemann, Peyton Derrick, Channing Diveley 4th 1:33.96
4x400 Boys
Zack Price, Jon Riemann, Taylor Stroh, Channing Diveley 2nd 3:36.40
4x100 Girls
Savannah Smithers, Leah Collipp, Lily Kanengiser, Emma Raines 2nd 52.57
4x200 Girls
Savannah Smithers, Leah Collipp, Lily Kanengiser, Emma Raines 4th 1:51.77
4x400 Girls
Emma Raines, Leah Collipp, Jewel Baker, Chandler Hunt 2nd 4:18.69
Addendum:
McLeod broke into the top ten rankings of all 6th graders in the US
Tate, MAIS 4A Div 1 State Champion in the 3200
Baker, MAIS 4A Div 1 State Champion in the 3200
Crapps, MAIS 4A Div 1 State Champion in boys Shot Put
The 2026 Patriot track team featured ten seniors, all of whom played a role in the growth and leadership of ERA track and field in recent years, some of them six year veterans of ERA track & field. The team wishes to congratulate state medalist Jensen Baker; multi-time state champion Gage Crapps; multi-time state medalist Addison Derrick; multi-time state medalist Channing Diveley; state finalist Harrison Smith; state medalist Savannah Smithers; multi-time state champion RT Tate; state finalist Addison Vowell; and multi-time state medalist Emily Williams as they graduate with the Class of 2026.
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