IRONDALE – Shades Valley’s Reah Degraffenried competed at the Mobile Challenge of Champions Invite this past Saturday. Degraffenried, the 2023 6A State Indoor 60 Meter Hurdle Champion, competed against top hurdlers from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia. “This past weekend was exciting,” said the Valley senior. “I got to compete against state champs from surrounding states.”
Degraffenried ran a personal best of 42.89 on her way to winning the 300 Meter Hurdles. Her winning time is currently the fastest time in Alabama and the 17th fastest time in the nation. Degraffenried finished second in the 100 Meter Hurdles with a personal best of 14.82, the fourth fastest time in the state.
“Reah has worked so hard over the past few year,” said Coach Gary Ferguson. “She came up a little short the past few years and finished second in the state as a junior.”
At the 2022 AHSAA 6A State Championship Degraffenried finished 5th in the 100 Meter Dash, 4th in the 200 Meter Dash, and 4th in the 100 Meter Hurdles to go along with her runner-up finish in the 300 Meter Hurdles.
“We are looking to do big things this year at State,” Ferguson said. “As one of the top hurdlers and sprinters in the state, she is looking forward to trying to become a multiple state champion.”
Degraffenried also recently ran a personal best of 25.01 in the 200 Meter Dash. Her time is the 5th fastest in the state and 3rd fastest in 6A.
Degraffenried is not only a standout on the track but also in the classroom. She holds a 4.1 GPA and has received $500,000 in scholarship offers. “I intend to major in Business Administration with a concentration in Supply Chain Management,” she said.
Outside of her academic scholarship offers, Degraffenried has several opportunities to run at the collegiate level. “I am currently entertaining scholarship offers from Morgan State University, the University of North Texas, and Jackson State University,” she said. “I am still communicating with more schools, and I am still undecided, but I plan on making a decision very soon, though.”
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