After enjoying a successful basketball season over the winter, Tyler Erwin didn’t plan on playing any sports this spring.

That changed in March when he tried out for the Montgomery County track team.

“I was going to play AAU basketball, but then track was calling my name,” Erwin said. “So I came to do track.”

It turned out to be a good decision for Erwin. He finished with an outstanding freshman season with the Wildcats that included 11 medals in the high jump, including one at the Class 3 state track championship meet on May 28 at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City.

The 6-foot-1 Erwin placed eighth in the high jump at 6 feet, 3.5 inches, becoming the fourth MCHS athlete in the last five years to earn all-state honors in the event. Renee Finke won state titles in 2019 and 2021 and placed seventh in 2018, Chris Harrison finished seventh in 2017 and third in 2018 and Kaitlyn Meyer came in eighth in 2017.

“This is my first year ever doing track, so getting eighth place here at state really meant a lot to me,” Erwin said.
Erwin also was one of eight MCHS athletes to receive all-state notice at the two-day meet, joining El Reagan (first, girls pole vault), Lyric Ford (fourth, girls 1,600), Sam Queathem (fifth, girls javelin) and the boys 800-meter relay team of Adam Czerniewski, Dominic Luttrell, Jacer Brower and Jadrian Thurmon.

“For all of the people who medaled, they worked super hard the whole season,” Erwin said. “I know they had stuff they had to work on throughout the whole season. I’m proud of them that they got here and placed a medal.”

Erwin was the only freshman to earn a medal in the high jump at state. He said he enjoyed the experience of competing in front of a massive crowd in Jefferson City.
“It felt good,” Erwin said. “It was kind of like playing basketball. It has the same atmosphere. There are a lot of people watching. So it felt pretty good jumping in front of a whole bunch of people here.”

Erwin said he’s already looking forward to his sophomore year.

“I’m going to work over the summer on my high jump,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll be a state champion next year.”

Erwin picked up seven victories in the high jump, including one in the season-opening Montgomery County Early Invite on March 22. In his win at the Montgomery County Invitational on April 19, he jumped a 6-6, coming up two inches short of a school record. Erwin qualified for state in the high jump by placing third in the Sectional 2 meet on May 21 at Jim Blacklock Field.

Erwin, who helped the boys basketball team win 17 games and capture its second straight district title during the winter, said coaches decided to put him in the high jump before the season began.

“I have a history of jumping high,” the freshman said. “So when I came in there, they automatically put me in the high jump.”

Erwin also competed in the long jump, triple jump and the hurdle and relay events. He set season-best marks in the long jump (20-2.5) and triple jump (42-3.5) at the District 4 championship meet on May 14 at Jim Blacklock Field.

Erwin credits coaches Stephanie Finke and Chasity Rodgers for his strong season.

“The coaches are phenomenal,” Erwin said. “Coach Finke and Coach Rodgers have been there for me since the whole high jump thing. I wasn’t that good when I first started, but at mid-season, I got super good because of Coach Finke and Coach Rodgers, so I thank them a lot for putting me where I am at now.”