Georgetown High School’s Alex Underwood, left, clears the final hurdle en route to the fastest time in Division III this season – 14.67 seconds – during qualifying for the boys 110-meter hurdles June 2, 2023, at the state track and field meet in Columbus.
Teammate Miles just misses placing in high jump
Georgetown High School’s Alex Underwood, second from right, leads the Division III boys 110-meter hurdles final as he approaches the last hurdle June 3, 2023, at the state track and field meet in Columbus. He would hit the hurdle and finish sixth.
Alex Underwood of Georgetown High School landed on the podium and earned a medal for his sixth-place finish in the Division III boys 110-meter hurdles June 3, 2023, at the state track and field meet in Columbus.
Georgetown High School’s Carson Miles competes in the Division III boys high jump June 2, 2023, during the state track and field meet in Columbus.
Change can come fast in a sport that’s all about fast.
In the blink of an eye, really – or less.
Then there’s the kind of change that’s less of a blur, but equally as profound.
Georgetown High School’s Alex Underwood experienced both during the 2023 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Tournament, June 2-3 at a hot and steamy Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus.
First, in qualifying for the boys 110-meter hurdles June 2, the senior posted the best time in all of Division III this season – 14.67 seconds.
The next morning, in the 110 hurdles final, he picked up about where he left off the previous day, leading the race as he attempted to clear the final hurdle. But he hit the hurdle and stumbled ever-so slightly before sprinting across the finish line. In the blink of an eye, he went from first place to a sixth place, finishing in 15.00 seconds – .20 seconds behind the winner in what would turn out to be a wind-aided race.
“Honestly, there was nothing much different (from qualifying Day 1 and the finals Day 2). Maybe having the excitement of being in front at the last hurdle,” Underwood said. “I tripped over it. It’s crazy how fast things change.”
Still, Underwood capped an amazing season with a spot on the podium – the only area Brown County athlete to place at the state meet. Georgetown teammate and fellow senior Carson Miles competed in the Division III boys high jump but finished 10th at 6 feet – two inches short of a possible spot on the podium. Miles was tops in the high jump in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference this season at 6-1.
“I am very proud of both Carson and Alex for their seasons,” Georgetown coach Tanner Ellis said. “Carson did great in the high Jump and Alex ran the fastest time in D3 in the 110 hurdles all season on Friday morning to set himself up for first overall going into the finals. He ended up finishing sixth and making all-Ohio and the podium. He still, in fact, holds the fastest time in Division III for this season.”
Immediately after the final, while Underwood appeared somewhat disappointed with the finish, he quickly put it into perspective and embraced a season that saw him win both the 110 and 300 hurdles at meets on a regular basis this season.
“In high school, I’ve viewed sports as a fun thing,” Underwood said. “I improved from 16.3 (seconds in the 110 hurdles) last year to a PR (personal record) of 14.6 this year. The big difference, I think, is that I just filled into my body. I was never real strong.”
Underwood had the best time in the SBAAC in the 110 and 300 hurdles at 15.13 and 40.97, respectively, this season. In the conference as a sophomore, his best times were 18.55 and 1:10.00, and last year, he improved to 17.13 and 44.61 in the SBAAC. He also competed in the 100 dash this season, with a best time of 11.97 in the SBAAC.
“Optimism,” he said of the key to his success this season. “The more positive you are the easier things come to you.”
Underwood also played on the highly successful Georgetown boys tennis team this spring, earning all-SBAAC National Division first-team honors at No. 2 singles. But performing at the highest level in two sports at the same time wasn’t easy.
“It was pretty different this year,” said Underwood, who was also all-conference in soccer in the fall. “After winning the conference (in tennis in 2022), they scheduled 22 matches (this season), and we had nine (track) meets. For all of April, it was tennis three days a week and track two. There was no time for practice, either, because I was competing all the time. That took some tenacity. And I had a stress fracture in my ankle for pretty much the whole season. Still, I’m real pleased (with how the track season went).”
He said he hasn’t yet decided on what’s next after high school but said that “I might run at NKU (Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky) or ODU (Ohio Dominican University in Columbus). I’m not sure.”
One thing is for sure when it comes to Underwood and the hurdles: He’s fast – blink-of-the-eye fast.