NATCHEZ — Two members of the Natchez Track Club will be heading to Southern University in Baton Rouge, on July 12-15.

Alicia Wimley, 15, and Jessica Gails, 16, participated in the Association Championship meet. They competed against runners from Louisiana and Mississippi.

Wimley qualified in the 200-meter and 400-meter by running 25.62 seconds in the 200 and 100.55 seconds in the 400. She competes in the intermediate class.

Gails qualified by running 100-meters in 13.36 seconds for the young women’s class.

Gails and Wimley will spend the next couple of weeks practicing twice a day for about one and a half hours at the football field at Trinity Episcopal Day School.

To aviod the Natchez heat, they practice once in the morning and later that evening.

Henry “Doc” Woods coaches Wimley and Gails. He motivates by telling them to “push harder” and “don’t stop, work all the way.” He stresses good form and technique.

“If they work hard, they can win,” Woods said. “They know the competition is going to be tough. I want them to be prepared.”

Wimley and Gails are looking forward to the regional meet. “I know it’s going to be tough but we have to push ourselves to the elite level,” Wimley said.

They both have dreams of running at the next level. Gails hopes to get a full scholarship to a college, maybe Baylor.

Wimley would like to attend Louisiana State University.

Woods is the president of the Southern Association Miss-La and is in the Hall of Fame Mississippi Association of Coaches.

He coaches any athletes that want to develop speed and endurance.