JACKSON — Ashleigh Williams couldn’t watch the final discus throw at the state championship track and field event Friday.

After recording a 102.6, the Adams County Christian School junior was anxious, knowing that her best throw was 10 feet less than the throw that won her the state title a year ago. Knowing her competitor, Silliman Institute’s Maggie Brian, averages 110 forced her to look away in angst as Brian made her last throw.

“Mom was watching and she was making faces, so I was like, ‘Mom…,’” Ashleigh said. “I thought I got second just by her facial reactions.”

Ashleigh’s mother Sundra Williams said it was a nerve-wracking conclusion to the event.

“It was stressful, knowing that Ashleigh was not having her best day,” Sundra said. “It was just like we were hoping the other girl wouldn’t have her best day either. Because both of them were neck and neck.”

Brian’s last throw was a 101, just shy of Williams. As Williams heard the good news, she jumped up and hit her head on a tree branch hanging above her in celebration.

“The branches hang low, so it was kind of funny,” Williams said. “Mom started laughing.”

The first place victory in the competition marks Ashleigh’s third of her athletic career. Williams first won the event as an eighth grader before winning as a sophomore and now as a junior. As an eighth grader, Williams set her sights high with hopes of beating the state record, but after winning three of the last four competitions, Williams would be more than pleased to finish her high school career with four first-place finishes.

“I had some high ambitions as an eighth grader because I wanted to break the state record,” Ashleigh said. “It’s still an ambition, but winning four would be pretty awesome.”