NATCHEZ — Adalyn Boyd was only a step behind making it to the state meet in track and field.

The 110-meter hurdles proved every bit as tough as advertised for the Trinity Episcopal Day School junior, but Boyd managed to clear each one without incident at the South State track meet Saturday. The only thing that stood in her way was the lead runner.

“If her leg didn’t give out, she’d be going to state,” Trinity track coach Michael Kinney said. “I don’t think people realize just how brutal the hurdles are until you do them yourself. That last stretch is like an eternity, and her leg gave out in that last stretch after the last hurdle.”

Boyd ended up finishing second, mere inches from the lead runner.

“I was very disappointed,” Boyd said. “I wish I could have given it more, but I feel like I was giving it all I could. It didn’t register with me until afterward that I was that close behind.”

With one more year of high school left, Boyd has let the experience of coming up short fuel her to do better next year.

“It’s going to be stressful, but it’s motivating me a lot,” she said. “I think I want to try a lot harder.”

That motivating factor is something Kinney, who also teaches Boyd in one of his science classes, has noticed about her. It’s driven her not only to perform well athletically, but also academically.

“She always gets started early at practice, and you don’t have to hunt her down to tell her to do warmups,” he said. “She likes to push herself, and that’s great for her as a student and as an athlete.”

Though she acknowledges her desire to excel, Boyd said she’s not sure from where that personality trait came.

“If I get my mind on something, I won’t slow down until I get there,” she said. “It’s a struggle sometimes, but it pays off for sure.”

Boyd currently has a 3.0 grade-point average, and Kinney said he enjoys teaching her in his class because of how easy it is to interact with her.

“She gets the material faster than most, and when she doesn’t understand it, she asks precise questions,” Kinney said. “She doesn’t just say, ‘I don’t get it’ — she explains exactly what she doesn’t understand.”

Boyd said she asks questions only as a measure of last resort.

“Mostly if I don’t understand it I’ll try to work it out and pinpoint the problem,” she said. “Sometimes I try to do it by myself and it causes problems, but other times it’s better.”

Sports and school aren’t the only activities Boyd with which Boyd is attempting to perform a balancing act. As an employee at Natchez Coffee Company, Boyd said she works two to three days a week, as well as Saturdays. Even with the amount of activities that pile up, Boyd said she has a lot of help juggling everything.

“My boss (Sharon Brown) makes it possible for me to do school, sports and work,” Boyd said. “My mom helps me a lot, too. She’ll always call me to remind me about things.”

The hardest part about balancing everything is keeping up with when she has to be at which activity.

“It’s very hard,” Boyd said. “Sometimes I’ll get my schedules mixed up. If no one comes into the store, that’s when I’ll try to sit there and get my homework done.”

Track and field was one of many sports Boyd picked up when she was younger, she said. After a while, it was the main one that stuck, along with cheerleading. In addition to the 110-meter hurdles, Boyd also competes in the 300-meter hurdles, as well as several relay events.

“I love doing it, and I want to push myself to do more,” Boyd said of all the activities in which she’s involved. “I feel like life is more exciting that way.”

Boyd said she has LSU in her sights as a potential college destination, but her dream is to go to school in New York City. She said she plans to study fashion marketing. Boyd is the daughter of Leslie Parker and Jeffrey Ross.