NATCHEZ — Of all the track meets Natchez High School track coach Larry Wesley sends his athletes to, there’s one that really stands out to him.

LSU is hosting its annual High School Classic Friday and Saturday, and Wesley said the meet always serves as a tool to see where his program is.

“Going to LSU to compete against good competition, we get to see where we are and where we are going,” Wesley said. “This meet has always been my measuring stick.”

And for good reason — Wesley said many track clubs from different states always compete in the LSU High School Classic, clubs that contain cream-of-the-crop track athletes.

“Not a lot of schools in Mississippi get a chance to do this,” Wesley said. “We do it every year, and every year we get better.

“Some of the best athletes in the country come to this meet. These track clubs cherry pick the best athletes from each state, so they’re not just part of one high school like us.”

Wesley said he has several athletes that he expects to do well. One of those is Justin Hamilton, who will compete in the shot put.

“Last year I threw 46-feet, 6-inches, and two years ago I threw approximately 38 feet,” Hamilton said. “I get better every year, and I’m trying to get at least 50 feet this year.”

Jeremy Davis is another athlete Wesley said he expects to do well. Davis will compete in the 55-yard dash, the 400-meter dash, the 4X2 relay and the long jump.

“I think I’ll do well,” Davis said. “I expect to do really well in the long jump, which I’m good at. I finished second last year and expect to finish first this year.”

Junior Philicia Wimley will be competing in the triple jump, long jump and high jump, as well as the 4X2 relay. Wimley said the high jump is what she excels at the most

“I try to have pretty good ups,” Wimley said.

“I usually do well at this event. I plan on going at least an inch higher than last year, where I was 4 feet, 8 inches.”

Wesley said he expects his team to do well with the practice time everyone was able to put in.

“We had two weeks of practice in a row over the holidays,” Wesley said. “This was the first year to have most everyone participate in the practices.”