Lady Gators’ Horne Finishes Season On Top Of Podium

By Rob Gantt

Special to the HSSR

GOOSE CREEK – Goose Creek High School track and field coach Jason Winstead said hurdler Kourtney Horne was at her best in the Class 5A Div. II state track meet.

Horne believed she was going to be challenged in the 100-meter hurdles May 15 at Spring Valley High School. Horne ran like it, too, making it look easy on the way to her first track and field state championship for the Gators. Horne cruised across the finish line in 14.2 seconds, 18 hundredths of a second ahead of the runner-up.

“We saw her best,” Winstead said.

Horne placed eighth in the event in 2024, more than a full second behind her winning time at state.

“Her future is as bright as it possibly can be,” Winstead said. “Watching Kourtney run the last month or so has been fun. She’s such a competitor. She does a great job of getting ready to run. She just got off to a great start.”

Horne became the third Gators hurdler in a row to win a state championship. Faith Jones finished first in 2024 and Robert Wheatley reached the top of the podium in 2023 for the Goose Creek boys.

“We’ve had pretty good hurdlers around here for a while,” Winstead said.

Horne also placed second by two hundredths of a second in the 400-meter hurdles. Wisdom Johnson added a runner-up finish for the Goose Creek boys in the 110-meter hurdles. More notable finishes for the Gators were turned in by long jumpers Julian Whitfield and Trevor Smalls. They placed second and third in the boys event. 

Kaprice Manigualt-Garrett finished second for the Gators' girls in the 400-meter dash.