Covington, VA (Feb. 25, 2025)— Brady Prior, a 2024 graduate of Alleghany High School (AHS), has made a significant leap from high school athletics to competing at the collegiate level. Now a second-year student at the University of Charleston (UC) in West Virginia, Brady is a proud member of the Charleston track and field team. The Journal has learned that the former Cougar has been making some waves lately with his exceptional performance on the track.
This past weekend, Brady, who happens to be the only American on the team, traveled with UC to compete in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Indoor Championships at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The two-day event was held from Saturday, February 21st—Sunday, February 22nd and featured eleven college participants. There, the Charleston team faced an unexpected obstacle during a relay race when Brady's team member, Alejandro Salgado, dropped the baton during the handoff from Eric Krueter. Afterwards, Salgado was forced to run back to retrieve it.
The Journal did some research to find out what the odds are of winning a relay race following a baton drop and retrieval. What we discovered is that the feat borders on impossible. With a severe uphill battle in front of them, Salgado pushed on anyway, handing off to Millar McElrea, who then passed off to Alleghany County's own Brady Prior, who was serving as UC's anchor.
As it happens, Brady Prior and his teammates on the UC's track and field team are unfamiliar with the word "impossible." The team forged ahead and obtained the unobtainable victory.
The Journal caught up with Brady and conducted a brief interview to get his thoughts on the "impossible" win. He stated, "It was just amazing. I was so nervous when I saw how far behind we were. We were ranked 11 seconds faster than 2nd place, so it was supposed to be an easy win. Seeing us so far behind had me shook. To end up winning was amazing!"
Currently, UC is ranked 13th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division 2. Their next step will be an attempt to qualify at national's this weekend when the team heads to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Should Brady's team land in the top 12, it'll be off to Virginia Beach to compete at the national level.
We here at the Journal wish Brady and his team all the best in their future endeavors!
|  | UC's track and field teams pose victoriously after several wins at the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Indoor Championships at Marshall. (Photo used with permission from Scott Abbott at https://www.instagram.com/scottabbottphoto/)
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