Central track champ signs with Miles
Sun. April 27, 2014 at 12:00 a.m. | By Andrew Carroll
D'Leisha Dent, a senior at Central High, has signed to participate in volleyball and track at Miles College.
D’Leisha Dent, a three-sport athlete at Central High School, might find her work load a little lighter when she gets to college.
Dent signed Thursday to compete in volleyball and track at Miles College in Fairfield. She said her boyfriend, Central linebacker Ronderek Rice, signed in February to play football at Miles.
Dent joined the Central varsity volleyball team as an eighth-grader. She was a seventh-grader when she started participating in track and field, and she spent four seasons playing basketball.
“This day means a lot to me,” Dent said. “It means that I’m going to further my career, not only in athletics but also in education.
“This is the best opportunity, and also they’re offering me the most. I could have had the opportunity to go to Kentucky or Mobile, but I think’s because I wanted to stay close to home.”
Dent’s main position in volleyball was outside hitter, but she described herself as an “all-around” player. Her specialties in track are the shot put, discus and javelin.
She has won three AHSAA shot put champions indoors and two outdoors. In the AHSAA indoor championships in February, she won the Class 5A girls shot put with a throw of 35 feet, 43⁄4 inches. In the 2013 outdoor championships, she won the shot put with a throw of 37-71⁄4 and placed third in the discus at 93-4.
Dent expressed her appreciation to her mother, Melissa Dent, and to her coaches, Deon Irby, Tyneka Turner, Michael Rivers and Tyrone Jones.
“They have been there since day one, since middle school,” Dent said. “I would also like to thank our principal, Dr. Clarence Sutton Jr. He’s a big supporter of all of the athletes and all the other students.”
