ESA junior Anderson Frank raises his arms triumphantly after winning the 1600-meters race. 

Baton Rouge – For Episcopal School of Acadiana’s Anderson Frank, this year was always going to be his year. 

With first place finishes in the 800-meters, 1600-meters and 3200-meters at both district and regionals, the 2023 state meet three-time silver medalist knew that he would need to keep up the momentum if he wanted a chance at the gold, and a repeat Class B state championship.

Last season, Frank finished in second place in all three events, playing second fiddle to Greer Hernandez in both the one-mile and two-mile events. Hernandez, now a distance runner at Millsaps College, left Frank with some big shoes to fill, but it didn’t seem to phase the junior on race day.

“I had inspiration from my past teammate, Greer Hernandez. Last year we both tripled up and did the events together and that really motivated me to take his place after he left,” Frank said.

“I knew I was going to be running three events and I really just wanted to do the best that I could for my team. Even though I may not have a lot of time between my races, I’m still going to give it everything that I have because that’s what we do at ESA.”

Frank’s performance in the 1600-meters, the first event of the day, was three seconds faster than last year’s time. His 3200-meters time also improved, shaving off nearly seven seconds in the two-mile race.

One of the challenges for Frank this year was a tight schedule, with little time between events to properly rest and prepare for the next race.

“Sometimes there’s not much that you can do, so you have to just pray and believe in yourself,” he said. “Sometimes you can do a little slow jog and some stretching will be perfect. Either way I’m going to give it everything that I have and that’s all that matters.”

As Frank crossed the finish line of the 1600-meters event, arms raised in triumph and fingers pointed towards the sky, he immediately began congratulating the rest of the athletes. That type of uplifting attitude is common among runners towards their own teammates, but for Frank, the positivity gets spread out to everyone he shares the track with.

Frank said it all comes down to his faith.

“(My faith) is pretty important to me, especially when you’re sharing it with other people,” he explained. “Whenever you’re in a race, you’re not the only one that matters. It’s also about everyone around you, so you have to make sure that, even if someone finished above you or below you, you still make sure that they know that you’re proud of them. That matters a lot, especially in this sport.”

Frank’s performances at the state meet earned him Class B Most Outstanding Athlete honors. The Falcons also won the team’s second state championship, defending last season’s title and earning the school’s 96th state championship.

With three gold medals around his neck and another state championship trophy in his arms, the sky’s the limit for Frank in his senior season.

Below are the full results from the 2024 Outdoor Track and Field season:

800 Meters

Place, Time, Location

1 2:07.61 2024 Bell City Bruin Relays

1 2:10.42 LHSAA Class B – District 6

1 2:05.82 LHSAA State Track & Field Championships – 1A, B, C

1600 Meters

Place, Time, Location

3 4:40.81 Oil City Relays

1 4:38.76 2024 Bell City Bruin Relays

1 4:37.98 2024 Teurlings Catholic Relays

1 4:46.60 LHSAA Class B – District 6

1 4:39.08 LHSAA State Track & Field Championships – 1A, B, C

3200 Meters

Place, Time, Location

2 10:16.20 Oil City Relays

1 10:09.79 2024 Bell City Bruin Relays

1 10:16.26 2024 Teurlings Catholic Relays

1 10:22.09 LHSAA Class B – District 6

1 10:17.48 LHSAA State Track & Field Championships – 1A, B, C