Chai Voccola is just glad to be back on the track — and it shows.

The Sedona Red Rock High School senior emerged from injuries that shelved him for nearly half the season to take the triple jump and 110-meter hurdles at his last two meets.

Voccola ran the hurdles in less than 16 seconds and tied his personal record in the triple jump to pace the SRRHS boys team, which placed third overall behind Coconino and Snowflake high schools Saturday, April 4, at the Red Rock Invitational.

“You doubt yourself, whether it was worth it,” Voccola said. “You come into the season, you keep getting injured, you haven’t jumped yet. But I was very happy with my first jump.”

The Scorpions girls finished less than three points out of first place at the home meet, behind Prescott High School.

“I can only hurdle with my right leg,” Voccola said. “I probably will have to run the 4×400 and 4×100 relay at State as well.”

While Voccola has injured his quadraceps, rolled his ankle, bruised his heel and “done something preseason to a hip-groin muscle,” he has overcome all that to run in as many as six events this spring.

Voccola teamed up with fellow seniors Kevin Alvarez, Andre Davis and Brian Nguyen for a pair of second-place finishes in those respective events April 4, he is focused on shattering personal records in the long and triple jump — in which he has skied to nearly 20 and 43 feet.

“I have big goals,” Voccola said. “I want a 48-foot jump in triple and a 23 [-foot] jump in long. I take my other events seriously, but I don’t really do it for being remembered as much as I just do it for my goals.”

For the full story, please see the Wednesday, April 8, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.