Members of Southern Wayne’s varsity girls’ basketball team join senior Ta’Niyah Glaspie following her inking a letter of intent to attend UNC Pembroke this fall. Glaspie helped lead the Saints to the 2022 Quad County 3A regular-season conference title and 2023 QCC 3A tournament crown. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Members of Southern Wayne’s volleyball team join senior Ta’Niyah Glaspie after she signing to run track at UNC Pembroke. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Members of the Southern Wayne boys’ and girls’ indoor/outdoor track pose with senior Ta’Niyah Glaspie after she signed a national letter of intent to run track at UNC Pembroke next season. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne senior Ta’Niyah Glaspie, middle, sits with coaches Takisha Vann, left, Ricky Lofton, second from left, and former Saints head track coach, Ronnie McClary, far right. Standing behind Glaspie is Clifton Broadhurst, who served as an assistant coach in girls’ basketball. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne senior Ta’Niyah Glaspie, pink shirt, signs a national letter of intent to run track next season at UNC Pembroke. Sitting with Glaspie are her mother, Mechella Kenan, grandmother Catherine Leach, second from right, and sister Takeitha Glaspie, right. At back, from left, Zaphania Days and cousin Mia Glaspie-Leach. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Opposing coaches and competitors may attempt to sneak in during Southern Wayne’s graduation ceremony in mid-June.They’ll all have eyes on one senior — Ta’Niyah Glaspie.
Once she walks across the stage and accepts her diploma, a loud sigh of relief — particularly those associated with girls’ basketball and track — may be heard across eastern North Carolina.
Surrounded by family, and with friends and classmates looking on, Glaspie revealed her collegiate future Wednesday afternoon. She signed a national letter of intent to run track at UNC Pembroke next season.
“She went down there [to visit] and immediately knew this is it,” SW track coach Takisha Vann said. “It’s going to be a good fit because my main concern was making sure that somebody is going to push her, make her want to excel at the next level.
“She’ll have great meets there.”
Cell phone cameras silently clicked and froze a long-awaited, memorable moment for Glaspie. Some tears flowed, smiles beamed brightly and hugs came from every direction.
The biggest embrace came from big sister Takeitha.
During the early stages of her prep indoor/outdoor track career, Ta’Niyah constantly heard stories about her older sibling’s successes. They made comparisons and voiced annoying comments, which Ta’Niyah used as motivation.
“I chose UNCP because of me, not because of ‘TT’,” Ta’Niyah said. “The first couple of years, it was like ‘who is better, you or TT?’ They compared us so much. Now I finally get to go somewhere I can just be Ta’Niyah without being TT’s little sister.
“[Our family] is competitive and we all think we’re the best. But, don’t let them fool you, I’m better.”
Who would argue?
Glaspie’s resume reads like a “Who’s Who” among the top high school track performers in Wayne County and North Carolina.
She’s won a combined six eastern 3A regional championships in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. That’s not to mention a combined five gold medals in the same events while competing in Eastern Carolina 3A-4A and Quad County 3A championship meets.
A four-sport athlete, Glaspie claimed the 100 and 200 dashes during the 2023 Wayne County Track and Field Championship meet in late March. She ran the anchor leg on the gold-medal winning 4×1 and 4×2 relays.
In 2022, she captured the 55-meter dash gold in the QCC indoor finals and finished runner-up this past winter in the same event.
She’s a three-time eastern regional and state qualifier in outdoor track. In 2022, Glaspie made her lone indoor appearance in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A state finals.
“She’s been the center [of our program] and we build around that,” Vann said. “She’s a likable kid so people want to be around her and work. They see her working hard and it’s just contagious. She’s been a valuable asset.”
Glaspie joins a women’s program that is gaining traction on the conference and regional level with head coach Pater Ormsby. He guided the Braves to the 2020 Mountain East Conference indoor track crown and the 2021 Conference Carolinas indoor track title.
UNCP placed third indoors and second outdoors during its 2022 Conference Carolinas campaigns. This past season, the Braves were third indoors and fifth outdoors in the 2023 Conference Carolinas championship meets.
Glaspie is ready to compete in just one sport.
“A majority of the time I got injured playing other sports,” said Glaspie, who helped lead the Saints to the 2022 QCC regular-season title and 2023 QCC tournament crown in basketball.
“Now, I get to focus on track. The weight room and the workouts are going to help me get faster. I’ll just need to dial down and focus because they’re great [sprinters]. But I know I can be great, too.”
No argument there, either.
