Nansemond-Suffolk senior Kenny Rice was a one-man team for the Saints’ indoor track and field “team” all winter long.

Rice completed his season Mar. 12-13 by winning a national championship and competing in three events in all at the GREAT American Scholastic Indoor National Championship in Geneva, Ohio.

Rice won the long jump with a best mark of 6.27 meters (20-feet-6.75). He finished second in the triple jump (40-feet-8.25) and seventh in the 60-meter dash.

In February, Rice won the VISAA (Virginia Independent School Athletic Association) state championship in the triple jump and was second in the state in the long jump. Rice was voted Most Valuable Performer for field events at the VISAA Championship.

Throughout the school year, Rice has been training at Lakeland with the Cavalier track athletes and head coach Greg Rountree. Rice is striving to continue track collegiately.

“Just before my senior year started, I said to myself, ‘you can’t wait for people to push you. You have to motivate yourself,’” Rice said.

“Coach ‘Tree makes us all work hard in practice. Every day is very intense. He pushes us to the max,” Rice said.

In the first outdoor meet of the track season, this past Thursday at Hampton Roads Academy against HRA and three more Tidewater Conference schools, Rice won the long jump, triple jump, 100-meter dash and 200 meters for the Saints; and now that it’s the outdoor season, NSA’s team won the meet with 110 points over 101 by HRA in second.