EVANSVILLE – North is home to one of the best track and field groups in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. The boys and girls team often find themselves in contention for championships at the City Meet, conference and sectional – especially in recent years.
Track and field is a team sport that demands the contributions of everyone involved in order to leave a meet victorious. Much of the Huskies’ success has had to do with the productivity of its sibling pairing, De’Amontey and De’Janay Layne.
They are both track competitors for North, specializing in short-distance running and relay competitions. De’Amontey and De’Janay have gone as far as representing the Huskies at the state level in Indianapolis in each of the last two seasons. De’Janay has done so since her freshman season in 2023.
The two move together as not only brother and sister, but tone setters for what success has looked like at North. Winning a meet is always nice, but for De’Amontey and De’Janay, it means little in relation to what it takes to get there.
It’s always been about the work for them.
“Everybody doesn’t see the hard days, they see the end result,” De’Amontey said. “You’ve got to put in the work, and that’s what we do (at practice), so it feels much better when we win. It pays off.”
De’Janay did not mince words when it came to what fuels her competitive nature.
“I’m a really sore loser, so when it comes to practice, I take it as serious as I can,” De’Janay said. “There’s some days to play, but when it’s time to get busy, it’s time to get busy.”
How it started
This journey for the Layne siblings started at Caze Elementary School.
“We were in a running club group a Caze Elementary,” De’Janay said. “I didn’t run it a lot, but (De’Amontey) did. It was more distance than sprinting.”
During Caze field days, the two would often win the competitions. It paved the way for the siblings to take track seriously down the line as they grew older.
When they arrived at North in 2022, the siblings placed their focus to track. De’Amontey said what enticed him most was the atmosphere and triumph that came with winning. He wanted to be a part of that with the Huskies.
North boys, led by Lonnie Wilson, have won sectionals the past three seasons. North girls, led by Wes Camp, won sectionals for the first time since 2017 last season.
The Layne siblings have each played a part in that success. And as they have picked up more experience, naturally, that comes with an expectation of leadership being a focal point.
Unforeseen circumstances led to North losing one of its track coaches last season. It led to De’Amontey stepping up as one of Wilson’s main voices earlier than he was expecting.
“That’s been a little tough, but I think it’s helped us step up earlier than we probably wanted to and sort of be the coaches ourselves,” De’Amontey said.
De’Janay said it is important to teach the underclassmen what they were taught. “Paying it forward,” as some might say.
She is someone who expects the best from her teammates, no questions asked. It’s an honest leadership style and one that has benefited Camp’s group.
Injury management
At this year’s Evansville City meet, De’Amontey won the 100-meter and was on North’s winning 4×100 relay team. He ended up with a pulled hamstring during the event, which explains his less-than-ideal performance in the 200-meter. Still, North won the event, but it’s an injury De’Amontey continues to monitor ahead of this week’s conference meet.
De’Amontey said he intends to compete at the meet.
“I don’t want to overexert myself at conference,” De’Amontey said. “I’ll just go out there and see how it goes. See where I need to improve to get ready for sectionals.”
De’Janay has also dealt with hamstring issues. While she did not pull hers like De’Amontey, her trainer has advised her to take it easy. De’Janay has still been competing but has been careful about putting the same stress on the muscle that she usually would.
Next on the agenda for the Layne siblings are the SIAC meets. Girls competing on May 12 and boys on May 14.
The two have laid out their goals for the rest of the season. De’Janay is putting it on herself to run a personal record 23-second 200-meter by the end of the season.
She is also looking to win state in the 100-meter and 200-meter. It is something De’Janay has been thinking about since coming up short in both races at state last season.
Of course, she also is eyeing team success starting with this week’s SIAC meet, sectionals and beyond.
De’Amontey made it clear he is solely focused on team goals.
“I’m just looking at state level with my guys,” De’Amontey said. “We want to be dominant; we want to go win it all. I feel like we’ve got the mentality, we’ve just got to stay locked in.”
The future for the Layne siblings
Soon, De’Amontey and De’Janay’s time at North will be coming to an end. They both have different plans going forward.
De’Janay will continue as a track athlete at Indiana State with plans to major in psychology. De’Amontey is going into the Navy with his sights set on being a damage controlman. Two different career paths, but with the Layne siblings’ work ethic, it should still lead to continued success in whatever endeavor.
North’s track and field success is not all to do with the Layne siblings. They have also received contributions from athletes like Darian Walker, Iana Tecson, Hadley Giesman, Madeline Bedel and strong relay units for the boys and girls teams over the years.
Still, what’s been at the forefront of much of North’s success has been the Layne siblings. And they are not done yet as the two hope to make the most of this next month representing the Huskies for the final time.
Markos Tsegaye is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. He can be reached at mtsegaye@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @10_Markos_.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville North’s De’Amontey and De’Janay Layne’s embrace the work
