With so many great performances both by individuals and teams this past weekend it is time to look back and vote for which one deserves the title as best performance of the state meets.
State Leaderboards: Boys - Girls
Here are the candidates (in no particular order)
Blacksburg Girls
Photo by: Jon Fleming
These Bruins were undeniable this year in team competition. They were led by Kendell Wiles, Bonnie Angermeier, Jennifer Fleming, and many more who led them to not only a cross country team title but also an indoor and outdoor state title.
Maggie Walker Boys
Photo by: Mary Ann Magnant
The Green Dragons on the boys side fought off tight competition all year, especially in indoor season to be the only guys team to win a triple crown this year. They were led by Alex Fleckenstein who scored in nearly all the distance events and led them in cross country this past fall.
Anyone who has read her stats knows she is the real deal. Meredith scored an astonishing 50 points by winning the long and triple jumps, running on the 4x100 that won and also winning the 100 and 200m dashes. Not to mention she is only a junior.
Though Meredith had her fun in the 1A classification, DaJuan did his points grab in the 2A classification taking home victories in the triple jump, both hurdles and as a member of a relay. He also scored points in other jumps as well to bring his point total to 56!
Western Branch Girls scoring 149 team points
Photos by: John Herzog
No team, guys or girls, scored anywhere near this many points. The Bruins won all three relays, placed in all three jumps, had four places in both hurdles, not to mention 1-2-3-4 in the 300m hurdles, and ran state leading times in each relay and even a state record in the 4x800 (9:02.11). They also had a girl win the 800m dash and another finish highly in the open 100. It seemingly wasn't an issue of what they were going to place in but what events they wanted to place in.
Photo by: John Herzog
Chantel not only hurdled into sole possesion of #2 all-time in the 100m hurdles (13.42) this past weekend but she also won the 300m hurdles and ran a leg on the state leading and state champion 4x100m relay.
Photo by: John Herzog
Kiana wasn't satisfied with her triple victory at the regional level so she decided to do so at States. Good thing for her she is one of the fastest girls in the entire state because she just became one of, if not the only, girl to win the 100, 200, and 400 at the same state meet. It is not only a tough task to do physically but also a task that requires a lot of versatility and skill.
Photo by: John Herzog
Winner of both the 1600 and 3200 and a member of the West Springfield girls 4x800. She won the 1600 in 4:48.62 and the 3200 in an easy 10:42.36. This is one rare thing to do, something that is near impossible to do on the same day. Not only did she win but she won with amazing times doing the 3200 first and then following it up later in the afternoon in her final run as a Virginia high schooler.
Photo by: John Herzog
Noah won the 100, 200, and was a member of the state champion 4x400m relay. He led his Titan teammates to a state team title, the first outright title a Northern Region team has won in nearly ten years.
Photo by: John Herzog
Matthew was nearly a triple winner, he won the boys 1600m, ran away from the field in the boys 800 and was a member of the Deep Run 4x800 that finished in third place thanks to him running from 6th ro 3rd. Matthew was the only 5A boy to win two individual state titles.
Photo by: Jon Fleming
Brandee' was also a near triple champion. She won the 300m hurdles, ran a state leading and 5th fastest all-time 23.64 200 while also placing second in the 100m dash. All of these times too were run by a sophomore.
Photo by: John Herozg
Matthew, one of the most prolific throwers the state has ever seen, ended his Virginia throwing career this week. In his finale he threw the discus 199ft and launched the shot put 58-5.5 to win another double state title. He may go down in Virginia history as having the highest win percentage per event at the state meet. Not to mention he has never lost a discus state title, or lost in the state of Virginia in discus competition since 2012.
Photo by: Jon Fleming
Andrew was not only the 3200m champion but he also came back that afternoon to win a stacked 1600. His time of 4:10.04 is a state leading time and one of the fastest ever run in the state by a sophomore. There is not too much you can say besides, WOW that is fast.
Photo by: Jon Fleming
In what is now distance central (Group 3A), Derek ran an amazing race to win the boys 800 in 1:51.05. He also split near 1:50 flat in his anchor leg to bring the Lafayette Rams to victory over Blacksburg in the 4x800.
Photo by: Mary Ann Magnant
Winner of the boys 110m hurdles, finalist in the boys 200m dash and 300m hurdles and winner of the boys high jump with a state leading mark of 7-1. He cleared this on his very first attempt at this height then left the competition to qualify in the open 200m dash.
Photo by: John Herzog
Steven not only placed in a close second in the high jump but he also placed in a close third place as well. That is for team titles. He, himself, as in just him, scored enough points to place third in the 6A state team title race. He did so by winning the long jump, the triple jump, and placing on the 4x100m relay team to go along with his placing in the 110m hurdles, and 300m hurdles.