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The Fauquier boys were able to score a total of 54 points through the two days of competition due in part to double event winner Bierlein, a winning relay, and help from a cast of others. Bierlein, who nearly won two state titles last year as a junior with a win in the 800 meter run and a close second in the 1600 meter run, was able to achieve this feat in his second attempt. Bierlein took the 1600 meter win in convincing style with his 4:26.34 as he won by a nearly 3 second margin. While being the defending state champion in the 800 meter run, Bierlein did not exactly come into the race exactly being the favorite as Turner Ashby's Michael Billington had emerged onto the scene as one of AA's best middle distance runners this spring and Bierlein would be doubling back from the 1600. Despite the odds against him, Bierlein was able to overcome the challenger Billington (1:57.45) and take the state title crown in the 800 meter race as well with a time of 1:56.75.
With Bierlein doing his job in giving the Fauquier squad 20 points, it was up to his teammates to earn the rest and Bierlein found this help in his sprint and field event team members. The 4x100 meter relay team of Brandon Edwards, Luke Renick, Jeremy Bland, and Dwayne Foddrell fed off Bierlein's win in the 1600 meter run to win the relay event with a strong time of 42.47. Foddrell and Renick also contributed individual points of their own in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes as Foddrell and Renick finished fourth (10.85) and fifth (10.91) respectively in the 100 meter dash, while Renick took third (21.88) and Foddrell took fifth place honors (22.23) in the 200 meter dash. Derek Clegg also contributed valuable points to the team's total with a fifth place finish in the discus throw (148-4).
Woodrow Wilson's Lashawn Merritt was not the only sprinter in the state this past weekend to earn three individual state titles as well as set new state meet record. Broad Run senior Mike Coleman broke the old state meet record in the 100 meter dash with his swift 10.58 clocking. Coleman would earn yet two more state titles later in the day in the 200 meter and 400 meter dashes with a times of 21.55 and 48.86 respectively.
Millbrook's Joel Hanlon had an impressive meet in the distance races. On Friday night, under cold and rainy conditions, Hanlon defeated a solid field for the boys' 3200 meter run as he ran away with the race in a time of 9:35.09. Hanlon would come back on Saturday to take state runner-up honors in the 1600 meter run to friendly rival Matt Bierlein with a time of 4:29.21.
Only in it's first year of existence, Millbrook added yet a second invidual state titlest to go along with Hanlon's 3200 victory in junior Colin Wieman's win in the 300 meter hurdles (40.12).
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The relay action saw some impressive performances. The Turner Ashby boys were determined to try and set a new state meet record in the 4x800 meter relay (7:57.67 by Louisa County in 2001), but poor weather conditions denied them that opportunity with Friday night's bad weather. However, they were still able to put together an strong run at the record nonetheless as they finished with a winning time of 8:02.56 with the team of Michael Billington, Mark Cohee, Matt Miller, and Will Shoemaker.
After taking runner-up honors to Fauquier in the 4x100 meter relay (42.67), the boys from New Kent came back to post a stellar time of 3:26.08 to win the 4x400 meter relay.
There were no double event winners in the boys' field events as it showed the competitive depth found at the AA level.
In the boys high jump, Warren County senior Joseph Owens was able to outdo Gretna sophomore Maurice Hall (6-5) by one inch to win the contest at a height of 6-6.
The boys' pole vault was extra competitive with six athletes clearing 13 feet, but Jefferson Forest senior Anthony Pavia proved to be the better vaulter on this day as he soared a successful clearance of 13-9.
Rarely seen in state meet competition, the state title in a horizontal jumping event was determined by an athlete's second best jump as was seen in the boys' long jump as both William Fleming senior Mijuan Curtis and Pulaski County senior Brandon Anderson both coincidentally leaped to best marks of 23-00.75. Curtis having the better second best mark was given the state title over Anderson in one of the more thrilling field event contest.
There was not much of a bigger difference in deciding the winner for the boys' triple jump as Lafayette junior Dakari Watson (45-8.75) had a jump that was merely three quarters of an inch better than Appomattox senior Ralph Revely (45-8).
A battle was waged in the boys' shot put between seniors Nathan Turner of Spotswood and Jason Cook of Brentsville. At the indoor state meet, Turner and Cook battled it out with Turner taking the victory. Having not faced each other since January, Cook was billed as the favorite and Turner did not help his cause by fouling two of his three throws in the preliminaries and then fouling once again his first two throws in the finals. Going into Turner's final throw, Cook had the best throw in the field with a 54-0.25 toss. However, Turner came through in the clutch and launched a monsterous throw of 55-11.50 to win the event and defeat Cook. However, Cook would get his redemption in the discus later on as he won the event in dominating fashion with a best throw of 168-3.
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While the Fauquier boys were able to score points through a variety of events with different athletes, the Fauquier girls were powered by one special athlete in Sarah Bowman. Bowman continued her mastery over the AA distance competition as she scorched two state meet record breaking times in the 1600 (4:51.11) and 800 (2:10.44) meter races. Bowman also anchored the winning the 4x400 meter relay team to a time of 4:04.05 as she smoked a 55 second split for the come from behind win. Bowman nearly won a third state title on the day in the high jump as she lost in a jump off to Loudoun Valley sophomore Blair Brown as both athletes cleared a height of 5-3.
The Fauquier girls also picked up points in three other events. Fauquier junior Renee Lott finished fourth (59.30) in the 400 meter dash and senior Jess Smith took fifth place honors (48.09) in the 300 meter hurdles. The Fauquier girls 4x100 meter relay team also picked up four additional points with a fifth place finish (50.79) in the event.
The Courtland girls had only one event winner during the two days of competition, but they were able to find enough scorers to seize the state title away from the Fauquier girls. The Courtland girls 4x100 meter relay team of Marisa Stroebel, Sha'Tia Hart, Brittani Blackshear, and Marie Fields posted a winning time of 49.94 in the relay event.
Courtland sophomores Hart and Fields were the squad's two biggest individual point scorers. Hart earned All-State honors in four individual events including the 100 meter dash (8th, 12.68), high jump (3rd, 5-2), long jump (3rd, 17-7), and triple jump (4th, 35-11.75). Meanwhile, Fields just missed out on two state titles with state runner-up finishes in both the 100 meter (12.11) and 200 meter (25.16) dashes.
The Courtland girls also earned points from their fourth place finish in the 4x400 meter relay (4:11.11) and individual performances from Stacy Griffith in the high jump (7th, 5-0) and Akisa Edwards in the discus throw (103-9).
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While Broad Run's Michael Coleman will not be able to return next year to drop his record time in the 100, Western Albemarle sophomore Ashley Early has two more years to improve upon her state meet record in the pole vault with her successful clearance at 11 feet.
Sarah Bowman may have dominated the distance events, but Sheemeca Berkley owned the competition in the girls' sprinting events. The contests were not even close for Berkley in the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes as she posted some scorching times of 11.97 and 24.67 in both events. Berkley also finished a close second in the girls' long jump with a mark of 18-9.25.
The athlete who defeated Berkley in the long jump was Prince Edward County senior Octavia Best as she bested Berkley by one quarter of an inch with a 18-09.50 best jump. Best was a double state titlist as well with a win in the triple jump (38-4). Best also earned All-State honors in the two hurdle events with a fourth place finish in the 100 meter hurdles (15.02) and seventh place finish in the 300 meter hurdles (48.22).
While Warren County senior Emily Harrison fell just short by a few seconds of eclipsing the state meet record in the 3200 meter run in Friday night's rain slickened race, Harrison did post a strong time of 10:46.43 and was able to defeat the current record holder Jennifer Beury of Hidden Valley (2nd, 10:55.40) and star-studded field.
A state champion at Group A last year, Brentsville senior Jacqueline Bailey has now become a Group AA state champion this year in not just one, but two events. Bailey showed her AA competitors how they run things back in Group A as she took wins in both the 100 meter (14.68) and 300 meter (44.75) hurdles.
The Brentsville girls fared very well in their first Group AA State Outdoor Track Meet with Bailey's double win and their 4x800 relay team of Rachel Hamilton, Maria Cheshire, Mindy Peele, and Ciara Delgado winning the event with a time of 9:50.72.
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William Fleming senior Tierra Hubbard capped off what has been a remarkable high school career in the AA ranks by claiming her third consecutive state championship in the shot put with a winning toss of 42-1.25. Hubbard would also go onto take runner-up honors in the discus throw (120-7) behind Stone Bridge senior Geonna Adeka (133-6), who finished third in the shot put event (38-4.50).