The Bethel girls posted the nation\'s fastest time thus far this season in the 4x200 meter relay with a swift clocking of 1:39.85. The Lady Bruins were just off the meet record, which they set in last year\'s meet with a 1:39.82 clocking.
The Midlothian girls posted the state\'s fastest time in the 4x800 meter relay with a second place finishing time of 9:35.97. The Lady Trojans finished second to Eleanor Roosevelt of Maryland (9:30.72), who ruled the relays at Virginia Tech. Eleanor Roosevelt also won the 4x400 meter relay (3:52.01) and took second to the national leading Bethel girls in the 4x200 meter relay (1:40.59).
While Francena McCorory of Bethel was unable to break the meet record of 37.85 or top her state leading season best of 37.60 in the 300 meter dash, but won the event easily with a 37.97 clocking.
One of the biggest surprises this indoor season has to be St. Catherine\'s junior Katie Doswell and the speed this long distance runner has shown in the middle distance events. Doswell won both the 500 and 1000 meter runs with state leading times as well as posting two of the fastest times in each event. In the 1000 meter run, Doswell won going away in a time of 2:52.38 with the nation\'s third fastest time to date in the event. Her 1000 meter time broke the meet record of 2:52.84 set by Devon Williams of Maryland at last year\'s meet. While her 1000 meter time was very surprising given her previous personal best of 2:59, popping a 1:15.04 to win the 500 meter dash was probably even more shocking. Her time ranks currently #4 in the U.S. as it was a PR by over 4 seconds.
Leg speed won out in the girls\' 1600 meter run as Danielle Light of Oakton won the event in a time of 4:59.58 over Foot Locker All-American Melissa Dewey of Hayfield (5:01.05). Light\'s time is the fastest time in the state to date and would rank as the nation\'s seventh fastest time to date going into this weekend\'s meets.
Dewey got a good speed workout in as she will have her focus primarily on the 3200 meter run this season (US#2 3200 - 10:42.81) as she also ran the 1000 meter run earlier in the meet with a sixth place clocking of 3:03.26.
Northside\'s Catherine White won over a loaded 3200 meter field with 25 runners under 12 minutes. White won in a time of 11:09.66 as she has continued her success from cross country where she won the Group AA state title by coming close to breaking the 11 minute barrier for the second time this season. White clocked a time of 11:02.56 at the Montgomery Invitational earlier in the season.
Two state leaders were found in the girls\' field events at Tech in Central Region stars Queen Harrison of Hermitage and Kathy Howard of Lee-Davis.
Harrison leaped to a indoor personal best by 9 inches in winning the triple jump with a mark of 39-11.75. The mark also beats her outdoor personal best of 39-10.75. Harrison now has the state\'s best mark in the event as well as the nation\'s second best mark.
Kathy Howard of Lee-Davis wanted to definitely assert herself as the state\'s best thrower at Virginia Tech and she definitely came away from the meet doing just that as she won the shot put with a state leading toss of 43-03.50. The throw also ranks her fifth currently in the nation.
Western Albemarle\'s Ashley Early, coming off her state record breaking clearance of 12-2 at the Pole Vault Summit in Nevada last weekend, was not able to reach the same height this weekend, but maintained her steady dominance over the other vaulters in the state with a winning clearance of 12 feet.
Last year\'s Group AAA state champion in the high jump, Deep Creek\'s Ashley Gaitling, won the event at Virginia Tech with a 5-6 clearance. As a freshmen last spring, Gaitling upset defending state champion Ashley Haislip of Lake Braddock at the outdoor state meet. Haislip, the defending indoors state champion, currently has the state\'s leading clearance of 5-8. The indoor state meet in March should be a classic battle between these two.
Granby\'s Dionne McClain leaped to a new personal best and national leading mark in the triple jump with a mark of 49-2.75. McClain\'s previous indoors best was only 45-10. However, last outdoor season, McClain won the Group AAA state title with a leap of 49-01. McClain seems to have positioned himself well to win another state title this season as well as having strong All-American hopes.
While taking second to J-Mee Samuels of Mount Tabor (NC), who won the 55 meter dash in a meet record and national leading time of 6.24, Thomas Dale senior Dennis Boone posted the state\'s leading time with a 6.38 clocking. Boone, who currently owns the national leading mark in the long jump at 24-8.50, won the event at Virginia Tech as he went over 24 feet for the second time this season with his winning leap of 24-02.50.
Samuels continued his domination over Virginia competition the 300 meter dash with a winning time of 33.87 as it is the second fastest time in the nation this season. Finishing second to Samuels was Devin Fentress of Western Branch with a time of 35.23. Fentress\' time is currently the fastest time in the state to date this season.
Fentress was also a member of the Western Branch 4x200 meter relay team, which clocked the state\'s fastest time in a 1:31.49 clocking as they finished third as a relay in the event.
The Deep Creek boys came away with state bests in the 500 meter dash and 4x400 meter relay. Deep Creek\'s Quentin Moore clocked a personal best time of 1:06.44 to finish third overall with the state\'s fastest time of the season in the 500 meter dash. Moore had the top time in the state coming in for 300 meters at 35.31, but that time was outdone by Fentress at Tech as Moore only ran the 500 meter dash for his sole individual event. Moore and the Deep Creek boys\' 4x400 meter relay team finished last in loaded out-of-state fast heat, but finished fifth overall and as the top Virginian team with a state leading time of 3:26.95.
J.R. Tucker ran the table in the distance events as they posted the state\'s fastest time in the 4x800 meter relay, while having the top state performers in all of the individual distance events. In Friday night\'s 4x800 meter relay, Tucker clearly finished fourth in a time of 8:06.65, the state\'s fastest time of the season. Tucker raced without one of their \"A\" team legs in Mason McElroy, who opted to run the 3200 meter run on Saturday night.
McElroy, took second in the race with an indoor personal best clocking of 9:30.16. Tristam Thomas of the McDonough School (MD) won the race in a time of 9:23.36.
4x800 members Thuom Mathiang and Michael Chapa doubled back on Saturday to win an event a piece respectively. Mathaing finished third in the 1000 meter run in a time of 2:34.14. Mathaing\'s time is the second fastest time in the state, but Mathaing was able to defeat the current state leader, Brad Siragusa of Chantilly (2:33.1h), who finished fifth in a time of 2:35.21.
Chapa, the current state leader at 1600 meters (4:18.61), was unable to better his time on the fast banked track surface, but won convincingly at Tech in a time of 4:19.68.
While Avery Wilson of I.C. Norcom posted the fastest time out of the 55 meter hurdle prelims with a 7.51 clocking on day one, Douglas Freeman\'s B.J. Revis came out the winner on day two with a 7.45 clocking in the finals. Revis posted a state best time in his victory and the nation\'s second fastest time.
Great Bridge\'s Michael Morrison, who last weekend set the state record for the pole vault indoors at 16-2, had a subpar day at Tech as he finished second overall with a clearance of 15 feet, but still was the state\'s top finisher.
The boys\' shot put was a hotly contested event with seven state throwers having tosses over 50 feet. Deep Creek\'s Thomas McCutcheon came out the winner with a throw of 53-7.50.