Taking a look at the the best freshmen track & field athletes in the state this current indoor season with a leaderboard list of the top performances in each event as well as links to full rankings of freshmen performances during the 2010-2011 indoor season. Chantel Ray(pictured above by Ryan Kelly) of Hampton is running some of the fastest times ever by a ninth grader in state history for the 55 meter hurdles. Ray has a season best of 8.33 in the event and recently finished 3rd in a very competitive in an Eastern Region finals.
Ryan Thomas of Albemarle of Haben Zemichael of Battlefield were two of the top freshmen during the fall cross country season and have continued to be the best of their class during the winter with Thomas having dipped well under 4:30 for 1600 meters at 4:26.97, while Zemichael has broken 10 minutes for 3200 meters at 9:57.54. Thomas qualified for the state meet in the 1600 with a fourth place finish at the Northwest Regional, while Zemichael just missed a state meet berth in ninth place in the 3200 at the Northwest Region Meet.
Western Branch boys have not had a dominant sprinter since the group including Tory Womack, Daniel Nix, etc. but certainly have a rising star in the sprint events with Mondryl Glover having clocked a 55 dash time of 6.55 this season as a ninth grader. Glover also has posted the state's fastest freshmen time in the 300 meter dash at 36.49. Glover made the finals of the Eastern Region 55 meter dash, which he finished 9th overall.
Woodberry Forest freshmen Eric Ways proved himself as a championship season racer in finishing third and second respectively in the 500 meter dash at the VISAA State Indoor Championships and Prep League Championships on consecutive weekends. Ways ran his 500 personal best time of 1:08.48 at the VISAA State Championships..
Ocean Lakes ninth grader Olivia Bethune had a solid freshmen season of cross country, but has really stepped up on the track as she nearly broke 3 minutes for the 1000 meter run last month and recently won the Eastern Region 1600 title with a PR of 5:05.85, but Cave Spring's Katie Fortner is just ahead of her with the fastest freshmen 1600 time in the state at 5:05.66.
Hampton's Chantel Ray appears to be groomed to become the next Tierra Brown for the Crabbers with one of the state's faster times in the 55 meter hurdles at 8.33. She is running some of the fastest times ever by a ninth grader in state history for the 55 meter hurdles and recently finished 3rd in a very competitive in an Eastern Region finals.
The Northwest Region 500 meter dash champion is only a freshmen in Battlefield's Ellison Grove (1:17.77), who also runs a leg on Battlefield's 9:30 4x800 meter relay.
The success of the Cosby girls this indoor season can be greatly contributed to their talented group of underclassmen including freshmen Alexandra Moseley, who was an All-Region performer in two events and her 37'0.25" triple jump mark at the Virginia Tech Invite is the top mark amonth ninth graders in Virginia.
The Blacksburg program has a great history in producing distance runners, but recently has shown itself to have some talent in the sprints with sophomore Alyn Carr setting the Group AA state 55 dash record last month at 7.09 and another swift underclassmen in freshmen Kendall Wiles owning a 300 meter best this season of 41.07 .
VA High School Indoor T&F Freshmen Boys Rankings
Event
Mark
Athlete
Team
1000 Meter Run (447)
2:39.07
Chase Heiner
VA Centreville
1600 Meter Run (592)
4:26.97
Ryan Thomas
VA Albemarle
300 Meter Dash (461)
36.49
Mondryl Glover
VA Western Branch
3200 Meter Run (264)
9:57.54
Haben Zemichael
VA Battlefield
500 Meter Dash (368)
1:08.48
Eric Ways
VA Woodberry Forest
55 Meter Dash (442)
6.55p
Mondryl Glover
VA Western Branch
55 Meter Hurdles (149)
8.44h
Preston Thomas
VA Brooke Point
High Jump (93)
6-2
Tyron Mcdade
VA Fork Union
Long Jump (224)
21-2.5
Marco Leslie
VA Woodside
Pole Vault (41)
10-0
Adrian Baker
VA Fork Union
Shot Put (238)
45-9
Sam Higgins
VA Thomas Dale
Triple Jump (144)
42-3.5
Aaron Parker
VA Cosby
VA High School Indoor T&F Freshmen Girls Rankings
Event
Mark
Athlete
Team
1000 Meter Run (554)
3:00.83
Olivia Bethune
VA Ocean Lakes
1600 Meter Run (584)
5:05.66
Katie Fortner
VA Cave Spring
300 Meter Dash (662)
41.07
Kendall Wiles
VA Blacksburg
3200 Meter Run (271)
11:14.33
Hannah Christen
VA Lake Braddock
500 Meter Dash (479)
1:17.77
Ellison Grove
VA Battlefield
55 Meter Dash (666)
7.09
Asonya Anderson
VA Heritage (Newport News)
55 Meter Hurdles (202)
8.33p
Chantel Ray
VA Hampton
High Jump (172)
5-2
Olivia Revely
VA E.C. Glass
Long Jump (354)
17-11
Briana Taliaferro
VA Landstown
Pole Vault (51)
10-6
Hannah Meador
VA Fluvanna County
Shot Put (328)
35-3
Valerie Washington
VA Charlottesville
Triple Jump (156)
37-0.25
Alexandria Moseley
VA Cosby