Photo by John Herzog
Grassfield senior Kiara Howell opened her 2012 outdoor season with a VA #3 all-time mark in the shot put at Wednesday's Southeastern District regular season meet at Lakeland High School in Suffolk. The Group AAA indoor and outdoor state champion Howell recorded a personal best throw of 49'1", which ranks her only behind state record holder Tracey Toon of Menchville at 49'9" from 1982 and Lindsay Neuberger of Cox at 49'6.25" from 2002. Howell tied Neuberger for the state indoor record at the Eastern Region Indoor Championships in February with a mark of 48'4.75". Her big throw on Wednesday now ranks her #4 in the United States in the young outdoor season.