FAIRFAX, VA -- The Bethel girls won their fifth consecutive Group AAA state track team title (indoors and outdoors) under the guidance of senior Francea McCorory, who won three individual state titles in the 55, 300, and 500 meter dashes. It was a battle of the Bruins this weekend as the Lady Bruins of Bethel were able to withstand a serious challenge from Lady Bruins of Lake Braddock. Meanwhile, a slew of teams seemed to be in the boys\' title hunt through the two days of competition, but it was E.C. Glass of Lynchburg that came out on top as they were led by two individual state champions in seniors Mike Zajac in the shot put and Carlton Phipps in the 500 meter dash. Four meet records were set to highlight the two day event.
Coach Eddie Williams\' Bethel squad was able to secure its fifth straight track team title stretching to the 2004 Group AAA Indoor State Meet as Saturday was also their third straight indoor state title. The feat happened due greatly in part to McCorory\'s incredible triple in the sprints, but points from her teammates were also needed to withstand a strong challenger in Lake Braddock. McCorory had a realistic shot at breaking state meet records in all three events she competed in on Saturday, but ended up only taking down her own mark in the 300 meter dash with a 37.67 clocking. Monique Everett of Denbigh\'s 6.95 record in the 55 meter dash (set in 1987) and Sheena Johnson of Gar-Field\'s 1:13.33 in the 500 meter dash should remain safe for a while with one of the state\'s greatest sprinters of all-time in McCorory graduating this spring. McCorory still posted strong times just off the record in each event with a 7.05 clocking in the 55 meter dash and a time of 1:13.33 in the 300 meter dash.
Despite running without their top leg McCorory on their sprint relays, the rest of the Bethel girls did their job in picking up 11 points between the two event. Bethel\'s 4x200 meter relay had a solid runner-up finish behind Salem (1:42.13) with a 1:43.26 as Shamika Kentish, Shonterria Fulton, Emily Butler, and Morgan Epperson comprised the winning team for Salem.
While having the meet clinched after Lake Braddock was only able to muster a time of 4:07.71 and finish outside of scoring range in a slower heat of the 4x400 meter relay, the Bethel girls built extra space between the two teams by running a time of 4:03.18 to finish sixth overall in the event.
Bethel also picked up additional individual points from juniors Crystal Carrington (5th, 7.24) and Shakia Forbes (6th, 7.27) in the 55 meter dash.
No team was really expected to give Bethel that much of a reason to sweat, but Lake Braddock certainly did this weekend as they only finished six points shy of the champions in the final team standings. It all kicked off for the Bruins in Friday\'s shot put competition as they had two All-State individuals in Teressa McCoy (3rd, 40\'0.50\") and junior Allison Jones (5th, 39\'11\"). Also on Friday, the Lake Braddock girls came out ontop of a pack of 4x800 meter relays behind eventual champion Midlothian (9:20.86) with a second place finishing time of 9:26.28 to round out a top five consisting of four Northern Region teams.
The Midlothian team of Christine Selander, Sammy Dow, Paige Johnston, and M.C. Miller broke open the led on a strong second leg from Dow, then a 2:17 third leg from freshmen Johnston helped junior anchor Miller cruise home with a 2:20 split.
The field events were where Lake Braddock gained ground on Bethel as the defending champs earned no points in any field event. In Saturday morning\'s pole vault, senior Anna Noguchi picked up eight big points taking runner-up honors in the pole vault to Chantilly senior Nicole Kazuba as three vaulters hit heights of 11 feet with Noguchi, Kazuba, and defending state champion Anne Marie Gordon of Mills Godwin. At an opening height of 9\'6\", Gordon easily cleared the height on her first attempt, but her pole knocked the bar off to be what would be a costly mishap later in the competition to put her at a disadvantage to repeat from the start. Meanwhile, Lake Braddock also had two more All-State vaulters in seniors Jennifer Garrott (6th, 10\'0\"), and Megan Boivin (7th, 10\'0\").
The remaining portion of Lake Braddock\'s on Saturday came from another strong area for them in the distance events as junior Michelle Presley finished sixth in one of the deepest 1000 meter races in state meet history with a time of 3:00.31. The field was so deep that defending state champion Kristen Wolfe of James River\'s seed time placed her in the slow heat, which she won with a time of 3:00.60 to sneak into an All-State overall spot of seventh. For the second year in a row, a freshmen won the state title in the event as Wolfe did it last year and Yorktown\'s Andrea Oaxaca did it this year in a sensationally promising time of 2:56.06 as she led four other runners to dip under three minutes with Thomas Jefferson\'s Stephany Reaves (2nd, 2:57.25), Western Branch\'s Kenya Jones (3rd, 2:58.24), Westfield\'s Tasia Potasinski (4th, 2:59.27), and Kellam\'s Ashley Kukura (5th, 2:59.34).
In the girls\' 3200 meter run, Lake Braddock senior Erin Klein ran a gutsy race in hopes of winning her first state title as well as helping her team secure one as well, but W.T. Woodson junior Sarah Hadiji would rise as the winner with a near sub 11 clocking of 11:02.26 as she closed fast over the last few laps. Klein finished runner-up with a solid time of 11:12.40, while Forest Park senior Stephanie Slekis (11:19.28) also was unable to winher first state crown in third place. Midlothian sophomore Sammy Dow had an outstanding race out of the slow heat of the 3200 meter run to win the heat and finish fourth overall with a time of 11:21.72.
The Deep Creek girls finished third with 34.50 points as their points included a state meet record and US #1 mark set by junior Ashley Gatling in the high jump. In Friday\'s event, Gatling topped an outstanding field that saw 5\'4\" clearances not earning athletes all-state honors as she tied her personal best and national leading height of 5\'9\" she set at the Virginia Tech Invitational in January to break the state meet record by her old rival Ashley Haislip of Lake Braddock (5\'8.50\"). For Gatling, Friday was her first state championship indoors after winning the outdoor crown as a freshmen. Brooke Point junior April Sinkler gave Gatling good competition as she cleared a height of 5\'8\" for second place honors. Deep Creek picked up its most points in the high jump event as seniors Jonee Artis (5\'6) and Shawanda Weston (5\'4\") finished fourth and sixth respectively.
Deep Creek led after the first day of events with 23 1/2 points thanks to their high jump girls and senior Chantill Harvey placing third in the long jump competition with a mark of 18\'7.25\". While much of Friday night\'s crowd had dispersed after the final running event of the day, the few that stayed around witnessed probably the most exciting action of the meet in a duel between Centreville sophomore Brittni Finch and Hermitage senior Queen Harrison. On her final attempt in the finals, the 2004 outdoor state champion in the long jump, Harrison made a clutch jump of 19\'1.50\" to force previous leader Finch to come up with a rebuttal on her final jump. Finch definitely served up on to make it known she was not going to be denied the state title as she launched a jump of 19\'10\" in her final attempt to break a state meet record and post a US #3 mark. Centreville as a team finished fourth with 32 points.
After winning two consecutive outdoor state titles, Lee-Davis senior Kathy Howard finally won her first indoor title in the shot put as she had a best throw of 43\'4.50\" to win the event. Howard will be looking to make it a total of four shot put state titles in June to finish up her great high school career. Multi-event star Janet Brown of Great Bridge had an outstanding meet to throw a personal best of 42\'0\" to take state runner-up honors, while also placing the long jump (8th, 17\'9.50\") and taking her second state runner-up in the meet in the triple jump with a mark of 38\'7.50\".
In the triple jump, Hayfield senior Nakeisha Wineglass successfully defended her state title from a year as she was only athlete to crest over 39 feet with her best jump of 39\'1\". Wineglass will hope to gain her first outdoor crown this spring at Todd Stadium in Newport News. While Hermitage\'s Queen Harrison came away empty handed without a state title, she certainly had an all-around solid meet with her second and third place finishes in the triple jump and a personal best time of 8.24 to take state runner-up honors in the 55 meter hurdles. An cut sustained during the hurdle event prevented her from competing later on in the 300 meter dash as she certainly would have faired well in that event as well.
Menchville junior Kali Watkins, who had missed her regional meet due to injury, came back for state meet competition stronger than ever as she posted a state leading and personal best time of 8.11 in the finals to win the girls\' 55 meter hurdles event.
A state runner-up in the 1600 meter race at last June\'s outdoor state meet, Tobin seemed destined to be next in line as the next state champion in the event. After setting a hot early pace that no one in the field seemed to be willing the follow, the field started to reel her in during the second half of the race. Brooke Point junior Brittany Copeland moved right on Tobin\'s heels and seemed to be ready to take the lead and state title from Tobin. However, Tobin refused to release the lead as she finished strong to win in a time of 5:02.69 with Copeland finished as a strong runner-up in a time of 5:04.24. Both times were indoor personal bests for each athlete with Copeland running an all-time personal best for 1600 meters.
The final event of the day for the girls in the 4x400 meter relay turned out to be a battle between two Peninsula District teams with Kecoughtan and Menchville running neck and neck over the final legs. However, Kecoughtan anchor Lana McGowan pulled away just enough for the Wildcats to win in a quick flat track time of 3:53.07. Menchville took second in 3:55.34 and Osbourn Park broke up a top three sweep by the Eastern Region finishing third in a time of 3:58.09.
There few events on the boys\' side where one individual or relay team won convincingly. Each event seemed to be decided on a few hundredths of a second, a few strides, a few inches or feet.
E.C. Glass certainly finished ontop in the team standings by a difference of only a few seconds and feet in a tight and competitive team competition. The theme was no better fitting than in the 500 meter dash as E.C. Glass senior Carlton Phipps and defending state champion Quentin Moore of Deep Creek went virtually wire-to-wire in the event as both athletes hit the final back stretch matching one another stride for stride. As they crossed the finish line, both athletes crashed to the track in one of the closest finishes in state meet history as the camera found Phipps the winner in a time of 1:03.99 with Moore only two hundredths of a second behind in 1:04.01.
Mike Zajac of E.C. Glass came into George Mason University\' fieldhouse on Friday as the state leader in the shot put event as he went the entire season undefeated. Zajac did nothing to change his standing in the state as his best throw of 57\'6\" gave him the state title by nearly two feet to earn his first state championship in the event.
E.C. Glass also picked up key points on Friday as their 4x800 meter relay team of Nathan Richards, Patterson Wilhelm, Daniel Spanos, and Carlton Phipps finished third overall in a hot race with a time of 8:02.29. Their high finish was due large in part to a 1:54 anchor leg split from Phipps. Phipps also picked up an additional point in Saturday\'s 300 meter dash finishing eighth in a time of 35.62.
James Robinson had asserted itself as one of the state\'s top relays in the event with a victory at the Virginia Tech Invitational and became the first and only team in the state to dip under eight minutes this season with a 7:59.84 first place finish at states. The relay team consisted of Christian Witcher, Thomas Barrineau, Chris Clark, and Mark Hussa as their anchor leg.
Without Patterson Wilhelm, the final results of the Group AAA State Meet would be utter chaos with three teams sharing the state title with E.C. Glass, Indian River, and Huguenot. However, thanks to Patterson Wilhelm\'s third place finish in the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:22.07 that controversy was awarded.
After splitting a 1:55 second leg in heavy traffic on Friday night\'s 4x800 meter relay, Bowman came back on Saturday to complete a weekend of racing that definitely earns him the right to be touted as the top distance runner of the meet. In the 1600 meter run on Saturday, Bowman raced very similar to the style that gave him his 4:17 personal best victory at the Virginia Tech Invitational in taking the lead from the start and keeping it. He used the same strategy as he did in January and had the same results as he held off a late charge from cross country state champion Brad Siragusa of Chantilly (2nd, 4:21.21) to win his first state championships with a time of 4:20.80. Bowman also later finished third in the 1000 meter run on limited rest in a time of 2:34.25 in a meet that saw few people trying to double in distance events and running well.
Also worth noting in the race was Daniel Leyh of Colonial Forge being taken out early in the race with a big fall to come back and still finish seventh in the race and earn All-State in a time of 4:26.94. In the slow section of the 1600 meter run, Ben Dejarnette of Atlee posted an excellent time for a freshmen of 4:31.49 to finish second to Monacan\'s Brett Hammonds (4:31.49) in a close finish.
Coach Ryan at Thomas Jefferson is well known for producing distance talent over the years such as past great runners that now star at William & Mary in Christo Landry and Keith Bechtol, but neither of these runners had much great leg speed to be competitive in middle distance events. However, all has changed this year with a new state champion in the 1000 meter run from Thomas Jefferson in junior Taylor Bostick as he joined Landry and Bechtol as state champions with a time of 2:33.24. Colonial Forge junior Blake Arnold took the runner-up slot in the event with a time of 2:34.14.
Seniors comprised places four through eleven of the boys\' 3200 meter run, but the future and talent in the state for the event lies in the top three places with junior Mike Spooner of West Springfield, sophomore Jason Witt of Midlothian, and freshmen Thomas Porter of Mountain View. Spooner, who had a disappointing finish to what had been a breakthrough cross country season in the fall, made up for it by closing out his stellar indoor season with a state championship in the 3200 meter run in an indoor personal best time of 9:20.63 to also take over the state lead in the event. Challenged by Oakton senior James Phillips early on, Spooner broke away in the second mile to cruise to his first state title. Meanwhile, Witt of Midlothian and Porter of Mountain View had outstanding races to finish second and third respectively with times of 9:27.72 and 9:29.66 respectively. With all three runners returning next year and Witt and Porter having a few more years left, the state\'s future in the event looks very bright.
Northern Region and distance running are two synonymous with one another, but sprinting is another thing that is usually owned by the Eastern Region. However, Robert E. Lee junior Sean Holston certainly showed up a lot of those thinkers on Saturday by winning the 300 meter dash in a barn burning time of 33.94 to seriously threaten the state meet record of 33.79. He had to beat the Eastern Region\'s finest to do it including previous US #1 leader Charles Clark of Bayside (2nd, 34.61), Quentin Moore of Deep Creek (3rd, 34.72), Courtland Marriner of Western Branch (34.78), and Eastern Region champion Thomas Speller of Indian River (35.49).
Despite finishing second to Holston in the 300 meter dash, Bayside\'s Clark definitely had a successful return from his hamstring injury he suffered at Virginia Tech. Many coming into this weekend\'s meet questioned Clark\'s health and ability to perform at a high level, but as shown in the results of the 55 meter dash finals, Charles Clark is definitely back and at full strength. An All-American last outdoor season, Clark took down a stacked field to win the state championship with a time of 6.41. Three other athletes went under 6.50 with Clark including Oscar Smith\'s Ervin Riddick (2nd, 6.45), Robert E. Lee\'s Holston (3rd, 6.45), and Indian River\'s Toriano Moody (4th, 6.48).
The Indian River boys shared state runner-up honors with Huguenot as Speller and Moody played big parts in helping the team\'s cause. Not only did Speller and Moody score points in the 300 and 55 meter dashes respectively, but were also members of the state champion 4x100 meter relay with teamates Robert Allen and Garrard Guigley that posted a time of 1:31.42 to hold off Clark\'s troops at Bayside at 1:31.56. The win over Bayside turned out to be critical in the final results of the meet as a Bayside victory would have moved them into sole possession of second place honors as a team and moving Indian River back into third.
Moody also picked up a big eight points in a state runner-up placing in the long jump as his best mark of 23\'1.50\" was only bettered by Phoebus senior Corey Vinston who hit a state best mark of 23\'6.50\" to win the competition by a good five feet margin.
A surprise winner came out of the boys\' triple jump on Saturday as the Northern Region won again in an event that the Eastern Region has usually came away with the state champs in. James Madison senior Justin Duncan hit a personal best jump of 47\'4\" to win nearly by a whole foot over Norview senior Leon Hunt (46\'6.25\"). Top seed Antonio Miller of Manchester finished third with a mark of 46\'4.75\", but is only a sophomore and should get plenty of future opportunities to take the crown in the event.
The Central Region was well represented by the team performance by the Huguenot boys as they shared state runner-up honors with Indian River. Their 4x400 meter relay team of Jerod Bailey, Matu Bundy, Donnie Seward, and Brian Lee made the difference for Coach Evans\' squad by winning the event in a time of 3:24.35 as the state title in the final event moved them up considerable in the team standings.
Relay members Bundy and Lee played a major role as well in the field events by earning All-State honors and scoring in two events with Bundy in the triple jump (5th, 45\'8\") and Lee in the 500 meter dash (third, 1:05.62). In the 55 meter hurdles, McArthur Henley scored five points taking fourth in the finals with a 7.56. clocking.
Granby senior Chris Bell had one of the more dominating race performances of the meet as he blew out the field in the finals of the 55 meter hurdles by posting a swift time of 7.31 as the time now ranks #3 in the entire country.
Another top national performance from an Eastern Region athlete came in Friday\'s pole vault competition in one of the top moments of the meet as Great Bridge senior Michael Morrison achieved his goal of breaking the state meet record held by former Great Bridge great Lawrenence Johnson by winning the competition successfully clearing a height of 17\'00.50\" as he bettered the old mark of 16\'1\" by a significant margin. He made several close attempts at the national lead as his performance ranks him as #2 in the nation currently. Morrison plans to compete in both pole vault competitions at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships and Nike Indoor Nationals against the nation\'s best next weekend.
Marlon Woods of Booker T. Washington won an exciting and close high jump competition that saw one of the deeper fields in recent years with three athletes clearing a height of at least 6\'8\". Albemarle senior Anthony Bryant seemed to be on track to win his first state title in the event as he had cleared all previous heights prior to 6\'9\" on his first attempt, while the remaining two competitors in Woods and Kevin Nichols of Hickory (3rd, 6\'8\") had misses on earlier heights. However, on his final attempt Woods cleared 6\'9\" and Bryant missed on his last try at the height to give Woods the state title in a clutch performance.
Like any state meet this year\'s edition of the Group AAA State Indoor Track and Field Championships showed how old champions can fall and new champions can arise.