By Tammy Purcell/Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
There weren’t too many surprises at the Jefferson District Indoor Track Championships. Perennial power Western Albemarle capitalized on its traditional strength, the long and middle distance races, in sweeping the boys’ and girls’ team crowns Wednesday at Fork Union’s Estes Center.
The Warrior boys managed the larger victory margin, racking up 121 points to runner-up Louisa’s 95.5. Western tallied well over half of its points in the meet’s longest races, breezing to a win in the 4×800 meter relay to kick off the competition, claiming four of the top six spots in the 1600 and 3200-meter runs and sweeping the first three places in the 1000.
Junior Derek Armstrong led the effort, winning the 1600, the 1000 and teaming up with Michael Terrible, Ben Schiller and Andrew Jennings to capture the 4×800.
While Western amassed the majority of its points on the track, it was a field event that provided the evening’s most excitement. Warrior senior Zach Lawson wowed the Estes Center crowd, soaring 13 feet, 11 inches to easily win the pole vault and set a new JD record in the process. Lawson was one of four Warriors to place in the event.
“We haven’t been able to jump [because of the weather] but I have been working out at home to get ready for this,” Lawson said. “It feels good to be part of a championship team and to be an event champ.”
Western Coach Lindy Bain, who was named the Jefferson’s boys coach of the year, couldn’t have been happier with his squad’s performance.
“All the guys came out here with a great attitude today,” Bain said. “We had a lot of PRs and, considering what the weather has been, I was really happy with that. [The boys] knew they had to do some kind of exercise [in their time off from school] even if it was just running up a hill after they sledded down it.”
Fluvanna County’s Kedarius Bruce didn’t let missed practice time slow him down either. The Fluco senior captured the league’s Male Athlete of the Year award on the strength of his first-place finish in the high jump, second-place finish in the triple jump and third-place efforts in the long jump and 55-meter dash. Bruce also ran a leg on Fluvanna’s 4×200 meter relay, which took third.
Western Albemarle’s girls were an apt match for the boys’ squad, piling up 155.5 points to better second-place Louisa’s 136.5. Though the Warriors relied on their middle and long distance runners for the bulk of their points, they turned in several key performances in the field events and hurdles to help secure the championship.
“It was a great team effort. Our girls in the distance races did an outstanding job but what we always say is that we do it as a team. We had some great performances in the field events as well,” said Warriors coach William Tillery, who took home girls’ Coach of the Year honors. “[This championship] is about the girls. It’s not about me. They do all the work. All I do is coach them.”
Western’s work paid off in a big way right from the start. In the meet’s first race, the 4×800 relay squad of Katie Farina, Ashley Lounsbury, Killian O’Connell and Peri Bowser cruised to victory in a 10:12.73 clocking, good for a new JD record.
Farina added a first-place finish in the 1000-meter run while Claire Johnson completed Western’s sweep of the distance races, winning the 1600 and 3200-meter runs. The Warriors grabbed three of the top six scorings slots in each event.
Led by Nicole Harding’s first-place finish, Western claimed five of the top six places in the pole vault and, behind Jordan Haws’ win, placed three runners among the first six in the 500-meter dash. Kristin Del-Russo won the high jump and Kelsey McClary took the title in the 55-meter hurdles to round out the Warriors’ individual victories.
The squad closed the meet in appropriate fashion as Haws, McClary, Farina and Bowser teamed up to capture the 4×400 meter relay crown.
Louisa County’s freshman sensation Javanique Burruss continued to turn headd on the track and in the field. Burruss claimed the JD title in the long and triple jumps, finished second in the 55 and 300-meter dashes, and anchored Louisa’s victorious 4×200 meter relay team. Her performance earned her the district’s Female Athlete of the Year award.
Orange’s Ashontae Jackson turned in a strong individual performance as well, taking first in the 300 in a meet record time of 41.6. Jackson also won the 55-meter dash.
The Region II meet is slated for Friday afternoon at Fork Union’s Estes Center.
