It’s been a productive few days for the Western Albemarle girls and boys track teams. After a series of winter storms forced the Jefferson District and Region II to cram their postseason meets into a three-day span, the Warriors didn’t flinch. Instead, they pushed the cold weather aside and turned in some red-hot performances.
At the Region II Championships Friday night, Western matched their showing at the JD meet just two days before, sweeping the team crowns and leaving Fork Union’s Estes Center with some more hardware for their trophy case.
On the girls’ side, the Warriors got off to a fast start and never looked back, piling up 132 points to runner-up Louisa’s 82 and third-place finisher Charlottesville’s 60.
Behind Nicole Harding’s win, Western’s pole vaulters set the tone, sweeping the top six scoring slots and catapulting their team to a quick 31-point lead.
Claire Johnson and a bevy of talented long and middle distance runners took it from there. Johnson claimed individual titles in the 1600 and 1000-meter runs, one of three Warriors to place in the events, and teamed up with Katie Farina, Jordan Haws and Peri Bowser to capture the 4×800 meter relay crown. The foursome’s 9:48.18 clocking was good for a new Region II record.
“We all came together today and that was exciting. We were all pretty tired but we’ve been really working and we just put all our ducks in a row,” Johnson said.
Kelsey McClary and Kristen Del-Rosso pitched in two more individual wins for the Warriors, capturing the 55-meter hurdles and high jump respectively. McClary, Haws, Bowser and Farina closed the competition with a win in the 4×400 meter relay.
Western Coach William Tillery was proud of his team’s effort, noting that the Warriors shrugged off the tight postseason schedule.
“The turnaround [between the JD and Region meets] was tough on us. But the girls just dialed in on being competitive and coming back and being successful,” Tillery said.
Louisa County’s Javanique Burruss, the top female performer at the JD meet, looked poised for another stellar showing early on. But while easily winning the long jump, the freshman sustained a slight thigh injury that sidelined her for the remainder of the competition. Despite that, the Lions still managed to stay in the thick of the action thanks largely to their performance in the field events.
Orange’s Ashontae Jackson continued her sizzling postseason, cruising to victories in the 55 and 300-meter dashes. Jackson, the defending state outdoor champion at 400 meters, set a new Region II record in the 300 with her 41.54 clocking.
Western’s boys weren’t as quick out of the gate as the girls but in the end it didn’t matter. Thanks largely to a solid showing in the distance events and pole vault, the Warriors tallied 82 points to outpace second-place Louisa’s 62. Orange County and Faquier County tied for third with 51.
“The kids went into the meet with a positive attitude. They really didn’t think about being tired from Wednesday. They just went out and competed,” said Western coach Lindy Bain. “I didn’t know how they would react but they really did a great job.”
Derek Armstrong won the 1600-meter run, placed third in the 1000 and partnered with Andrew Jennings, Henry Giles and Jimmy Taylor to win the 4×800 meter relay. The Warriors placed two runners in the top six of the 1000, 1600 and 3200-meter runs.
Zach Lawson claimed the pole vault title, one of three Warriors to place in the event, and Alex Nolet edged a crowded field to win the high jump to round out Western’s individual victories.
Louisa County relied on a balanced attack to stay in the team race, placing athletes in 12 of the meet’s 15 events.
Orange County’s Edgar Coker turned in one of the evening’s top individual performances, winning the 55 and 300-meter dashes and running a leg on the Hornets’ victorious 4×200 meter relay team.
Jefferson District teams will have a well-deserved breather as they prepare for the Group AA state meet, slated for Saturday, February 27th at Liberty University in Lynchburg.
