CHARLESTON — Similar to Friday night’s Class AAA state track meet opener at Laidley Field, Morgantown and University shared a state championship between the boys and girls.
On Friday, it was MHS’s Irene Riggs who won the girls’ 3,200-meter run, while University’s Josh Edwards won in the boys’ division.
Saturday, the Mohigans 4×800 girls’ relay team, made up of Amelia Summers, Maddie Gump, Jennifer O’Palko and Anna Lester, claimed the state championship with a time of 9:50.57, just over six second ahead of the Preston team of Sophia Saurino, Ella White, Abby Nolan and Allie Martin (9:56.91).
UHS’s Haley Kramer, Helen Honacker, Mia Murray and Caroline Kirby were 3rd with a time of 10:10.43.
For the boys, the Hawks’ 4×800 relay team of Jordan Thomas, Rocco DeVincent, Ryan Blohm and Edwards won the title with a time of 8:00.18, six seconds ahead of Cabell Midland.
MHS’s Brady Mudry, Zach Workman, Quinn Jacquez and Preston Core had a 3rd-place finished with a time of 8:16.88.
Overall, the MHS girls finished 2nd in the team standings with 77 points, 10 points behind winner Jefferson. UHS was 5th, with 40 points, while Preston was 7th, with 33 points.
The UHS boys were 3rd with 59 points, while MHS was 5th with 36 points and Preston did not record a point. Parkersburg won the boys’ title with 110 points.
Best of the rest
In the distance events, Riggs and Edwards had strong repeat performances after winning the 3,200-meter runs Friday night.
Riggs won the girls’ 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:56.32, and similar to the 3,200 run the night before, the entire top five was filled with runners from North-Central West Virginia.
Riggs finished six seconds ahead of teammate Lea Hatcher, who finished with a time of 5:02.12, followed by UHS’s Caroline Kirby (3rd, 5:09.92 ), Preston’s Allie Martin ( 5:11.28) and MHS’s Jennifer O’Palko ( 5:12.99).
Yet again, Riggs won her third title of the meet, winning the 800-meter run with a time of 2:15.70. Just like in the 1,600, Hatcher was 2nd at 2:17.06, followed by Martin (3rd, 2:20.94) and the Mohigans’ Anna Lester in 6th (2:24.07).
The Hawks’ Mia Murray also medaled with a time of 5:21.99, finishing in 6th.
With her three wins, but a 3rd-place finish in the 4×400, Riggs was the Class AAA girls’ high-point winner, with 36 points.
“It was really exciting for sure and such an honor as I have seen so many successful runners achieve the high-point award,” she said. “I think the heat got to us a little bit but you can’t always have perfect conditions. Overall, it was a good day and I’m so thankful for such supportive coaches and teammates.”
On the boys’ side, Edwards finished 1st with a time of 4:12.02 , nine seconds ahead of the next place. Teammate Rocco DeVincent (4:21.86) finished 3rd, while Morgantown’s Quinn Jacquez was 5th at 4:23.39 to also medal.
University’s Sierra Lanham finished 4th in the girls’ 100-meter dash with a time of 12.49. She also medaled in the 200m, finishing 6th win a time of 26.60.
The MHS girls’ 4×100 relay team had an impressive showing, finishing 5th with a time of 51.92. The team was made of Julia Pastilong, Grace Devall, Yelena Davidson and Izayah Everett.
The Mohigans girls wrapped up the meet with a 3rd-place finish in the 4×400, with Davidson, Lester, Riggs and Hatcher finishing with a time of 4:10.66.
In the boys’ races, UHS’s Colton Guthrie was 4th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.20. In the 800, Blohm medaled for the Hawks (5th, 2:01.73).
In the field events, Lanham was the girls’ long jump title winner for the second time in her career, finishing with a distance of 17-10.00. Her previous title came her freshman year in 2019.
The Hawks swept the long jump, with teammate Daminn Cunningham claiming the boys’ state title with a jump of 21-08.75.
Preston sophomore Sierra Davis finished 4th in the girls’ shot put with a throw of 33-08.50. She also finished 4th in the discus at 108-01.
In the girls’ pole vault, Morgantown’s Morgan Ryan medaled and finished 4th with a jump of J9-06.00. On the boys’ side, MHS’s Landon Young finished 3rd at 13-06.00 and teammate Lucas Howell was 4th at J13-06.00.
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