The WAHS track team raced to the finish this weekend at the Region 4D Championship held at Roanoke College, determined to pull off a win. They succeeded, with both the girls and boys teams winning first place. The girls finished the meet with 119.5 points. The scoring for this was particularly exciting because the girls’ competitors, Jefferson Forest (118.5) and Blacksburg (117.5), were neck in neck with the Warriors the entire time. It came down to the last even of the night, the 4×400 relay (Jordan Stone, Hailey Hodson, Cat Domecq, and Meghan Hundley), to deliver the win for WAHS. The boys won by over twenty-four points (119.33), dominating the sprints, distance, and field events. Region 4D has a lot of fierce competition, making it one of the most competitive regions in the state.
Henry Sullivan, Rutger Pittman, and Bridger Clarke all placed in the top five in the 55-meter hurdles. Sullivan won with a 7.82. Jack Intihar, a junior, placed first in the 300-meter dash. His time of 36.27 is his indoor PR. Matthew Burch placed second in the 500 with a time of 1:09.16. Burch’s teammate, Rutger Pittman, came in fourth, just a third of a second behind Burch. The 1000m had a loaded field as well, but yet Jonathan Kumer was able to win by over two seconds. In event after event, the team continued to put everything they had out there for the team and PRs. In the 1600, Owen Shifflet (4:25.99) came in third. Nolan Burkhart also ran the 1600 and got a PR. In the end, however, it was the 3200 that scored the most points for the boys. Owen Shifflet (9:35)and Jade Mawn (9:43) took spots one and two. Nate Sullivan (10:11) was fourth, Henry Kimbrough (10:25) was seventh, and Jake Greenstein (10:45) was tenth.
In the pole vault, Nate Chatterson placed second with a 10-06.00. Raina Fitzwater (11-00.00), a freshman, placed second for the girls. In the girls triple jump, Klarisa Amos and Caroline Hill placed 4th and 8th. Amos also competed in the long jump, landing 5th place. Hill was first in the high jump.
For the girls, Meghan Hundley placed fourth in the 300 with a time of 44.74. Cat Domecq and Jordan Henderson followed in sixth and seventh place. Jordan Stone placed first in the 500 with a time of 1:23.04. Stone had an incredible day, running the 4×800, the 500, and the 4×400. The ability to triple in highly competitive middle-distance events is a great skill that she has shown this season. AJ Torrence (1:26.67) and Sienna Collier (1:26.69) placed 5th and 6th in the 500. In the 1000m, Sadie Adams (2nd), Hailey Hodson (3rd), and Jenna Stutzman (5th) all earned points for the Warriors. Adams (3:05.9) and Hodson (3:06.41) each raced PR times. Stutzman, after taking a few weeks off due to an injury, came back with an amazing time of 3:10. Sadie Adams (5:06) and Lily Smith (5:44) both ran PRs in the 1600, placing 2nd and 11th. Grace Cook got a state QT, placed second, and also ran her PR in the 3200, putting ten seconds between her and the runner in 3rd. Her time of 11:37 ranks her as the tenth sophomore in the state for the 3200.
The girls 4×400 relay was incredible to watch, and it was this final event that gave the girls team the points to win the meet. Jordan Stone led off, getting a huge lead from the 100-meter mark. She then passed off to Hailey Hodson. Hodson, after running two events earlier in the day, still managed to run the fastest split of the team. Cat Domecq followed her, maintaining a massive lead on Blacksburg. Meghan Hundley was the anchor leg and raced to a finish of 4:14. In addition, the boys team ran a phenomenal 4×400. They came in second behind Jefferson Forest with a time of 3:34.12.
The boys finished second in the 4×800 as well. The time of 8:35.71 was less than a second off of the winning Jefferson Forest time. The girls 4×800 got a state QT time of 10:12, placing first. The girls 4×200 placed fourth in 1:54.23.
Great job, Warriors!
Photo credit: Cherie Witt
Friends of WAHS Cross Country, Track & Field 