Sunday, February 28, 2010
Christiansburg boys, Blacksburg girls win state track titles
The Blue Demons' boys outscore rival Blacksburg by one point to secure their championship trophy.
MARK TAYLOR The Roanoke Times
Christiansburg's Andy Eddleton (center) finishes second in the boys 1,600 at the Group AA indoor track championships Saturday at Liberty University. Eddleton also placed second in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200 to help the Blue Demons win the Group AA state indoor track championship.
varsity.roanoke.com
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LYNCHBURG -- As his team celebrated around him, Christiansburg track coach Shane Guynn took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.
"That was probably the most exciting race I've ever watched," said Guynn, whose team wasn't even in the race. "That's track and field at its best.
"It's awesome."
It was awesome for Guynn because Harrisonburg was able to edge Blacksburg by .19 of a second in the thrilling finale, nudging the Bruins to third and giving the Blue Demons a one-point victory in the team's standings.
But while the relay was the clincher, it was just one of the key moments in a meet that featured clutch performances by several Christiansburg athletes.
One was human spring Travis Hudson, who delivered an expected win in the high jump then scored key points in the long jump (third), triple jump (fourth) and 55 hurdles (fifth).
Another was Chris Dobbins, who was the runner-up in the 55 hurdles and placed sixth in the long jump.
Yet another was Andy Eddleton, who came up big in the distance events with a second in the mile and third in the 2-mile.
Hudson said he started thinking something special could happen when he saw Eddleton's furious last lap in the mile, in which he barely edged Blacksburg runner's Matt Howard and George Carter.
"Me and Chris were over at the long jump watching that," said Hudson, whose 6-foot-9 high jump set a meet record. "That's when we started saying, 'We might be able to do this.'"
While the boys meet was as close as could be, the girls meet was less dramatic.
Once the longer races started Blacksburg ran away from the other contenders, its 81 points far ahead of Western Albemarle's 59.
Twins Joanna and Kathleen Stevens were as strong as expected.
Joanna out-kicked her sister in the mile, then ran alone to an easy win in the 2-mile, in both cases breaking meet records set in 2006 by former Northside great Catherine White.
Kathleen, whose time in the mile also was faster than White's record, defended her title in the 1,000 and also ran the anchor leg on the Bruins' second-place 1,600 relay team.
Sophomore Hannah Brown defended her title in the 500, while a number of other athletes in Blacksburg's talented running corps piled on points behind the team's leaders.
"On the girls side we did a really good job," said Blacksburg coach James DeMarco, who added that he felt his boys team also performed to its potential. "But Christiansburg really came out and just did a great job."
Blacksburg wasn't the only team from the New River Valley to come up big on the girls side.
Pulaski County finished fourth in the team standings with 40 points, and didn't need a very big team to do it.
All of the Cougars' points came from a single athlete, senior Amber Church.
"She was a one-man wrecking crew," coach Jamie McCarty said of Church, who won three events and placed in two others. "She couldn't have done too much more."
Church was favored in the 55-meter hurdles and delivered, her time of 8.42 setting a meet record. She also won the high jump, clearing 5-4, and flew 17-11 inches to win the long jump.
She was also second in the 55-meter dash and seventh in the triple jump.
The meet was sweet redemption for Church after last year's state indoor meet, during which she was injured.
"Last year wasn't good," Church said. "This is the first time I've gone though a season without getting hurt."
Another individual champion from Timesland was Northside's Philip Scott who won the 55-meter dash in 6.44. He was also third in the 300 in 36.39.
Cave Spring's Edy Ndem won the girls triple jump with a leap of 37 feet. She was also third in the long jump.
Winners and Timesland athletes who earned all-state honors
Boys
High jump (Winner, Timesland finishers)
1. Travis Hudson, Christiansburg, 6-9*
2. Tyler Davis, Magna Vista, 6-3
4. Justin Smith, William Byrd, 6-2
5 (tie). Victor Brown, Alleghany, 6-0
Triple jump
1. Aaron Little, E.C. Glass, 45-02.25
4. Travis Hudson, Christiansburg, 43-05.75
5. Sam Wright, Cave Spring, 43-4.5
7. Zack Snell, Christiansburg, 43-3
Long jump
1. Dequan Reeves, Heritage, 22-07
2. Scott Campbell, Salem, 21-11.75
3. Travis Hudson, Christiansburg, 21-05
6. Chris Dobbins, Christiansburg, 20-10.5
Pole vault
1. Zach Lawson, Western Albemarle, 14-6
2. Josh Drablos, Jefferson Forest, 14
4. Nathan Booth, Jefferson Forest, 13
Shot put
1. Steven Allen, Charlottesville, 52-08.5
7. Rohan Cobb-ozanne, Blacksburg, 47-02.25
8. Zach Weller, Christiansburg, 46-10.75
3,200 relay
1. Grafton (Gorwiz, Wilmer, King, Gunnerson), 8:01.32
2. Blacksburg, 8:06.15
5. William Byrd, 8:17.94
7. Jefferson Forest, 8:26.56
55 hurdles
1. Dante Davis, Louisa, 7.52
2. Chris Dobbins, Christiansburg, 7.57
5. Travis Hudson, Christiansburg, 8.00
55 dash
1. Philip Scott, Northside, 6.44
800 relay
1. Louisa (Carroll, Davis, Payne, Harris) 1:34.13
1,600
1. Colin Mearns, Jamestown, 4:18.33
2. Andy Eddleton, Christiansburg, 4:26.38
3. Matt Howard, Blacksburg, 4:26.38
4. George Carter, Blacksburg, 4:26.71
500
1. Terrance Morse, Amherst County, 1:06.57
2. Quentin Parker, Bassett, 1:07.30
3. Quinn Hull, Blacksburg, 1:07.46
4. Curtis Whitlow, Jefferson Forest, 1:08.55
1,000
1. David Gunnerson, Grafton, 2:33.78
5. Matt Howard, Blacksburg, 2:38.41
7. Zach Link, Blacksburg, 2:38.74
300
1. Terrance Morse, Amherst County, 35.68
3. Philip Scott, Northside, 36.39
5. Scott Campbell, Salem 36.57
3,200
1. Colin Mearns, Jamestown, 9:29.36
2. George Carter, Blacksburg, 9:41.23
3. Andy Eddleton, Christiansburg, 9:42.02
5. Cody Seymour, Cave Spring, 9:45.88
6. Caman Skelton, Blacksburg, 9:55.14
7. Frank Locascio, Blacksburg, 9:59.19
1,600 relay
1. Tabb (St. John, Godel, Carr, Harrison) 3:31.54
3. Blacksburg 3:31.99
7. Bassett 3:34.68
*Meet record
Girls
Pole vault (Winner, Timesland finishers)
1. Nicole Harding, Western Albemarle, 10-06
6. Paige Spangler, Jefferson Forest, 9-00
Shot put
1. Daquaa Scott, Robert E. Lee, 40-4.75
Long jump
1. Amber Church, Pulaski, 17-11
3. Edy Ndem, Cave Spring, 17-03
4. Brittany Bostwick, Christiansburg, 17-00.5
7. Nicole Smith, Cave Spring, 16-07
High jump
1. Amber Church, Pulaski 5-04
Triple jump
1. Edy Ndem, Cave Spring, 37-00
7. Amber Church, Pulaski, 33-09.5
55 dash
1. Ashontae Jackson, Orange County, 7.30
2. Amber Church, Pulaski, 7.40
55 hurdles
1. Amber Church, Pulaski, 8.42*
8. Kara Schmitt, Blacksburg, 9.19
500
1. Hannah Brown, Blacksburg, 1:17.61
1,600
1. Joanna Stevens, Blacksburg, 4:50.07*
2. Kathleen Stevens, Blacksburg, 4:50.11
4. Leah Fitchett, Blacksburg, 5:15.61
6. Leigha Schimmoeller, Jefferson Forest, 5:23.72
300
1. Ashontae Jackson, Orange County, 41.12
1,000
1. Kathleen Stevens, Blacksburg, 2:57.47
4. Sarah Dorrell, Blacksburg, 3:07.63
7. Tamzin Kaiser, Blacksburg, 3:13.33
3,200
1. Joanna Stevens, Blacksburg, 10:29.7*
2. Erin Wheeler, Northside, 11:24.8
5. Leah Fitchett, Blacksburg, 11:30.7
6. Michelle Church, Bassett, 11:32.21
1,600 relay
1. Heritage (Taylor, DuBose, Sheffield, Roark) 4:10.30
2. Blacksburg 4:10.52
