Bulldogs run, jump, throw to strong track showing
By Jason S. Rufner
The Stone Bridge Bulldog girls' and boys' track and field teams landed first and second place respectively in the 15-school LoudounPrepSports.com Invitational held April 12 at Heritage High School.The Bulldog girls earned 86 points to claim the win in the second-year event formerly known as the Cheers Invitational, edging out home-standing Heritage's 77 and Loudoun Valley's 76.
Jefferson (W.Va.) took the championship on the boys' side with 81 points, 13 better than Stone Bridge's 68.
“I think the teams were a little apprehensive about the conditions at first, but they prevailed and did well,” Bulldog coach Bob Mandes said.
Threateningly overcast skies never delivered forecast rain showers to Leesburg Saturday, as the clouds finally broke around midmorning to bathe the campus in warming rays.
Park View senior Charlene Fowler hurled herself skyward through those rays, clearing a bar four feet and nine inches off the ground.
“There it is!” exclaimed Park View assistant coach Bruce Bornarth encouragingly as Fowler landed cleanly on the pad.
Patriot coach Randy Kerico intercepted Fowler heading to the runway for the long jump.
“You stretched out?” he asked. She nodded. “You know what we talked about, right?” He looked at her as she prepared wordlessly for her next competition. She nodded again. They walked off, voices lowered, talking of strategy.
Somewhere else on the track-encircled field, Heritage's Jazlynn Finney planned for her next competition.
“I'm feeling pretty good today. I've been loose,” said Finney, midway through a day that saw her take first in long jump, 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, as well as anchoring a second-place finish in the 400-meter relay.
The senior's jump of 17 feet was her best this year, and bettered the runner-up by 12 inches.
Finney was proud of her teammates' showing in the event at their home facility.
“These girls are pushing it to go to states,” she exalted, mentioning that this is the largest roster the Pride's girls' track squad has fielded. “I'm excited for them.”
Broad Run's boys showed well in their third-place finish, including Sam Saidi's impressive high jump of 6-08, seven inches over his nearest rival. The number elicited awe from a few athletes gathered at the posted results.
Nearby, George Black readied himself for his next put of the shot. He glided through the motion, heavy round weight cradled against his chin, started false, then meticulously repeated the act. When finally he let fly, it bounded more than 44 feet away, drawing awe from the assemblage.
“Coaching and technique. Focusing on my arm, punching the air,” Black listed as his thoughts while making the toss, which turned out good for fourth, a personal best well beyond his No. 12 seed entering the meet.
The reigning Group AA state title-holders, the Park View girls were without the services of Natalie Baird, away at Turner-Ashby High School in Harrisonburg “trying to meet some personal goals,” Kerico said.
“We're getting there. Still have a lot of work to do. We want to see where the kids' times are,” Kerico said, adding that the meet would serve as a learning session for the Patriots' staff to gauge the capacities of their younger athletes.
Seniors Julia Anyaugo and Lauren Tomlinson garnered 18 of Park View's 35 total points by finishing one-two in the discus throw, Baird's forte.
The Dominion Titan girls were without their state champion sprinter Jennifer Weatherly. The senior bound for the University of Virginia was in Williamsburg as part of Dominion's choir.
Potomac Falls was hamstrung by not having distance runner Christina Lee, out with a quadriceps injury.
For the victorious Stone Bridge girls, Chelsea Robinson stood out among the jumpers, taking first in the triple jump, second in the high jump and third in the long.
Naomi Session contributed second-place finishes in the long jump and 100-meter hurdles, as well as anchoring a third in the 400-meter relay. Stephanie Paradis took first in the 800-meter run and helped achieve first in the 3,200-meter relay.
For the Bulldog boys, Daniel Allen scored first in the 200-meter dash and third in the 100-meter sprint. Trevor Springman comfortably won the shotput competition with a 50-foot toss, well over two feet further than the runner-up.
Stone Bridge's David Wang, a 2009 offensive line commitment to Virginia Tech but a novice at the shotput, used raw power to muscle the weighted ball to a surprising third place.
“I don't have great form, so I use a lot of upper-body power,” Wang said.
“He's tremendously strong,” Mandes said. “As he picks up technique, he's going to give Trevor a little bit of heat, I think.”
A smile played at Wang's lips when asked how his track coaches' styles compare with those of the Stone Bridge football staff.
“It's a little more lenient,” he admits. “But they all have the same goal. They want us to win and do our best.”
Mandes saw numerous athletes win and do their best in this first major meet of the spring track season.
“I have so much paperwork from regional qualification because across the board so many did so well,” he said with a laugh.
Mandes was already looking toward the Handley Invitational in Winchester April 19.
“We are going to be competitive in every invitational that we enter,” he stated.
Team Results
Girls
1. Stone Bridge 86
2. Heritage 77
3. Loudoun Valley 76
4. Millbrook 47
5. Potomac Falls 38
6. Park View 35
7. Clarke County 31.50
8. Jefferson 24
9. Loudoun County 22
10. Broad Run 20.50
11. Musselman 20
12. Dominion 12
13. Briar Woods 6
14. Hedgesville 1
Boys
1. Jefferson 81
2. Stone Bridge 68
3. Broad Run 52
4. Millbrook 51
5. Loudoun Valley 40
6. Potomac Falls 38
7. Loudoun County 36
8. Heritage 33
9. Musselman 28
10. Briar Woods 23
11. Clarke County 17
12. Freedom 13
13. Park View 11
14. Hedgesville 4
15. Dominion 1
Individual results
Boys
100 dash
1. DeLawder (Jeff) 11.18
2. Lewis (LC) 11.20
3. Allen (SB) 11.29
4. Stanley (Mill) 11.61
5. Smith (SB) 11.64
6. Green (F) 11.65
200 dash
1. Allen (SB) 22.57
2. DeLawder (Jeff) 23.05
3. Hyler (Jeff) 23.08
4. Burke (LC) 23.37
5. Smith (SB) 23.52
6. Madison (H) 23.94
400 dash
1. Olgren (LV) 51.17
2. Hyler (Jeff) 51.18
3. Lettman (BW) 51.87
4. Burke (LC) 52.18
5. Ford (PF) 52.69
6. Hayden (Jeff) 52.79
800 run
1. Hagen (PF) 1:59.03
2. Davis (Mus) 2:02.58
3. Nelson (BR) 2:03.60
4. Morales (PF) 2:04.21
5. Porter (F) 2:05.23
6. Joseph (LC) 2:05.62
1,600 run
1. Veilleux (CC) 4:35.33
2. Vance (Mill) 4:38.43
3. Talbott (Mus) 4:44.16
4. Ledden (Jeff) 4:45.35
5. Doughty (Jeff) 4:48.64
6. Mott (PF) 4:49.44
3,200 run
1. Lassiter (Mill) 9:42.82
2. Hardin (PF) 9:44.54
3. Saldana (H) 9:58.30
4. York (CC) 10:07.25
5. Flowerday (Mill) 10:08.97
6. Budiansky (LC) 10:11.61
110 hurdles
1. Lewis (LC) 15.04
2. Acly (Jeff) 15.22
3. Holoman (SB) 15.33
4. Lowery (BW) 15.47
5. Parham (Mill) 15.48
6. Burns (SB) 15.70
300 hurdles
1. Parham (Mill) 39.79
2. McPhaul (H) 40.72
3. Lowery (BW) 41.10
4. Holoman (SB) 41.17
5. Acly (Jeff) 41.19
6. Collins (BW) 41.62
400 relay
1. Stone Bridge 43.43
2. Loudoun County 44.34
3. Musselman 45.46
4. Hedgesville 46.01
5. Freedom 46.30
6. Clarke County 46.52
1,600 relay
1. Millbrook 3:27.53
2. Broad Run 3:30.47
3. Jefferson 3:31.13
4. Loudoun Valley 3:32.45
5. Stone Bridge 3:33.40
6. Potomac Falls 3:33.49
3,200 relay
1. Potomac Falls 8:17.80
2. Broad Run 8:30.18
3. Jefferson 8:33.08
4. Loudoun Valley 8:35.56
5. Musselman 8:35.72
6. Dominion 8:58.37
High jump
1. Saidi (BR) 6-8
2. Johnson (Jeff) 6-1
3. Lowery (BW) 5-11
4. Kinnebrew (SB) 5-11
5. Nelson (LV) 5-11
6. Stanley (Mill) 5-9
Long jump
1. Johnson (Jeff) 20-3.5
2. Rustin (H) 20-1.5
3. Terry (BR) 19-8.5
4. Parham (Mill) 19-3.5
5. King (Jeff) 19-0.5
6. Kinnebrew (SB) 18-4.5
Triple jump
1. Rustin (H) 46-2.5
2. Green (F) 41-0.5
3. Terry (BR) 41-0.25
4. Kinnebrew (SB) 40-8.75
5. Racer (CC) 40-6.75
6. Salgado (BR) 40-4
Shot put
1. Springman (SB) 50-0.5
2. Phipps (LV) 47-8.5
3. Wang (SB) 45-7.5
4. Black (BR) 44-4.75
5. Allen (PF) 43-11.25
6. Escano (BR) 43-9
Discus
1. Usman (PV) 140-3
2. Barth (LV) 130-4
3. Rickman (Mus) 121-4
4. Blakeney (LV) 116-9
5. Escano (BR) 114-10
6. Welch (PV) 113-5
Girls
100 dash
1. Finney (H) 12.60
2. Carr (Jeff) 12.77
3. Gaither (CC) 12.90
4. Flinchum (Jeff) 12.93
5. Sullivan (LV) 13.13
6. Fowler (PV) 13.18
200 dash
1. Finney (H) 26.47
2. Pletcher (Mus) 26.93
3. Sullivan (LV) 27.24
4. Privette (LV) 27.38
5. Mclaughlin (H) 27.51
T6. Robinson (Mill) 27.56
T6. Gaither (CC) 27.56
400 dash
1. Pletcher (Mus) 1:02.26
2. Branom (PF) 1:02.39
3. McLaughlin (H) 1:02.94
4. Larson (LC) 1:03.81
5. Gilchrist (BR) 1:04.17
6. Meyers (LV) 1:04.27
800 run
1. Paradis (SB) 2:27.91
2. Holmes (CC) 2:28.46
3. Barnes (PV) 2:31.46
4. Hunter (PF) 2:32.58
5. Scheren (LV) 2:32.90
6. Lewis (Mus) 2:33.25
1,600 run
1. Parkes (Mill) 5:25.67
2. Henderson (SB) 5:32.66
3. Saunders (PF) 5:45.15
4. Nickerson (Jeff) 5:49.26
5. Snell (SB) 5:49.30
6. Gold (H) 5:51.19
3,200 run
1. Strange (LC) 11:56.79
2. Misanin (D) 12:04.10
3. Broy (CC) 12:09.69
4. Pickett (Mill) 12:12.82
5. Corapi (H) 12:15.70
6. Scheren (LV) 12:21.91
100 hurdles
1. Hinds (Mill) 15.34
2. Session (SB) 16.04
3. Trader (LV) 16.07
4. Thompson (BR) 16.62
5. Reap (CC) 16.94
6. Rude (Hdg) 17.05
300 hurdles
1. Hinds (Mill) 48.01
2. Thompson (BR) 48.67
3. Brown (H) 48.89
4. Anderson-Farmer (H) 49.06
5. Session (SB) 49.23
6. Fauteux (PF) 49.66
400 relay
1. Loudoun Valley 50.17
2. Heritage 50.63
3. Stone Bridge 50.93
4. Jefferson 51.07
5. Millbrook 52.22
6. Potomac Falls 52.80
1,600 relay
1. Potomac Falls 4:15.22
2. Stone Bridge 4:17.41
3. Heritage 4:17.67
4. Loudoun Valley 4:19.81
5. Jefferson 4:20.24
6. Clarke County 4:26.97
3,200 relay
1. Stone Bridge 9:56.13
2. Loudoun County 10:02.28
3. Potomac Falls 10:13.56
4. Loudoun Valley 10:16.82
5. Heritage 10:17.20
6. Jefferson 10:23.83
High jump
1. Hinds (Mill) 5-1
2. Robinson, C. (SB) 4-11
3. Brown (CC) 4-11
4. Privette (LV) 4-11
5. Anderson-Farmer (H) 4-11
T6. Robinson, M. (Mill) 4-9
T6. Casale (BR) 4-9
Long jump
1. Finney (H) 17-0
2. Session (SB) 16-0.5
3. Robinson (SB) 15-10
4. Privette (LV) 15-6.5
5. Sullivan (LV) 15-4.25
6. Fowler (PV) 15-3.25
Triple jump
1. Robinson (SB) 34-2.75
2. Nunley (H) 34-2
3. Thompson (BR) 34-0.5
4. Privette (LV) 33-7.25
5. Akinduro (PF) 33-3.75
6. Anyaugo (PV) 32-4.75
Shot put
1. Leonard (LV) 38-2.5
2. Tomlinson (PV) 37-5.75
3. Bentley (LV) 32-9.75
4. N (D) 31-5.25
5. Fields (CC) 31-2.5
6. Marsh (Mus) 30-9
Discus
1. Anyaugo (PV) 113-5
2. Tomlinson (PV) 112-1
3. Ongies (BW) 108-7
4. Leonard (LV) 99-9
5. Bentley (LV) 95-5
6. White (Jeff) 95-1