Western Branch wins 6A girls by 104 points!

State Meet Highlights

 
Virginia's VHSL Championships include six classifications and take place in three locations on the same day. The Class 2A/1A meet is at Radford University in the western part of the state. The 3A/4A meet is at Harrisonburg High School in the north central part of Virginia. And the 5A/6A championships are in Newport News on the coast. In 2014, Western Branch continued to push the envelope as the state's premier sprint-hurdles factory (with a stunning 149-point state meet) and Caroline Alcorta (distance) and Matt Zajac (throws) put their mark on the record book.

Top Performances:

 
- Grant Holloway of Grassfield beat Steven Dunbar of Tallwood in one of the most anticipated high jump competitions in the country, US#4 7-1 to 6-10. These two multi talents were all over this meet. Dunbar won the long jump with 23-7.50 and the triple jump with 48-0.50 and was fourth in the 110 and 300 hurdles. Holloway won the 110 hurdles in 14.11 and was third in the 300 hurdles.

 
- Kiana Hairston from Osbourn Park won the 6A 100 in 11.89 seconds, the 200 in 24.48 and the 400 in 55.48.

 
- Noah Lyles of T.C. Willliams won the 6A 100 (10.52), and then he beat his twin brother Josephus 21.20 to 21.26 in the 200 meters. Josephus Lyles dominated the 400 in 47.27. Together on the 4x400, the Lyles' helped T.C. Williams win it with 3:17.64.

 
- Caroline Alcorta from West Springfield won the 6A girls 3200 title with 10:42.36. She also won the 1600 in 4:48.62 and ran a leg on the fifth-place 4x800 relay.

 
- Andrew Goldman of Herndon was the boys 3200 champion with a winning time of 9:12.58.

- John Tolbert of James W. Robinson won the 6A 1600 in 4:12.07.

- Junior Milan Parks of Western Branch jumped 19-2.50 to win the 6A girls long jump crown. She was second in the triple jump, the 100 meters (12.12) and third in the 100 hurdles (14.19).

- Junior Funlayo Oluwole of Western Branch claimed the 6A triple jump with 39-8. She was seventh in the long jump. She also led a 1-2-3-5 showing for Western Branch in the 100 hurdles with 14.15.

- The Western Branch girls won all four Class 6A relays – the 4x100 (46.89), the 4x400 (3:46.04) and the 4x800 (9:02.11).

- Sophomore Faith Ross ran 42.98 to lead a 1-2-3-4 Western Branch finish in the 6A 300 hurdles.

- Ebony White of Western Branch ran 2:09.80 to win the 6A 800.

- Trayvon Burris of Bayside won a nail-biter in the boys 800 against Nathan Schulte of James W. Robinson, 1:51.91 to 1:51.94.

- Gregory Chiles of Western Branch ran US#11 36.81 to capture the 6A boys 300 hurdles.

- Christopher Lee of C.D. Hylton won the 6A boys shot put with 61-6.

- Louis Colson from Thomas Edison won the 5A 3200 meters in 9:13.48.

- Matthew Novak from Deep Run ran 4:12.38 to win the 5A 1600 meters by almost seven seconds and he also won the 800 in 1:52.69.

- Chantel Ray of Hampton ran a blazing US#6 13.42 to win the 5A girls 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles in 43.29. She also ran on the winning 4x100 relay team (46.81).

- Meshala Morton from Mountain View was the 100 (11.89) and 200 (24.49) sprint champion in Class 5A.

- John Warren from Prince George won the 5A triple jump title with 50-3.50w.

- LaChyna Roe from Henrico won the 5A triple jump crown with 39-6.25.

- Matthew Zajac from EC Glass, a senior, won 4A titles in the shot put (58-5.50) and the discus (199-0).

- Junior Charles Graham from Phoebus won the 4A 110 hurdles (14.31) and the 300 hurdles (38.39).

- Raeshawn Bishop from Louisa Count won the 4A triple jump with 48-2.75.

- Sophomore Joshua Pearson from Bassett won the 4A 100 (10.84) and the 200 (21.30).

- Zakiya Rashid, a junior from Nansemond River, threw 44-1 to win the 4A girls shot put.

- Senior Micah Hanks from Tabb jumped 19 feet to win the 4A girls long jump.

- Freshman Amira Aduma from Phoebus was on the winning 4x100 relay, placed second in the 300 hurdles, was on the second place 4x400 relay, and placed second in the long jump.

- Junior Carolyn Brown from Phoebus won the 4A 100 hurdles (14.92) and was second in the 200 (23.80).

- Freshman Libby Davidson from EC Glass won the 4A 3200 meters in 10:44.58 and was second in the 1600 in 5:05.86. She was also on the winning 4x800 team.

- Brandee' Johnson, a sophomore from Nansemond River, won the 4A 300 meter hurdles (43.39), the 200 meters in 23.64 and also placed second in the 100 with 12.42 (12.05 prelim).

- Derek Holdsworth from Lafayette, one of the top 800-meter men in the country, won the 3A title in 1:51.05. He also ran on the 4x800 relay team that upset Blacksburg, and star Kenneth Hagen, US#13 7:42.20 to 7:47.23.

- Sophomore Andrew Hunter of Loudoun Valley won the 3A 1600 (4:10.04) and the 3200 (9:28.49).

- Junior Bonnie Angermeier from Blacksburg won the 3A 3200 in 10:53.30 and was also part of the winning 4x800 relay.

- Junior Latrice Morris of Heritage swept the 3A 100 and 200 titles. She was also third in the 400 and seventh in the long jump.

- Junior Jamik Alexander from Heritage swept the 3A 100 and 200 sprint titles.

- Junior Marcellus Fletcher from William Byrd won the 3A triple jump with 48-1. He was also third in the 100 hurdles, sixth in the 300 hurdles and eighth in the long jump.

- Sisters Bria (sophomore) and Brooke (freshman) Stith piled up big points for Brunswick in the 2A meet. Bria won the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles and the triple jump, and was on the winning 4x400. She also placed sixth in the long jump and second in the high jump. Brooke won the 200 and the 400, was on the winning 4x400, and was second in the triple jump and 10th in the long jump.

- DaJuan Seward of Brunswick, a junior, won the 2A triple jump (47-3), long jump (23-0.25), the 110 hurdles with 14.39 and the 300 hurdles with 38.28.

- Meredith Willis of George Wythe was the dominant performer in the 1A girls meet. She won the long jump (17-8), the triple jump (37-8.25), the 100 meters (12.42) and the 200 meters (25.48). And then she also ran on the winning 4x100 relay team (48.05) with Abby Storms, Tyra Hedgepeth and Brea Lampkins.

- James Williams of Radford launched a big throw of 174-8 to win the 1A discus by 40 feet. He also placed second in the shot put.

Top Teams:

There may not have been another girls team in the country that was better at its state meet than Western Branch, which scored a VHSL record 149 points to collect the 6A title, while the boys scored 58 to finish in a runner-up position to T.C. Williams (72.50), led by the Lyles twins. It was easy to see why Claude Toukene of Western Branch was named NSAF's coach of the year.

In Class 5A, it was the Hampton girls winning top honors with 51 points and the Lee-Davis boys taking it with 60.50. In Class 4A, the Nansemond Rivers girls racked up 103 points and the E.C. Glass boys scored 97 to win titles. In Class 3A, it was the Blacksburg girls (85) and Christiansburg boys (70). In Class 2A, the Brunswick girls and Maggie Walker boys were winners. And in Class 1A, it was the George Wythe girls and Auburn boys on top.

Top Competition:

One of the best mile matchups in the country featured Andrew Hunter, the Penn Relays sensation from Loudoun Valley who broke national sophomore class record in the 3,000 meters, against Kenneth Hagen of Blacksburg (NBNI runner-up in the 800). The race did not disappoint as the two fought tooth and nail down the final homestretch before Hunter put it away with 4:10.05 to 4:10.40 – the fastest two times in Virginia this year.

Record-breaker: Western Branch's girls won the 6A title by 104 points. That's stunning, but perhaps even more so was that the Bruins won eight events including all three relays. In the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles alone they scored 57 points.

Results