Warrior girls snag second; GW, Marion runners claim female athletes of Judy Thomas Invitational

By Jessica Hoerter

Local track teams braved the elements as they competed at the Judy Thomas Invitational, hosted at Patrick Henry High School.

Though obscured by rain showers and cloudy skies for most of the event, the highly anticipated solar eclipse failed to deter athletes from securing some of their best performances of the season.

Marion’s track coach, Tim Smith, praised his team’s stellar performance, citing numerous personal records and close calls for state qualifying times.

Smith expressed pride, stating, “I was very proud of our team and our great showing today. We had a lot of PRs in many events, and a few kids took some big steps forward. Our 3200 runners both ran wonderful times and are both only two seconds away from state qualifying. We also ran a good race in our girls 4×100, and our jumps did very well.”

Despite adverse weather conditions during the jumps, Smith commended the team’s resilience. Smith also highlighted his pride in junior standout Brooke Langston’s exceptional performance, which earned her recognition as the ‘Field Event Athlete of the Meet.’

Smith expressed satisfaction, remarking, “Super proud of Brooke for jumping so well today – first, second, and fourth in the jumps is a great showing, and she deserved the field event athlete recognition.” Smith also thanked event organizers for their efforts and highlighted the team’s overall success, underscoring their determination and perseverance.

Chilhowie’s Coach Daniel Womack also expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, noting significant progress and personal records achieved despite the initial weather challenges. He emphasized the importance of the meet as a marker for the team’s competitive standing while acknowledging the need for continued improvement.

Womack said, “I thought we had a great meet today despite the rain at the beginning. We made some significant progress and hit some solid PRs. I wanted to overload my athletes today to see how they handle going into a meet with a full plate of events, and they met every expectation and I’m proud of them. [The] girls placing second and [the] boys getting top eight as a team in a highly competitive meet like the Judy Thomas is always a great marker for where we stand, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

In the girls team scoring, Chilhowie secured a commendable second place with 74 points, closely followed by George Wythe with 68 points, Marion with 64 points, and Rural Retreat with 41 points, claiming third, fourth, and sixth places, respectively. The girls standout performances at the meet belonged to Marion junior Brooke Langston, who clinched the title of ‘Female Field Event Athlete of the Meet,’ and George Wythe senior Haley Faulkner, who earned ‘Female Runner of the Meet’. These exceptional athletes contributed significantly to their teams’ success, accumulating the highest points across various events.

In addition to the top-performing teams, other local girls track teams showcased their talent, with Galax finishing in 12th place, Fort Chiswell in 14th, Northwood in 16th, and Bland County in 18th.

Turning to the boys scoring, Rural Retreat showcased their prowess by securing a solid third place, amassing 60 points. Meanwhile, George Wythe accumulated 42 points, Chilhowie scored 37 points, and Fort Chiswell garnered 36 points, earning them the sixth, seventh, and eighth positions, respectively. Despite the challenging weather conditions, these teams exhibited remarkable resilience and skill throughout the competition.

Other local boys teams competing on Monday were Marion, Northwood, and Bland County, which finished 14th, 15th, and 17th respectively.

Field Events

The weather was far from ideal as the field events started, but local athletes still found a way to record solid performances. Chilhowie’s Tess Somervell had an eight-foot-six-inch jump to secure first place in the girls pole vault. Chilhowie teammates Mady Heath and Audrey Gilley also attempted the pole vault but failed to clear a height.

Chilhowie athlete JT Moore competed in the boys pole vault competition but did not clear a height.

Marion dominated the girls high jump, securing first, second, and fourth places. Senior Raegan Cox led the charge with a four-foot, 10-inch jump, followed by junior Brooke Langston in second place with a jump of four feet, eight inches. Marion’s Kayla Cline and Fort Chiswell’s Elissa Viars tied for fourth place, clearing four feet, six inches.

Northwood’s Topanga Frye, Fort Chiswell’s Abigail Hillenberg, and George Wythe’s Haley Faulkner competed but recorded no height in their high jump attempts.

In the boys high jump competition, Northwood junior Eli Williams secured second place with a jump of five feet, eight inches. His teammate Cole Buchanan tied for fifth place with Marion’s Tyler Pierce and Rural Retreat’s Hunter Vaught, each clearing five feet, four inches. Northwood’s Duke Colley also participated, finishing ninth with a jump of five feet, two inches.

The girls long jump event saw Marion’s Brooke Langston claim victory with a jump of 16 feet and three-quarters of an inch. Rural Retreat’s Olivia Crigger secured second place with a leap of 15 feet and 10 inches, while Chilhowie’s Kayman Atwell took fourth place with a jump of 14 feet and 11.5 inches. Other local athletes placing in the top 20 included Chilhowie’s Audrey Gilley (14’-09”) in seventh place, Marion’s Raegan Cox (14-08.50) claiming eighth place, Fort Chiswell’s Elissa Viars (13’09”) in 13th place, Marion’s Laken Foutz (13’08.75) in 14th place, Rural Retreat’s Addison Umberger (13’08.50”) in15th place, and Bland’s Kendall Worley(12’10”) in 19th place and rounding out the top 20 places. Other area competitors were Fort Chiswell’s Cora Stacy (12’04”) in 21st place, George Wythe’s Emma Stiltner(12’03.5”) jumped to a 24th place finish, Bland County’s Jayla Morgan (12’02.5”) placed 25th, Northwood’s Shaylee Phillips (11’04.75”) came in 28th, George Wythe’s Catherine Paschal (11’03.25”) placed 30th, and Chilhowie’s Kiera Dunford (10’06.5”) came in 31st place.

During the boys long jump competition, Fort Chiswell’s Layton Kennedy claimed second with a jump of 20 feet and ten inches, while Rural Retreat’s Austin Umberger placed sixth with a leap of 19 feet and seven and a quarter inches. Rounding out the top ten were Fort Chiswell’s, Amarion Dickens (19’00.50”) and Trey Tomlinson (18’08.75”), who placed seventh and eighth respectively. Other area competitors who placed in the top 20 included Bland County’s Chase Parker (17’10.50”) in13th place, Marion’s Daniel Lee (17’08.50”) in 14th place, Chilhowie’s Jake Russell (17’04.25”) threw to a 16th place finish, and Rural Retreat’s Trey Ward (17’00.50”) came in 20th place. Other area competitors included Marion‘s Brayden Bowman (16’08.25”) in 24th place, Rural Retreat’s Chaz Penwright (16’03.50”) in 26th place, Marion‘s Preston Harrington (15’07.00”) in 28th place, and Northwood teammates, Luke Buchanan (14’05.75”) and Dawson Prater (13’05.25”), placing 31st and 36th, respectively.

Rural Retreat’s Olivia Crigger claimed first in the girls triple jump with a leap of 33 feet and 11.5 inches, while Marion’s Raegan Cox placed third with a jump of 32 feet and six inches. Also jumping to top ten performances were Marion’s Brooke Langston claiming fourth with a leap of 32 feet and two and a half inches, George Wythe’s Haley Faulkner snagging eighth by jumping 30 feet and nine and a half inches, Rural Retreat’s Addison Umberger getting ninth with a jump of 30 feet and two inches, and Fort Chiswell’s Aurora Haywood claiming 10th with a leap of 29 feet and ten and three-quarters inches.

Other area competitors were Chilhowie’s Kayman Atwell (28’ 06”) and Audrey Gilley (25” 11’), who placed 13th and 17th, respectively.

Fort Chiswell was the only area team with competitors in the boys triple jump. Trey Tomlinson placed third with a leap of 40 feet and 2 inches. He was followed by teammate Layton Kennedy, who placed fifth with a leap of 39 feet. Teammate Jackson Waller (30’09.75”) came in 15th place.

Area athletes also competed in the throwing events. In the discus, Rural Retreat’s Olivia Crigger claimed fifth with a throw of 81 feet and three inches. Galax’s Emily Edwards placed sixth with a throw of 79 feet. Rural Retreat’s Ginny Hale placed seventh with a throw of 74 feet and 11 inches, while Fort Chiswell’s Kaylee Ward claimed eighth with a throw of 74 feet and seven inches. Marion’s Allyson Keen rounded out the top 10 with a ninth-place finish with a throw of 72 feet and three inches. Other top 20 finishes included Rural Retreat’s Addison Umberger (70’) placing 12th, Chilhowie’s Mattison McClure (65’11”) coming in 16th, Bland’s Madilyn Boone (65’04”) placing 18th, Chilhowie’s Natalie Testerman (64’11”) placing 19th, and Bland’s Jayla Morgan (58’11”) securing the 20th spot. Other competitors were Chilhowie’s Allee Blevins (53’02”), who placed 26th, and Northwood teammates Chloe Dole (49’02”) and Topanga Frye (43’05”), who finished 27th and 32nd respectively.

In the boys discus, George Wythe’s Brock Ayers came in fifth with a throw of 123 feet and 10 inches, with Chilhowie’s Aidan Broughman placing sixth with a throw of 119 feet and two inches. Rounding out the top 10 was Rural Retreat’s Lucus Shrader, who came in 10th place with a throw of 108 feet and nine inches. Marion’s Jacob Mooney held 11th place with a throw of 107 feet and nine inches. George Wythe’s Kyle Stevens came in 14th place with a throw of 101 feet and eight inches. Snagging 16th place was Rural Retreat’s Grayson Irvin with a throw of 97 feet and 11 inches, while teammate Brandon Smith placed 19th with a throw of 91 feet and three inches. Marion’s Ethan Whitt rounded out the top 20 and placed 20th with a throw of 90 feet and 10 inches. Other area competitors were Chilhowie’s Jackson Holbrook (90’04”) in 21st place, George Wythe’s Alex Murrell (84’) placed 26th, Marion‘s Miles Harrington (83‘,03”) placed 27th, Chilhowie’s Luke Montgomery (82’03”) took 28th place, Fort Chiswell’s Caleb Jones (79’09”) snagged 30th place, Fort Chiswell’s Matthew Murray (73‘,07”) came in 32nd place, Northwood’s Gabe Frye (70’10”) claimed 33rd place, Bland County’s Andy Blankenship (70’08”) got 34th place, Fort Chiswell’s Kasey Wyatt (57’07”) got 37th place, and Northwood’s Braden Havens (43’11”) placed 39th.

In the shot put competition, Galax’s Emily Edwards took home first with a throw of 38 feet and nine inches, while Fort Chilswell’s Kaylee Ward threw 26 feet and 11.5 inches and placed sixth. Marion’s Allyson Keen threw 26 feet and eight and a quarter inches to claim seventh place. Northwood’s Olvia Wyatt rounded out the top ten with ninth place and a throw of 26 feet and seven inches. Other area competitors were Chilhowie’s Allee Blevins (23’08.5”) and Mattison McClure (21’03.25”), placing 14th and 18th respectively, and Bland’s Madilyn Boone (19’09”) placing 23rd. Chilhowie’s Natalie Testerman (17’08”) placed 28th and George Wythe’s Sara Beth Wright (16’11.5”) came in 29th.

In the boys shot put competition, George Wythe’s Brock Ayres took fourth place with a throw of 42 feet and two and a half inches, while Marion’s Jacob Mooney placed fifth with a throw of 40 feet and eight and a half inches. George Wythe’s Kyle Stevens took sixth place with a throw of 40 feet and six inches, followed by Chilhowie’s Jackson Holbrook, who placed eighth with a throw of 39 feet and nine inches. Rounding out the top 10 was Rural Retreat’s Austin Umberger, who threw 38 feet and eight and a half inches. In the top 20 was Rural Retreat’s Brandon Smith, who placed 14th with a throw of 38 feet, while Marion’s Ethan Whitt placed 16th with a throw of 36 feet and four and three-quarter inches. Rounding out the top 20 was Bland’s Andy Blankenship, who placed 18th with a throw of 35 feet and six inches. Other area competitors were Chilhowie’s Aidan Broughman (32’09”) in 21st place, Marion’s Miles Harrington (32’05”) in 23rd place, Rural Retreats’ Grayson Irvin (32’03”) in 24th place, Fort Chiswell’s Caleb Jones (30’10.5”) in 25th place, George Wythe’s Alex Morrell (30’05”) in 28th place, Northwood’s Jacob Barlow (28’06”) in 32nd place, Fort Chiswell’s Matthew Murray (23’04”) in 37th place and Northwood’s Gabe Frye (21’09”) in 38th place.

Running Events:

400-meter sprint to make up a sprint medley. In the girls race, two local teams participated in this mixed relay: George Wythe (2:54.54) placed fifth, and Chilhowie (2:56.94) placed sixth. In the boys Swedish Relay, Rural Retreat ran to a second-place finish with a time of 2:13.91, while Chilhowie (2:30.10) and George Wythe (2:30.76) battled for sixth and seventh places, respectively.

In the girls 3200-meter relay, the only area team to race was Chilhowie, which came in second with a time of 13:30.78. During the boys 4×800 meter race, Chilhowie’s boys relay team secured a first-place finish with a time of 9:24.41, while Rural Retreat came in third with a time of 10:24.93.

In the girls 100-meter hurdles race, Rural Retreat standout Olivia Crigger raced to a first-place finish with a time of 17.22 seconds, followed by George Wythe’s Fioiella Leon, who came in second with a time of 18.32 seconds. Northwood’s Kendra Armstrong raced to a third-place finish with a time of 18.63 seconds.

In the boys 110-meter hurdles race, Marion’s Tyler Pierce came in seventh with a time of 19.35 seconds, while George Wythe’s Holden Luttrell came in a close eighth with a time of 19.67 seconds. Marion’s Daniel Lee rounded out the top 10 with a time of 20.13 seconds. Another area competitor in the race was George Wythe’s Jeriah Cooper (21.03); Cooper snagged 13th place.

George Wythe’s Hailey Faulkner won the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.07 seconds, followed closely by teammate Keira Scott, who placed fourth with a time of 13.74 seconds. Marion’s Ava Smith placed sixth with a time of 14.06 seconds, while Bland County’s Kendall Worley rounded out the top 10, placing ninth with a time of 14.30 seconds. Area competitors that were in the top 20 were Fort Chiswell’s Aurora Haywood (14.37) in 11th place, Chilhowie’s Diamond Miller (14.55) took 13th place, Marion‘s Laken Foutz (14.67) snagged 14th place, Rural Retreat’s Ginny Hale (14.78) claimed 15th place, George Wythe’s Emma Stiltner (14.90) came in 16th place, Northwood’s Kendall Armstrong (14.99) claimed 18th place, and Rural Retreat’s Addison Umberger (15.02) raced to 19th place, rounding out the top 20 finishers. Other area competitors were Fort Chiswell’s Tristen Thomas (15.42) in 23rd place, Marion’s Mia Albertson (15.44) claimed 24th place, Northwood’s Aaliyah Bennett (15.46) in 25th place, Rural Retreat’s Lydia Brewer (15.50) in 26th place, and Chilhowie teammates Jayda Miller (15.67) and Keira Dunford (16.17) who placed 27th and 30th, respectively.

In the boys 100-meter dash, Rural Retreat’s Hunter Vaught raced to a second-place finish with a time of 11.31 seconds. While Fort Chiswell’s Layton Kennedy placed sixth with a time of 11.95 seconds and barely held off Rural Retreat’s Trey Ward (11.96), who snagged seventh place. Ward’s Rural Retreat teammate Austin Umberger rounded out the top 10 with a 10th-place finish with a time of 12.14 seconds. Other area athletes who were in the top 20 were George Wythe’s J’Mete Rivens (12.18) in 11th place, Fort Chiswell’s Amarion Dickens (12.25) in 15th place, Bland County’s Chase Parker (12.44) in 18th place, Marion‘s Isaac George (12.45) in 19th place, and Chilhowie’s Marcos Silvero (12.49) in 20th place. Completing the standings were George Wythe’s Trey Rainey (12.74) in 28th place, Chilhowie’s Colton Gentry (12.75) in 29th place, Northwood’s Duke Coley (12.87) in 33rd place, Chilhowie’s Connor Bogle (12.97) in 34th place, and Marion’s Preston Harrington (13.43) and Andrew Owens (15.30), who placed 39th and 41st, respectively.

During the girls 1600-meter run, Bland County’s Jocelyn Parks placed seventh with a time of 6:27.67, while Northwood teammates Shaylee Phillips (8:06.56) and Liz Kestner (8:30.14) placed 12th and 14th, respectively.

For the boys 1600-meter run, Bland County’s Kary Romano secured a third-place finish with a time of 5:18.45, followed by George Wythe’s Brandon Pannell, who ran to a fourth-place finish with a time of 5:27.99. Chilhowie’s Bryson Kelly placed eighth with a time of 5:38.02, followed by teammate Mason Adams, who placed 11th with a time of 5:56.42. Other area competitors were Northwood’s Jake Cook (6:05.30) in 16th place, Chilhowie’s Nate Thomas (6:28.19) in 18th place, and Rural Retreat’s Scott Meredith (6:24.18), who secured 19th place.

The girls 400-meter relay saw a solid performance by Marion’s relay team, who raced to a second-place finish with a time of 55.06 seconds, while Rural Retreat’s girls relay team claimed fourth place with a time of 56.69 seconds. Fort Chiswell (58.40) and George Wythe (1:02.61) girls relay teams placed sixth and eighth, respectively.

During the boys 400-meter relay, Rural Retreat fought off Fort Chiswell for second place with a time of 46.38 seconds, while Fort Chiswell settled for third with a time of 46.63 seconds. Chilhowie claimed sixth place with a time of 48.07 seconds, while George Wythe (49.00) claimed eighth place, and Marion (49.33) ran to a ninth-place finish, rounding out the top 10.

In the girls 400-meter dash, Chilhowie’s Tess Somervell bested George Wythe’s Haley Faulkner to win the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:02.34. Faulkner settled for second with a time of 1:04.99. Somervell’s Chilhowie teammate Audrey Gilley snagged a fourth-place finish with a time of 1:06.38, while Bland County’s Kendall Worley claimed sixth place with a time of 1:10.09. Other area performances were George Wythe teammates Catherine Paschal (1:15.90) and Ella Gallimore (1:16.51) in 12th and 13th places, respectively. Fort Chiswell’s Cora Stacy (1:16.79) claimed 14th, and Northwood’s Kendall Armstrong (1:20.14) finished 17th.

In boys 400-meter dash, George Wythe’s Luke Clark ran to a first-place finish with a time of 54.00 seconds. Rounding out the top 10 in the race, George Wythe’s Oscar Montgomery (58.90) placed eighth, and Fort Chiswell’s Luke Viars (59.28) placed ninth. Other area performances were Marion’s Nick Sheffield (59.68) in 12th place, Rural Retreat’s Micah Hamman (1:00.55) in 15th place, Fort Chiswell’s Jackson Waller (1:00.71) in 16th place, and Chilhowie’s Martin Widener (1:01.14) placed 19th, rounding out the top 20. Rural Retreat’s Kaden Chappell (1:01.45) took 21st place, with Chilhowie’s Nolan Blevins (1:01.71) close behind in 22nd place. Rural Retreat’s Adrian Price (1:92.79) came in 23rd place, Sam Kichline (1:05.80) from George Wythe placed 28th, while Nate Thomas (1:09.37) from Chilhowie ran to a 29th place finish.

In the girls 300-meter hurdles race, Chilhowie teammates Mady Heath and Kayman Atwell ran strong races to secure third and fourth places, respectively. Heath ran 56.82 seconds, while Atwell ran 57.72 seconds. George Wythe’s Fioiella Leon (59.73) came in fifth, while teammate Cadence Deane (1:12.61) placed ninth.

In the boys 300-meter hurdles, Marion’s Tyler Pierce claimed 10th place with a time of 48.40 seconds, while George Wythe’s Jeriah Cooper (51.24) claimed 13th place. Rounding out the top 20 was Chilhowie’s Cian Ratcliff, who claimed 18th place with a time of 55.41 seconds.

Chilhowie’s Tess Somervell claimed another first-place finish in the girls 800-meter race with a time of 2:41.89. Other area competitors were Rural Retreat’s Scarlet Hale (3:00.13) in seventh, Bland County’s Jocelyn Parks (3:03.14) in ninth, and Chilhowie teammates Bella Payan (3:07) and Tori Blackwell (3:14.02) rounding out the top 15 places, with Payan taking 10th and Blackwell claiming 14th. Other area competitors were Rural Retreat’s Lydia Brewer (3:14.04) in 15th place, Northwood’s Shaylee Phillips (3:44.66) in 19th place, Fort Chiswell’s Abigail Hillenberg (3:36.29) in 20th place, and Rural Retreat’s Tiffany Anderson (3:56.41) in 23rd place.

In the boys 800-meter race, George Wythe’s Oscar Montgomery claimed fourth place with a time of 2:14.77. Montgomery was followed closely by Rural Retreat’s Talan Hammack, who ran 2:15.39 and claimed sixth place. Hammock was followed closely by three Chilhowie teammates, Lucus Hubble (2:16.33), Mason, Lee (2:17.31), and JT Moore (2:21.10), who finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively. Other area competitors in the top 15 were George Wythe’s Brandon Pannell (2:27.80) in 13th place and Bland County’s teammates, Kary Romano (2:28.28) and Chase Parker (2:28.90), who finished 14th and 15th, respectively. Fort Chiswell’s Jackson Waller (2:42.72) finished 24th, while Northwood’s Kaydon Hockett (2:50.36) and Blaine Woods (4:05.61) finished 28th and 30th, respectively.

George Wythe’s Hailey Faulkner ran an impressive 27.04 seconds to win the girls 200-meter dash, followed by her teammate Keira Scott, who sprinted her way to a sixth-place finish with a time of 29.05 seconds. Marion’s Ava Smith (29.33) claimed eighth place, narrowly beating Rural Retreat’s Olivia Crigger (29.41), who had to settle for ninth place. Chilhowie’s Kayman Atwell (29.98) placed 11th, followed by Northwood’s Aaliyah Bennett (30.72), who snagged 15th. Chilhowie’s Diamond Miller (30.80) rounded out the top 20 with an 18th-place finish. Other area competitors were Marion‘s Laken Foutz (31.07) in 22nd place, Rural Retreat’s Addison Umberger (32.32) in 24th place, Marion’s Mia Albertson (32.76) in 25th place, and Rural Retreat’s Tiffany Anderson (38.59) in 32nd place.

Rural Retreat’s Hunter Vaught narrowly claimed the first spot in the boys 200-meter dash with a time of 23.65 seconds, while his teammate Trey Ward claimed the eighth spot with a time of 24.40 seconds. Area athletes in the top 20 in the 200-meter race were George Wythe’s J’Mere Rivens (24.93) in 13th place, Chilhowie’s Jack Russell (25.26) in 13th place, Fort Chiswell’s Amarion Dickens (25.31) in 14th place, Marion’s Miles Harrington (25.64) in 17th place, with Marion teammate Isaac George (25.83) in 19th place, rounding out the top 20. Other area competitors included Fort Chiswell’s Luke Viars (26.05) in 21st place, George Wythe’s Trey Rainey (26.19) in 23rd place, Chilhowie’s Connor Bogle (26.51) in 28th place, Rural Retreat’s Mazon Santos (26.54) in 29th place, George Wythe’s Kayden Irby (26.95) in 32nd place, Chilhowie’s Colton Gentry (27.22) in 34th place, and Marion’s Nick Sheffield (27.29) in 35th place.

George Wythe’s Emma Faulkner finished second in the girls 3200-meter race with a time of 12:29.31, while Marion’s Ruby Hoerter ran 12:51.82 to finish third. Northwood’s Liz Kestner ran 19:29.22 to claim sixth place in the long-distance race.

In the boys 3200-meter race, Marion‘s Domenic Bruzzo-Morello snagged fifth place with a time of 10:28.95, followed by Chilhowie’s Bryson Kelly, who finished sixth with a time of 12:37.85. Rounding out our local competitors was Northwood’s Jake Cook, who placed eighth with a time of 13:16.39.

The night’s final event was the 1600-meter relay, which started with the girls race. Chilhowie’s 4×400 meter relay team dominated the race and claimed first place with a time of 4:44.79, while George Wythe’s girls relay team settled for third place with a time of 5:25.56.

In the boys 1600-meter relay, Chilhowie also took home first place with a time of 3:53.94, narrowly edging out Rural Retreat, who finished second with a time of 3:54.73.

George Wythe’s boys relay team claimed fourth place with a time of 4:19.28.