Indoor track: Minettes third in Seminole

  It was Glass that turned out the monster performances.

Mike Forster

Liberty's Craig Danner prepares to launch himself over the bar during the high jump. Danner would take sixth and nab a victory in the 500 meter run.

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Still, Bedford County athletes didn't fare too poorly.

The Hilltoppers showed themselves to be the class of the Seminole District, sweeping to both the boys and girls team titles at the district track tourney held Friday and Saturday nights at Heritage.

Boys team results

1.  E.C. Glass 194

2.  Heritage  82

3.  Amherst  62

4.  Rustburg  52

5.  Brookville  37

6.  Liberty  22

7.  Jeff Forest  16

On the girls' side of the house, Liberty put forth a rock-solid effort in nabbing third place.

Girls team results

1.  E.C. Glass 156

2.  Heritage  95

3.  Liberty  77

4.  Amherst  41

5.  Rustburg  40

6.  Jeff Forest  38

7.  Brookville  17

This was the Minettes' weekend to shine.  While no first-place prizes were claimed by Liberty ladies, they did their part across the spectrum.

Mikalah Jones's basketball season may be over, but her winter sports run certainly isn't.

The freshman phenom racked up points in the 55 meter dash (fourth), the 300 meter dash (third), the high jump (sixth), the long jump (second) and the triple jump (third).  Folks, we're worn out from just typing all of Jones's events!

Another who placed in multiple events was Laura Garbarini.  She picked up a second place in the 500 meter run and a third in the 1000.  Just a sophomore, the future looks bright for Miss Garbarini.

Kennedy Flynn, also a sophomore, helped out on the long distances.  She picked up a pair of second places in the 1600 and 3200 runs.

Liberty also got big help from:

-Megan Beisser, fourth place in the 55 hurdles and fifth in the 300.

-Katie Martin and Logan Byers, who finished fourth and fifth in the high jump.

"I'm pleased with our girls," said Liberty Head Coach Ben Wiese.  "We may not have many athletes, but they're quality athletes."

Jefferson Forest had a total of 54 team points.  Thirty of those points came via big first-place finishes by a pair of JF athletes:  Alyssa Shupe and Ken Ritchey

Shupe, only a freshman, is becoming one of the premier distance specialists in the area.

She proved her mettle by picking up a pair of wins.  Shupe picked up a win in the 1000 (3:12.73) and in the 1600

(5:35).

Ritchey romped in the pole vault.

"This is a stepping stone to what I'd like to accomplish," said Ritchey.  When prodded as to what he'd like to accomplish, the senior said, "Winning States would be cool, but I just want to do the best I can."

He has already hit 14 feet.  His winning vault in taking the Seminole crown was 13' 6."

Jefferson Forest also got some solid performances from:

-Elizabeth Ruhland, fifth in the 500.

-Abby May, fifth in the 1600 and the 3200 meter runs.

-Laci Sorrell, sixth in the 3200.

-The 4 X 400 relay team of Ruhland, Nicole Zalegowski, Taylor White and Morgan Beatey, which took fourth place.

Some standout Cavs included:

-David Aveson, sixth in the 300 dash.

-Eric Abowd, fourth in the 1600.

Liberty's headliner was Craig Danner.  He picked up a big win in the 500 meter run with a dash of 1:10.91.

Danner, a junior, also looked good in the high jump, where he landed in sixth place.

Jessie Key will be making the trip to LU and the Region III championship this weekend.  He earned a sixth place in the 1000 meters.

Teammate Austin Roney picked up a fifth place in the 1600.  He later joined forces with Dallas Brown, Sawyer Chappelle and Winston Davis to earn fourth place in the 4 X 800.

Regionals

While Glass is a likely favorite at the Region III meet this weekend, track is a funny thing.

Just a few outstanding athletes is all it takes for a team to make its mark, given the large number of teams and the depth of talent.

Coach Wiese stated that he feels his girls team has a shot at really making its mark in the region.

By the way, for those of you who enjoy the sport, but don't enjoy the thought of travelling across the state, there is good news.  The State championship meet will be held at Liberty University, as well.

That means you could hit Regionals this weekend and States next weekend.  All that, and you only have to drive a wee bit.