Bruce McKean
Contributing Writer
RunWV.com, the premier website compiling track and field results in West Virginia, released its first Class A Boys and Girls Best Performances list for this season.
Although PCHS competed in only one track meet prior to the release, one Lady Warrior and six Warriors made the top-10 finishers in five West Virginia Class A events. Junior Stephen Simmons was ranked in three events, while junior Stephen Mick and sophomore Cade Walker each placed in two. Senior Andrew Morrison, juniors Stephen Mick, James Campbell, sophomores Melissa Murphy, Cade Walker, and freshman Ryan Irvine all were ranked in one event.
Melissa Murphy’s 6:00.14 adjusted time (5:59 hand time) in the 1600 ranked sixth so far this season in WV. Meets using hand timing are penalized with slower reported times.
Simmons’ high jump of 6′ was second best in the state, and a Doddrige senior and a Gilmer freshman tied Simmons’ jump. The best Class A boys jumps were both 6’2″ by two seniors from Tucker and Calhoun Counties.
The boys shuttle hurdle relay team (Mick, Simmons, Campbell, Walker) placed seventh with an adjusted time of 1:08.14 (1:07 hand time would have been fourth in WV).
Boys coming in ranked tenth were Walker in the 300 hurdles – 45.94 (45.62 hand time would have been ninth); and the 4×100 (Morrison, Simmons, Mick and Irvine) – 48.74 (48.49 hand time would have been ninth in WV).
The first team rankings had the Williamstown girls and the Doddridge boys each ranked number one in the RunWV Power Rankings. The only Potomac Valley Conference and Region II teams to be ranked were the Tucker County girls in fourth place and the Tucker boys in seventh.
Boys and Girls finish third at Richwood Invitational
The PCHS track squads traveled on April 8 to their second track meet of the season, the Richwood Invitational, and five girls teams and six boys teams competed. Several PCHS athletes who did not compete at Moorefield competed at Richwood. The girls teams finished: Richwood 141, Webster 111, PCHS 105, Valley Fayette 80 and Midland Trail 14. The boys order was: Richwood 123, Midland Trail 112, PCHS 108, Webster 86, Meadow Bridge 50 and Valley Fayette 26. Coaches Kay Wiley and Delmas Barb reported that there were a couple errors on the final meet sheets, so some totals and results may be slightly different from what was reported to RunWV.com and not corrected.
Grabbing gold were: Melissa Murphy, 1600, 6.09; boys 4×100, 49.04; boys 4×400 (Morrison, Simmons, Mick, sophomore Carey Robertson); boys shuttle hurdles, 1.05 (Mick, Simmons, Walker, Campbell); Simmons, high jump, 5’10”; senior Devin Rose shot put 39’2″ (would have been tenth in WV this past week); Devin Rose, discus, 125’6″ (would have been fourth in WV); and senior Fredricah Gardner, discus, 98’11” (would have been fifth in WV).
Winning silver were: Melissa Murphy, 800, 2.45; girls 4×200, 2.10 (sophomores Brittany McMillion and Samantha Collins, freshmen Savanna Davis and Sarah Ryder); girls 4×400, 4:44.9 (sophomores Michelle and Melissa Murphy, Megan Galford, McMillion) (would have been fifth in WV); girls 4×800, 11:44 (Galford, Murphy twins, senior Rachel McComb); Sarah Ryder, 300 hurdles, 55.66; Walker, 300 hurdles, 46.11; and Gardner, shot put, 28’0″.
Taking bronze were: Morrison, 400, 56.02; freshman Tessa Jordan, 3200, 18.10; girls 4×100, 1.02 (freshman Allie Burns, Galford, junior Brice Galloway, Ryder); boys 4×200, 1.47.2; boys 4×800, 11.03 (sophomores Tyler Owens, Tommy Greulick, Robertson, junior Devin Rose); and Collins, high jump, 4’0″.
Coach Delmas Barb reported that the boys 4×200 team was in first place and fifteen meters ahead when the baton was dropped. Barb felt the team would have finished in approximately a time of 1:38 if the baton had not been dropped, and that time would have ranked the team in the range of second or third in the state this past week.
The two teams won 12 total fourth, fifth and sixth place ribbons: Girls – Galford, Collins, Davis, Murphy, Burns, sophomore Kailey Carpenter; Boys – Simmons, junior James Campbell, freshman Connor Pyles, junior Patrick Collins, Robertson, sophomore Ryan Dilley).
The next track meet is Tuesday, April 22, at Richwood beginning at 4 PM.
