High school state track & field championships
Expectations high for Tiger squads in Charleston
Members of Elkins High’s school-record setting 4x100-meter relay team are, from left to right, JJ Cepeda, Andres Masten, Chris See and DeMarcus Franklin. The group will compete in the state meet on Saturday.
Submitted photos Elkins High Sophomore Emilia Tenney picked up first-place finishes in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in last week’s Class AA, Region I Championships.
The Lady Tigers’ Marissa Brenwalt enters the state meet with top Class AA marks in the high jump (5-04) and 100 hurdles (15.30). The freshman will also compete in the 300 hurdles and long jump.
From left, Elkins High’s Trevor George, Josh Bodkins and Gavin Brown compete in the 1,600-meter run during the Class AA, Region I meet last week at North Marion High School.
The Tigers’ Chris See passes the baton to fellow senior DeMarcus Franklin en route to a school record-setting performance in the 4x100 meter relay. The unit will compete in the state meet Saturday at University of Charleston Stadium and Laidley Field.
Members of Elkins High’s school-record setting 4x100-meter relay team are, from left to right, JJ Cepeda, Andres Masten, Chris See and DeMarcus Franklin. The group will compete in the state meet on Saturday.
Submitted photos Elkins High Sophomore Emilia Tenney picked up first-place finishes in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in last week’s Class AA, Region I Championships.
The Lady Tigers’ Marissa Brenwalt enters the state meet with top Class AA marks in the high jump (5-04) and 100 hurdles (15.30). The freshman will also compete in the 300 hurdles and long jump.
From left, Elkins High’s Trevor George, Josh Bodkins and Gavin Brown compete in the 1,600-meter run during the Class AA, Region I meet last week at North Marion High School.
The Tigers’ Chris See passes the baton to fellow senior DeMarcus Franklin en route to a school record-setting performance in the 4x100 meter relay. The unit will compete in the state meet Saturday at University of Charleston Stadium and Laidley Field.
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CHARLESTON -- The expectations are high for the Elkins girls and boys entering today's Class AA portion of the state track meet set to get underway at University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field.
In a new format this season, the top two finishers -- in past year's it was three -- in each event in regional competition earn automatic berths to the state meet, with the remainder of the eight entries going to the top finishers from the other four region meets in each class.
The Lady Tigers' Marissa Brenwalt and Emilia Tenney are both projected to shine in the two-day meet.
Brenwalt, a freshman, is the favorite in the 100-meter hurdles and high jump. She will also compete in the 300 hurdles and long jump.
During the regional meet, Brenwalt captured titles in the 100 hurdles (15.31), long jump (16-09.25) and high jump (5-04) and was runner-up in the 300 hurdles (48.43).
Tenney will compete individually in the 1,600 (5:23.89), the 3,200 (11:40.76) and 800 (2:23.55), winning the regional title in all three events.
The sophomore will also join sophomore Julia Biola and seniors Maddie Belan and Mallory Bennett in today's 4×800 relay.
Biola will also compete in this evening's 3,200 and Saturday's 800, along with Belan.
Sophomore Adeline Naser is entered in today's pole vault and senior Kat Hinchman in Saturday morning's discus.
"Our girls competed extremely well at regionals and have a shot to climb onto the podium as a team Saturday afternoon," said EHS girls coach Scott Biola.
Biola added the top two teams in each classification earn podium recognition and plaques at the state meet.
For the EHS boys, the 4×800 meter relay (junior Josh Bodkins, junior Bobby Valentine, senior Gavin Brown and sophomore Trevor George will take to the course today.
Junior Ben Tenney helped the unit capture the regional crown in a time of 8:35.39 and is also entered, along with George, in the tonight's 3,200.
George finished first in regional in a time of 9:46.59 and Tenney was second (9:50.53).
The shuttle hurdle relay of senior Andres Masten, freshman Elia Jones, junior JJ Cepeda and sophomore qualified for states in the regional meet.
Jayden Harding will take Masten's spot in tonight's event.
Masten is one of several senior state qualifiers slated to attend graduation at EHS on this evening.
Other Tigers graduating include Belan and Hinchman for the girls, along with Chris See and Brown for the boys.
Fellow EHS seniors DeMarcus Franklin and Johnathan Dean will graduate at Laidley Field at 12:40 p.m. on Saturday.
Dean will don his graduation gown after kicking off Saturday's events for the Tiger boys in the 400 at 10:20 a.m. and Franklin will celebrate his diploma with two sprints relays that afternoon.
Prior to this special ceremony, the EHS trio of Bodkins, George and Brown will take to the track at 11:10 a.m. for the 1,600.
The 4×100 (Cepeda, Masten, See and and Franklin) and the 4×200 (Dean, Masten, See and Franklin) will compete on Saturday.
Elkins High boys coach Shane Richardson is particularly proud of the progress made by the sprint relays this year.
"These guys chipped away at school records all season," Richardson said. "To see them finally set the school record in the 4×100 (44.06) makes for one happy coach.
"We want to break it again on Saturday and beat the school's 4×200 record as well."
Valentine and George compete in the 800 at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, while the 4×400 relay (Bodkins, Dean, Tenney and Masten) at 4:58 p.m.
Valentine helped that relay qualify for states, but EHS plans to substitute in Bodkins to round out a foursome.
The state meet get underway at 2 p.m. today and concludes with the last event set for 5:10 p.m. on Saturday.