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Williamstown girls capture third consecutive state track title

The Williamstown girls' track and field team won it's third straight Class A state championship on Saturday in Charleston. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

CHARLESTON — The Williamstown girls won their third straight title, Ritchie County’s Olivia Cress repeated as high-point champion and Abby McDonough cleared 10 feet to defend her pole vault crown for runner-up Doddridge County here Saturday at Laidley Field during the Class A state track meet.

Cress, who scored 40 points as a junior and repeated that effort in her final meet, set a new state high jump record of 5 feet, 6 inches on Friday that broke the old mark of 5-4 held by four others.

Yellowjacket freshman Alyssa Sauro, who will be competing on June 26 in Saluzzo, Italy in the 15th edition of the International U18 Mountain Running Cup, amassed 32.5 points. Aside from winning the 3200 on Friday with a time of 10:40.47, she also set a new meet record in the 800 when she finished in 2:17.42, which broke the 2017 mark of 2:18.93 set by Huntington St. Joe’s McKenzie Moran. Sauro also took gold in the 1600 (4:58.26) and ran the anchor leg with teammates Ava Lightfritz, Brianna Winsett and Reagan Ortiz on the victorious 4×8 (10:22.14).

“I love running with all of those girls. They push me every day at practice and it’s just a lot of fun,” admitted Sauro, who watched fellow freshmen Shelby Smith (400, 57.10) and Kyndra Johnson (shot put, 34-3.75) also win events.

“I wasn’t looking for any time. I was just looking to win and trying my hardest. I love all these girls. These girls are so talented and I’m just happy to be on the same team with them. All the seniors are gone and it’s really sad.”

Cress topped Bulldog Faith Galagar — 17-6.75 to 16-0.75 — to win the long jump. The Rebel also defended her hurdles crowns. She topped teammate Marissa Scott in the 100 hurdles, 15.97 to 16.98, and nearly broke the 300 hurdles record of 45.15 set by ex-Rebel Samantha Kirk in 2017. However, Cress crossed in 45.17.

“Last night I was able to get the state record and that was really great,” stated Cress, who finished ahead of Magnolia’s Jenna Blain (47.74), McDonough (49.07), St. Marys’ Erica Davis (49.35), Rebel Emily Griffin (49.53) and Paden City’s Hallie McDonald (50.24) in the 300 hurdles.

“I was hoping for this and I had my eyes set on that state record. I was like I got to get it. It’s kind of relaxing. I’m not going to lie, but I’m going to WVU for track and field so I will be continuing my athletic career there. It will be fun. It’s not completely goodbye, but it’s goodbye for high school.”

Aside from her win in the pole vault, McDonough also finished fourth in the 100 hurdles (17.43) and ran the anchor leg with Anna Trent, Carrie Lloyd and Molley Ezell on the third-place shuttles team that finished in 1:11.13.

“I was super excited with my performance,” said McDonough, who helped DCHS compile 88 points to finish ahead of Ritchie County (67), St. Marys (38) and Magnolia (37), but well behind the Yellowjackets’ 148. “I’ve been stressing out a little bit, but I’m super happy with my performance, especially getting state champ twice in a row. The highest I got this year was 9-6 so clearing 10 was huge for my first try.

“Super exciting and all my supporters who have supported and talked me through this whole thing it’s so exciting. I got 10 foot twice this week in practice. I think what the big game-changer getting 10 foot was was jumping up on that last step. All season I was just running through it and letting the pole pick me up.”

Smith said she had a great first experience at the state meet. Along with the 400 win, she was runner-up in the 200 (26.49 to 25.79) to the Blue Devil Davis, who bested the field in the 100 with a time of 12.71 as ‘Jacket Ella McMullen (13.04) and Magnolia’s Jaci Rohde (13.16) followed. The WHS freshman also ran legs on the winning 4×4 (Emma Berman, Brookelyn Reynolds, McMullen: 4:10.67) and the 4×2 (McMullen, Berman, Jalie Henthorne: 1:46.11).

“I’m really blessed to have an awesome freshman year and my teammates are great,” Smith said. “The win last night really just put me in a good mood for the rest of the weekend and that was my goal. I’ve been kind of like really nervous about it and stuff, but now that it’s over I feel really acomplished and happy.”

Davis also collected a runner-up effort in the 400 on Friday after finishing in 57.59. Reynolds was third (1:00.25), Wood County Christian’s Lacey Dimit was fifth (1:02.41) and Calhoun County’s Savannah Cunningham placed sixth (1:02.61).

“We have this board in the locker room of our goals and stuff and that was my two goals on there,” said the senior Blue Devil.

“Win the 100 and win the 200. I honestly was expecting this competition. It was pretty much how I planned everything to go.”

The Williamstown girls, who gave head coach Zach Hall career state title No. 7, also won the 4×1 (McMullen, Berman, Henthorne, Reynolds: 50.75).

“It’s a program title,” coach Hall said. “Three out of three events we won Friday night, that’s a pretty good start. Today would’ve been an easy day to say it’s 95 degrees, let’s take it easy and we can still win but they didn’t do that. They PR’d in the 4×2 and almost got a record.

“We showed up and we went after it too, today. I’ve never been around a group of athletes that wants something so bad they go out and get it. We don’t have much to say to them. They just go out and bust their tail every chance they get.”

Also helping the Yellowjackets to their winning total were Berman (2nd, pole vault, 9-0), Winsett (3rd, 3200, 12:17.23; 4th, 1600, 5:26.42), Reynolds (3rd, 200, 26.76), Lightfritz (3rd, 1600, 5:25.36), Madelyn Anderson (T3rd, pole vault, 9-0) and Becca Shamblin, whose throw of 95 feet, 9 inches was good for sixth in the discus.

“This freshman class is arguably one of the best. They are fixing to be the best class to go through our high school,” added coach Hall. “I always tell them the next one (state crown) is always the best one. That’s why you will never see a state championship ring on my hand because always the next ring is the best one.”

DCHS head coach Craig Kellar watched Lamb finish runner-up to Sauro in the 800 (2:21.05), 1600 (5:04.04) and the 3200 (11:05.73). The Bulldogs also had Anna Trent tie for third in the pole vault (9-0) and Catherine Cottrill finish sixth in the 3200 (12:34.34). Lamb also ran a leg on the runner-up 4×4 team with Cottrill, Galagar and Lloyd that crossed in 4:28.23. Bulldogs Bailey Holden, Emily Gola, Cassie Cumberledge and Cottrill were third in the 4×8 (10:36.06).

“Our kids did all they could do,” Kellar said. “We achieved about all that we could’ve. Williamstown is just out there. We beat a good Ritchie team. They have a great team, too.”

Also placing as individuals were Gilmer County’s Kiley Richards (6th, shot, 30-10.75), Tyler Consolidated’s Bella Garuccio (5th, high jump, 5-0), St. Marys’ Virginia Haddox (5th, 1600, 5:28.50; 5th, 3200, 12:25.17), Magnolia’s Blain (4th, 200, 27.35) and Rohde (T5th, pole vault, 8-6), Ritchie County’s Sydney Kopshina (T5th, pole vault, 8-6) and Macy Hilvers (3rd, discus, 97-6) as well as the Wildcat Dimit (800, 3rd, 2:29.46) and Calhoun’s Cunningham (4th, 800, 2:30.25).

The Mid-Ohio Valley also had a strong showing in the relay events.

In the 4×1, Magnolia (Kaylee Cline, Bre Herrick, Sienna McKeever, Rohde, 2nd, 52.78), DCHS (Trent, Lloyd, Payton Currey, Galagar, 3rd, 53.56) and Ritchie County (Scott, Kopshina, Ivy Hogue, Sophie Nelson, 5th, 54.66) placed.

The Rebels also ran a 1:51.39 with Scott, Nelson, Kopshina and Griffin to finish runner-up in the 4×2. Magnolia (Cline, Herrick, McKeever, Blain: 1:51.64) and DCHS (Trent, Lloyd, Currey, Galagar: 1:52.23) placed third and fourth, respectively.

Paden City’s quartet of Jocelyn Sawinski, Mady Still, Brandis Dalrymple and McDonald posted a 1:10.45 to finish runner-up in the shuttles. St. Marys was sixth in a time of 1:14.39 with Ryleigh Haught, Josey Moore, Addison Parks and Kamryn Armstrong.

Magnolia (4th, Shy Simmons, Herrick, Cline, Blain: 4:32.28) and SMHS (6th, Kierstyn Brookover, Caraline Lancaster, Natalie Bartrug, Haddox: 4:35.78) also had podium finishes in the 4×4.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com

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