Bridgeport girls, Fairmont Senior boys take home Harry Green Invitational titles

In the end, the Fairmont Senior boys (123 points) and the Bridgeport girls (126) came away with team titles.

Robert C. Byrd’s Andrew Sponaugle boasted the lone record-breaking day for local athletes by breaking the school and meet records in the discus.

The senior took the win after launching a throw of 157-09, well ahead of Fairmont Senior’s Zach Frazier, who finished with a throw of 134-04. Sponaugle is currently ranked second in Class AA in the event.

“I’ve reconstructed my spin to where I can get the most power out of it and I’ve worked on hitting every position correct and my release point,” Sponaugle noted.

“The record is nice, but winning state has always been the goal for me in discus. Now that I’m getting closer I just have to keep working and hopefully achieve that goal.”

Fairmont Senior’s Tavian Richardson paved the way for the Polar Bears’ victory as he seemed to bring the thunder to the track both literally and figuratively. It seemed like every time the Polar Bear standout was ready to run, bad weather followed. Nevertheless, Richardson anchored FS’s victorious 4x800 relay team, which is currently ranked No. 1 in Class AA, before winning the 800 in a time of 2:05.16. Richardson’s final time wasn’t close to his personal best of just under two minutes; the rain seemed to slow down all the athletes who ran it in just a tad.

“It doesn’t bother me, but it definitely shows that it has an effect because I didn’t break two (minutes),” Richardson said of running in the rain.

“My major goal is to break the school record which my coach owns. He’s all for me breaking it and he’s pushing me because he thinks its about time someone steps up and breaks it.”

Richardson also finished second in the 400m dash and capped off the Polar Bears’ team victory by anchoring their winning 4x400 team in the meet’s final event.

Bridgeport’s Jackson Jacobs (3200m run) and Austin Massey (400m dash), FS’s Ethan Kincell (1600m run) and John Smith (long jump), RCB’s Brock Robey (shot put), and Philip Barbour’s Tanner Faulkiner (100m and 200m dash) all won their respective events.

On the girls side, other than Ripley’s Olivia Miller breaking BHS girls coach Emilee Yurish’s meet record in the pole vault, everything seemed to go right for the Indians.

The Indians’ victory started in the field events. Madyia McCullough (2nd, discus), Claire Lohmann (2nd, pole vault), Juliet Hart (4th, long jump), and Payton Merica (4th, high jump) all racked up a good chunk of points for the defending Class AA champs.

“Our field events were outstanding,” Yurish said after the meet.

“Juliet Hart was great in long jump, Claire Lohmann finally cleared ten in pole vault which she’s been working at for quite some time, Madyia McCullough did close to what she did last year in discus and Payton Merica had a PR in high jump. Today was actually the first meet where I almost had everyone here and healthy, so it gives us a better idea of how to place others going into the month of May.”

While the Indians garnered a handful of points in the field, they were equally, if not more, impressive in the sprints. Emily Meade (100m hurdles) and Anaiya Jackson (100m dash) each took home individual titles while Meade also teamed up with Merica, Hart and Kristen Crowder to help the Indians take home the 4x100 title in a time of 51.79.

Buckannon-Upshur’s Kennedi Lewellyn (300m hurdles) and Catherine Oliveto (400m and 200m dash) each took home individual victories to pace the Buccaneers to a second place finish behind the Indians.