Tri-Cities Track Classic
JOHNSON CITY - Wind gusts reaching more than 50 miles per hour hampered track meets throughout the South on Saturday and those competing at the 10th Tri-Cities Track Classic at Science Hill's Kermit Tipton Stadium were not exempt.
Some teams that had set up tents early in the morning had taken them down by noon. The tent for the timer was destroyed and his laptop was nearly blown away during the field events. A few of the field events sheets with results were even lost in the pandemonium.
The girls discus event was not contested because the cage was toppled over by a powerful gust.
Milesplit had to film all races from the press box instead of being on the roof where they normally are.
Despite all the adversity, the meet trudged on and some athletes provided standout performances.
Falcons Dominate Distance
Even though Science Hill successfully defended home turf by winning the team competition with 96 points, VHSL Class 3 power Abingdon had some of the more notable performances in the distance events.
Unsigned senior Jack Bundy won both the 800- and 1,600-meter runs in dominating fashion. He was the only runner under two minutes in the 800 (1:57.91) and won the 1,600 by a comfortable eight seconds (4:24.91) over teammate Rives Boltwood (4:32.56). Rewatch that race here:
Boltwood would come back to win the 3,200 in 9:43.58.
The Falcons won the state title in cross country for a second straight season in the fall and are the defending outdoor state champs. Coach Brent Swiney may not have as deep of a crew as he did last year, but the Falcons will still make some noise at the state level.
The Abingdon girls were also runner-ups in the team standings, beaten out by traditional VHSL power Blacksburg.
Josie Jackson won the 400 in 1:00.58 and her coach believes she is fully capable of 58 seconds in ideal conditions.
Senior Tennessee Tech signee Makaleigh Jessee kicked off her final outdoor campaign by finishing third in the 800 (2:23.16) and second in the 1,600 (5:24.86). Jessee was beaten in the 1,600 by Tennessee High's Zoe Arrington, a Kennesaw State signee.
Cecelia Johnson won the 3,200 in 12:01.95. Abingdon's girls were narrowly beaten by Heritage for the indoor state title last month and won the team title in cross country for the first time since 1986 last fall.
Smoky Bear Relays
Per usual, Sevier County's relays showed out as the Smoky Bears took home three gold medals on the day.
The girls won the 4x200 relay in 1:51.05 while the boys posted a winning time of 1:31.23.
The boys 4x100 also won in a solid time of 43.53.
The boys currently rank #2 in the 4x100m relay and #3 in the 4x200m relay in Division I Class AAA Section 1. Speedster Taylor Madison also had a good day in the boys 200 dash, winning in 22.39 and running into a headwind for the last 130 meters or so. He currently ranks #4 in the section in the event.
Division I Class AAA Section 1 Boys Leaders
Baker Remains Unbeaten
Grace Christian Academy of Knoxville's Brianna Baker - an East Tennessee State commit - kept her perfect record unblemished with two wins in the hurdles.
Her winning times were 15.70 in the 100s and 45.95 in the 300s. She currently ranks TN #1 for Division II Class A in both events as well as the Long Jump which is a new event for her this season.
Division II Class A Girls Event Leaders
Hagemeier Sets School Record At Home
In one of the tougher events to battle in the wind, Science Hill junior William Hagemeier won the pole vault with a school record of 14-3. He bested the previous school record set by William Peterson (14-1) from 2018.
Teammate Carter Brademeyer finished runner-up with a clearance of 14 feet.