“My favorite thing about this team,” West Springfield Coach Chris Pellegrini said, “is that we have so many different types of people, different types of athletes. We can score points in a lot of different ways, and every guy on this team is interested in what the other guys are doing.”
The Spartans’ meet was highlighted by a victory in the 4×100-meter relay by Mark-Anthony Whyte, Max Englert, Nicholas Bailey and AC Ross. They won in 41.14 seconds, just .02 ahead of Colonial Forge. Both teams broke the meet record of 41.58 set by Western Branch in 2015.
Bailey is a sophomore and the other three are juniors, which means the entire relay team could be back next year to challenge its record time.
“We want to come back and lower that time,” Whyte said. “If we can scratch [below 40 seconds], then it is what it is. I want to put our team on the national level.”
In the day’s final event, West Springfield won the 4×400-meter relay in 3:18.14, with Ross, Bailey and Englert joined by Joseph Blumberg. The Spartans also got state titles from Paris Johnson in the high jump (6 feet 4 inches) and Brady Echols in the shot put (59-10.5).
Oakton’s Junior Allen was somewhat disappointed with his second-place finish in the 3,200 meters Saturday morning, but he redeemed himself a few hours later by winning the 1,600. Allen, a senior who will run next year at Air Force, said he wasn’t sure how much he had left in his legs for the 1,600. He stayed back in the pack for much of the race before making his move. He held the lead coming into the final turn but wasn’t sure how close his competitors were.
“I heard cheering, and I thought that might mean somebody was gaining on me,” he said. “So I just said, ‘Sorry, but I want this’ — and I went for it.”
Allen won in 4:14.74, less than a second ahead of Woodbridge’s Nathaniel McMahon.
Chesapeake’s Grassfield High won the Class 6 girls’ title with 66 points, beating South County (60), South Lakes (56) and West Springfield (42.5).
South Lakes sophomore Caroline Elliott won the 1,600 (4:49.41) and the 800 (2:08.61) and anchored the 4×800-meter relay winners (8:59.88), who also featured Aya Ryan, Catalina Simon and Bella Harsanyi.
“I knew this was possible, and it was definitely my goal coming in,” Elliott said after her final event. “Right now, I feel tired but also empowered.”
In the Class 6 boys’ meet, Patriot’s Lyndon Amoateng won the triple jump at 45-11.75. Langley’s Blake Thompson won the discus at 162-11. The Lake Braddock 4×800 relay team of Patrick Gaffney, Timothy Asady-Kany, Christian Bachmann and Nelson Lattimer won in 7:46.81. Patriot’s Henry Birge won the 800 in 1:52.95. Hayfield’s Niles Briggman won the 200 in 21.25, edging teammate James Long (21.41).
In the Class 6 girls’ meet, Johanna Stuard of Westfield won the high jump by clearing 5-6. South County won the 4×100 (47.02) and 4×400 relays (3:48.98); Yamila Elliott ran on both teams.
The Independence girls (70 points) finished second in the Class 5 meet; L.C. Bird prevailed with 84.