Girl's 4A State Meet

LYNCHBURG — Adversity has been no match for Ella Carlson when competing in the discus this postseason.

Seeded first, the Sherando junior trailed after the trials at the Class 4 state track & field meet on Saturday. But on her first throw of the finals, Carlson unleashed what turned out to the best of the competition (129 feet, 11 inches) and claimed the first state championship of her career at Liberty University’s Matthes-Hopkins Track at Osborne Stadium.

“I feel like I do better if someone’s competing with me pretty close,” said Carlson, who recorded a mark of 126-3 on her second throw of the competition but saw Salem senior Kalei Memmer pass her with a 129-2 during the third and final round of the trials. “We were pushing each other the whole time, and I went out there thinking, ‘If she hits hers, then I’m going to hit mine.’ It was a very hard thing for me, but it was kind of a rush.”

Winchester-Frederick County girls combined for 13 All-State performances (top eight) on Saturday. Handley led all local schools by taking sixth place out of 36 scoring teams with 37 points.

James Wood took 14th with 22 points, Sherando (Carlson was the the Warriors’ only participant) placed 16th with 18 points and Millbrook tied for 30th with two points. Loudoun Valley won with 71 points, 16 more than runner-up Jefferson Forest.

Seven of the area’s All-State performances were second place or better. But Carlson — who also took second in the shot put — was the only local champion.

Memmer got to throw last, right after Carlson, in each round of the three-throw finals as a result of her 129-2 in the trials. Memmer made a strong push by recording throws of 127-8 and 129-5 on her next two attempts. But Memmer fouled on her last attempt, allowing Carlson to finally relax and celebrate.

Carlson spoke with Memmer throughout the competition and wanted her to do well, but not too well. Carlson had her eyes closed and her hands laced across the top of her head while waiting for her discus to be returned to her by an official after her last throw and before Memmer’s final toss.

“Her last throws, I was kind of crossing my fingers and crossing my toes,” said Carlson, who shook Memmer’s hand and laughed with her at the end of the competition.

Carlson not only won despite having the pressure of trailing in the finals after being the top seed coming in, but she also triumphed despite not performing her best in terms of distance. Carlson did not approach her school record of 138-5 she set at the Region 4C meet on June 9.

Carlson’s father Cory — who has worked with Sherando’s throwers off and on for four years and filled in as the Warriors’ throws coach on Saturday with Jake Smith at a wedding — noted that Ella had thrown at least 130 feet at just about every other meet this year.

But Carlson managed to win the Class 4 Northwestern District and Region 4C meets by 15 and 30 feet, respectively, despite scratching on each of her first two attempts. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect for Carlson to find a way to get the job done.

“I’m really at a loss for words with just how proud I am of her,” Cory Carlson said. “She’s done so much hard work to prepare for this, and to actually get it is really, really satisfying, obviously for her, and tremendously [satisfying] for me.

“The one thing I’ll never be able to coach her about is being as mentally tough as she is. She has separated herself with that. Having two fouls and being one throw away from not even making it to state, and she goes and win regions. And coming here and being behind, and she wins it. How mentally tough she has been, I’m really impressed by that. I knew what she was capable of physically, but it takes a lot to deal with the pressure of competing in the state meet.”

One of the things that gave Saturday’s win extra meaning for Ella Carlson was how long she had to wait for it. As a freshman, Carlson took second at the state meet, so she more motivation than most to prepare for the 2020 season, which was ultimately canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It feels like a dream come true in a way,” Carlson said. “Getting second as a freshman, that meant I could totally do it the next three years. Having the season taken away from me last year, I was like, ‘You have to do it this year.’ So I did it. I’m very proud I was able to overcome COVID, and the hardships we’ve had the last year.”

Carlson was also proud of what she did in the shot put. She didn’t qualify for the state meet in that event as a freshman, and on Saturday she recorded a personal best of 38-11 to finish only behind Kettle Run senior Nia Rogers (39-7). Rogers passed Carlson with the third of her six throws.

Three athletes in individual events and Handley’s 4x100-meter relay team came up just short of winning gold medals as well.

Handley senior Mary McKay — who won the Class 4 indoor state pole vault competition in March — placed second on Saturday. McKay matched her personal record by clearing 11-6 on her first attempt.

Neither McKay, Kettle Run junior Colleen Schaner or Jefferson Forest junior Hannah Pettyjpohn could clear 12-0 until Pettyjohn did so on her third and final attempt to win a state title. The bar was eventually set at 12-4 so Pettyjohn could try and set a personal record, which she achieved. (For more coverage on McKay and several other athletes, see Tuesday’s edition of The Winchester Star.)

Handley sophomore Liz Imoh had a spectacular state meet debut. She set PRs in the 100 hurdles (15.44, previous best 16.10) and in the 300 hurdles (46.51, previous best 47.06) to take second in both of those events; recorded a PR of 5-2 to place fourth in the high jump (previous best, 5-0); and anchored the 4x100 team to a season-best time of 49.21.

Imoh was the sixth seed in the 100 hurdles and lost only to Courtland senior Brianna London (15.13). Imoh was the top seed in the 300 hurdles and ran in lane 4, and she could never quite catch up to Great Bridge junior Kadence Wilson, who ran outside of Imoh in lane 5 and finished in 45.68. The second-seeded 4x100 team of McKay, seniors Sofia Posadas and Brittnay Turner, and Imoh beat the Judges’ seed time of 49.94 but ran into a powerful King’s Fork team made up entirely of underclassmen. The Bulldogs set a Class 4 state record with a time of 48.06.

Imoh was most pleased with her performances in the high jump and 100 hurdles. The high jump was notable because Imoh struggled early — she missed her first two attempts at 4-10 before clearing it on her third try. She then found a groove in which she cleared 5-0 on her first attempt and 5-2 on her second attempt.

“I realized I messed up my steps at 4-10, but I fixed those,” Imoh said.

Imoh didn’t even begin to do the hurdles until spring, another example of how far she’s come this year.

“I’m really happy that I was able to compete at this level,” Imoh said. “I’m excited about next year.”

Handley coach Mike McKiernan was impressed with Imoh’s competitiveness throughout a hot and sunny day in the mid-80s.

“The 300 hurdles were her fourth event, and she still PR’d,” McKiernan said.

James Wood senior Brooke Sandy said she wants to do the heptathlon when she competes for NCAA Division III Virginia Wesleyan next year, and she once again proved just how versatile she in her final high school meet.

A two-time all-state performer in the high jump, Sandy nearly claimed her first state championship after never having placed higher than seventh in that event in state competition.

Sandy and Tuscarora freshman Alysa Carrigan — who tied for second in the high jump behind Sandy at the Region 4C meet — each came in with seed marks of 5-4, and both athletes cleared every height from 4-8 to 5-4 on their first attempt Saturday (Pettyjohn cleared 5-4 on her third attempt). But Carigan cleared 5-6 on her third attempt to claim the championship, and Sandy took second over Pettyjohn based on fewer misses.

“I was so close,” Sandy said. “I definitely think I was close on every single jump [at 5-6]. I barely clipped [the bar].”

Sandy felt she performed as well as she could in the high jump. She thought she could have done better in her other events, but she still earned All-State honors in both hurdles events. She placed fifth in the both the 100 hurdles with a PR of 15.88 (an improvement of 0.15) and 300 hurdles (49.28). She also finished a solid 10th in the triple jump (33-4.5).

“I think I went out with a bang this year,” Sandy said. “I’m excited for college.”

Her mother Caroline, James Wood’s girls’ coach, was glad to see Brooke do so well in the final high school high jump competition.

“That’s the best I’ve ever seen her jump,” she said.

The Colonels were also led by juniors Aubrey Grove (fifth in the discus, 110-11) and Lauren Beatty (seventh in the 1,600, 5:26.51).

Sophomore Madison Murphy scored Millbrook’s points, taking seventh in the 3,200 (11:33.30).

For full results, go to va.milesplit.com/meets/430925-vhsl-group-4-state-championships-2021/results#.YM9Nb2jYrrc.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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