LYNCHBURG — Handley senior Hassan Akanbi placed second in the boys’ high jump to highlight the first day of action at the Class 4 state track & field meet on Friday at Liberty University in Lynchburg.
The meet will conclude on Saturday with events beginning at 9 a.m. The top eight finishers in each event score points and the top three earn All-State honors.
Akanbi jumped a career-best 6 feet, 8 inches, the same mark as state champion Josh Seifert of Hanover. Seifert won because he only needed one attempt to clear 6-4 while Akanbi needed two. Both boys cleared 6-6 and 6-8 on their first attempts.
Sherando senior Micah Carlson tied for sixth in the high jump (6-0) and Handley sophomore Timmy Campbell tied for eighth (6-0). Defending outdoor state champion and 2025 indoor state champion Noah Harris, a Sherando senior, began jumping at 6-2 but missed all three of his attempts and did not place.
Defending Class 4 champion and Handley senior Jaishaun Offutt took third in the shot put. Offutt — also a two-time state indoor champion — recorded a 57-1 after coming in with a seed mark of 58-8. The top finishers each threw over 60 feet — Tuscarora senior Tate Foerster (62-2.5) and Orange County sophomore Brandon Testa (60-2).
The Sherando team of junior Thomas Miles, senior Ryan Maki, senior Jed Bell and junior Hatcher Smith placed seventh in 8:11.18.
Handley junior had the fastest times in the 100 (10.52) and 200 (21.46) in the prelims and will be the top seed for Saturday’s finals in both events. In the 110 hurdles prelims, James Wood junior Jorel Baltimore had the No. 6 time (14.94) and Sherando junior Sunil Dutt had the No. 8 time (15.21) to qualify for the finals.
In Class 4 girls’ action, Sherando senior McKenna Hardy placed sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 34-10.25.
The James Wood 4×800 team of junior Katelyn Palmer, sophomore Ally Oliver, senior Ruby Ostrander and junior Kate Konyar placed seventh in 9:47.76.
The Millbrook duo of senior Jada Arrington (fifth in 24.94) and sophomore Janai Washington (25.10) each qualified for the 200 finals on Saturday.