Girls' NWD Track Meet

WARRENTON — If only all sequels could be as impressive as the one Handley junior Elizabeth Imoh put together on Wednesday.

One year after recording three wins in five events in her first Class 4 Northwestern District meet, Imoh was a perfect 4 for 4 in event wins in her encore performance at Fauquier High School.

Imoh was the only person of either gender to win three individual events. The 2021 Class 4 state runner-up in both hurdles events left her opponents in the dust on the track.

Imoh won by 1.65 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.15, and won the 300 hurdles by 3.62 seconds in a season-best 47.49. James Wood junior Lillian Lovelace was the only person remotely close in both races, recording times of 17.70 in the 100 hurdles and 50.09 in the 300 hurdles.

Imoh also anchored the 4x100 team to a victory by 0.91 over Liberty — the Judges ran a season-best time of 50.52 — and beat Sherando's Evan Winston by two inches in the high jump, recording a mark of 5-0 to Winston's 4-10.

Handley coach Mike McKiernan and Imoh both know that she's capable of much faster times in the hurdles (15.39 in the 100 this year, 46.51 in the 300 hurdles this year). But, it's hard not to marvel at the large gaps she creates from the competition in the hurdles on a routine basis.

"She was the class of the hurdle field," McKiernan said. "I don't know how else to put it."

Imoh's day was part of a strong one for local girls' athletes. Fauquier defended its title with 174 points, but James Wood finished comfortably in second with 139. Handley was third with 87. Led by double individual event winners Ella Carlson (discus, shot put) of Sherando and Jada Arrington (200, 400) of Millbrook, the Warriors and Pioneers placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Sherando had 76 points, Millbrook had 53, and Kettle Run and Liberty tied for sixth with 50 points.

The top eight individuals and top four relays in each event, as well as anyone with qualifying times and marks, advance to next Wednesday's Region 4C meet at Lightridge High School in Aldie.

Imoh recorded her first state-qualifying time of the season in the 300 hurdles.

"I feel like I ran pretty well," Imoh said. "I think I started off this season with slower times than I would have liked, but as we've gone on, I've been improving."

Imoh felt like she should have pushed herself a little bit more in the 100 hurdles, but she certainly did her part to help the 4x100 team do its best. Mikayla Balio, Emeryce Worrell and Madison Hobson also ran on the relay.

"We're really excited about the PR," Imoh said. "We've been PRing every time, so that's been really good."

Just like at the Apple Blossom Invitational, James Wood didn't have any event wins, but the Colonels sure know how to rack up silver and bronze medals. James Wood earned 12 of those.

In addition to Lovelace, the Colonels were led by Lauren Beatty (second in the 1,600, 5:16.56, and 3,200, 11:57.58), Quetzali Angel-Perez (second in the 800, 2:29.64), Ella Kiesewalter (third in the 400, 1:02.56), Jocelyn Hempel (second in the triple jump, 32-1.5), Aubrey Grove (third in the discus, 111-10, and shot put, 31-6), Olivia Boyce (third in the long jump, 15-0.5) and its two bronze-medal relay teams. The 4x100 team of Hempel, Boyce, Macey Payne and Alana Bradford recorded a time of 51.87 and the 4x400 team of Hempel, Kameron Strosnider, Lovelace and Kiesewalter finished in 4:30.87.

James Wood coach Abeeb Badmus said he was proud of both the girls' and boys' teams for their runner-up finishes.

"I'm super happy for the teams," Badmus said. "Both teams fought. It just shows our work effort in practice. In meets, we give everything we've got.

"What I've been preaching to them is to be mentally ready and physically ready, and seize the moment. I'm happy for the program, the athletes, and the school."

McKiernan was excited by his girls' team as well, especially since the Judges were expected to take fourth in the milestat.com virtual meet projections.

The Judges were also led by Worrell as the freshman took second in both the 100 (12.52) and 200 (26.42). Znyah Johnson placed third in the high jump (4-8) and Alivia Ricci was third in the pole vault (7-6).

"Everybody performed well across the board, and we scored more points than I thought we would," McKiernan said. "I'm really happy. Emeryce did extremely well."

The defending state champ, Carlson captured the discus by 15 feet, 6 inches with a mark of 132-4. In the shot put, the 2021 state runner-up won by 4-9 with a mark of 36-7. Sherando's Victoria Corbit also won a district title, taking the triple jump by 2-6 with a mark of 34-7.5. Corbit placed second in the long jump (15-8.25). Winston, Anna Duke, Gracie Defibaugh and Cassidy Crittenden won the 4x800 by 47 seconds in 10:42.61. Winston was third in the 800 (2:31.20).

In just her second time running the event, Millbrook's Arrington won the 400 by 1.54 seconds in 59.43 and the 200 by 0.73 in 25.69. She also took third in the 100 (12.58).

The Pioneers also were led by Madison Murphy (third in the 1,600, 5:25.04), Becca Edlich (third in the 3,200, 11:58.06), and the 4x800 team of Zoe Green, Emma Gressley, Angela Dojcak and Edlich (third in 11:49.38).

For more meet coverage, see Friday's edition of The Winchester Star.

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