Girls' Class 4 Northwestern District Track Meet

WINCHESTER — Handley track & field fans missed out by not getting to see Malachi Imoh compete as senior last year as a result of the outdoor track & field being canceled by COVID-19.

Fortunately, they still have two-plus years to watch his younger sister.

Sophomore Liz Imoh swept both hurdles events, anchored the winning 4x100-meter team and placed fourth in the high jump and eighth in the triple jump to lead the Judges to second place at Wednesday’s Class 4 Northwestern District meet at Millbrook High School.

Class 4 indoor state champion Fauquier ran away with the title by scoring 156 points in the eight-team meet, but the Judges were the only other team to score in triple digits by registering 103.5 points. James Wood was third with 93 points, Sherando was sixth with 55 and Millbrook was seventh with 35.

Imoh only started competing in hurdles during this year’s outdoor track season.

She recorded a time of 48.01 seconds in the 300 hurdles to win by 0.34 over James Wood senior Brooke Sandy even though she hesitated briefly after the starting gun went off.

Earlier, she won the 100 hurdles in 16.41. Indoor 55-meter state champion Alyssa Robson of Fauquier fell to the track after hitting the last hurdle, but it looked like Imoh might have beaten her anyway based on the ground she was making up over the last two hurdles. Sandy was neck-and-neck with Robson, and Imoh beat Sandy (16.52) by 0.11.

“It took a little encouragement from my coaches to get started [with the hurdles],” said Imoh, who didn’t expect to have as much success as she’s had. “But once I got into it and I got more comfortable, I started to like it a lot.

“[In the 100 hurdles], I think I was really focused on just pushing through the last two hurdles. Then for the last sprint, I really pushed through there.”

Imoh said she’s also enjoying running on the 4x100 team. She teamed with seniors Tierney Finley, Sofia Posadas and Brittnay Turner to record a time of 50.71 and beat runner-up Culpeper County by 0.37.

“We’re all really close friends,” Imoh said. “It works. The handoffs, everything. We communicate well, and I think we just run well together.”

Handley coach Mike McKiernan said Imoh’s deserving of her success.

“She’s a very hard worker and extremely coachable,” McKiernan said. “Whenever I offer some extra optional practice to the team, she’s always there. Coach [Allie] Darling has done a good job with her and all our hurdlers.”

Posadas also starred individually, taking the 100 by 0.06 in 13.15 thanks to her late surge in the last 20 meters. Posadas nearly took the 200 but came in second by 0.03 with a time of 27 seconds flat.

Handley was also led by senior Mary McKay (second in the pole vault, 11-6); senior Amyra Newman (third in the shot put, 32-1.25); and junior Zadriana Johnson (third in the 300 hurdles, 50.47).

“I thought it was big for our girls to finish second,” McKiernan said. “We weren’t going to catch [Fauquier], but we actually outperformed what our score sheet said we should have.”

Sandy also had three other top-two finishes for James Wood. She placed first in the high jump (5-2); second in the triple jump (33-3.25); and teamed with junior Lauren Beatty, sophomore Lillian Lovelace and senior Ja’Niyah Stovall to take second in the 4x400 in 4:19.43.

Beatty placed second in the 1,600 (5:25.38). Sandy’s twin sister Audrey placed third in the high jump (5-0) and junior Aubrey Grove took third in the discus (104-0).

James Wood coach Abeeb Badmus praised the performance of all of James Wood’s athletes. “We’ve been practicing really hard all year,” Badmus said. “All the coaches have been doing a great job. I’m so proud of the distance team, and Sandy and Audrey.

“Overall, I’m proud of everybody. I’m very happy for those who are going to regionals. We want to get better each meet, and it looks like all year we’ve been doing that. That’s what it’s all about.”

Sherando junior Ella Carlson won both the discus (134-10, more than 30 feet better than the runner-up) and the shot put (38-3 to win by 1-6). Carlson broke her own school record in the shot put by nearly two feet (36-5 previously).

“Shot put and I have had our battles through the years,” Carlson told The Northern Virginia Daily. “But I was really pumped. I switched back to glide [technique] today and I really just decided that today I was going to push it. So I had a two-foot PR and that was really helpful for me.”

Sophomore Emma Ahrens placed second in the 3,200 for Sherando in 12:03.19.

Wood’s Beatty in the 1,600 and Ahrens in the 3,200 had solid performances, but no one in either of those races could hang with Millbrook’s Madison Murphy. The sophomore basically ran by herself for just about all of both races, taking the 1,600 in 5:17.67 to win by more than seven seconds and the 3,200 in 11:52.24 to win by almost 12 seconds.

“I had decent times, solid times,” said Murphy, who hadn’t had a chance to run the 1,600 during the regular season because last week’s quad at Handley was canceled. “I’m hoping for a little better at regionals, but I was happy with today.”

Also for the Pioneers, junior Kayla Upson took third in the 100 hurdles (17.96).

“I’m really impressed overall with our team,” said Millbrook coach Joe Hall, referencing both the girls and boys. “The kids have done everything that I’ve asked of them. They’ve put in the work and they’re getting to see that come through now in the championship season.”

The top six people in each individual event and top three relays in each event advance to next Wednesday’s Region 4C meet at Fauquier High School.

For full results, go to va.milesplit.com/meets/423928-4a-northwestern-district-championship-2021/results#.YLkVPI7YrmW.

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