LYNCHBURG — Handley senior Jaishaun Offutt defended his boys’ shot put title on Monday to highlight the first day of the Class 4 state indoor track & field meet at Liberty University.
Offutt led throughout the entire competition. He best throw was his fifth, when he achieved a mark of 56 feet, 6 inches, five inches better than his top mark at last year’s state competition. Offutt is the school record-holder in the event, achieving a mark of 57-2.5 that he set to win the state outdoor title last year.
Tuscarora’s Tate Foerster was the runner-up to Offutt for the third straight state competition (indoor and outdoor). His mark of 54-7 was 1 foot, 11 inches behind Offutt.
The top three in each event earn All-State status.
In the girls’ meet, Sherando’s McKenna Hardy tied for third in the high jump and Mercedes Silver placed fifth. Each had a mark of 5-0, but Silver had two misses at 4-10 while Hardy had none. Millbrook’s Janai Washington tied for sixth with a 4-10.
James Wood’s 4×800 team of Kate Konyar, Alina Kieffer, Lauren Thompson and Ruby Ostrander scored by taking eighth in 9:56.14.
Also scoring points at the meet on the boys’ side were Sherando’s 4×800-meter team of Jed Bell, Hatcher Smith, Tommy Miles and Ryan Maki (seventh in 8:12.82).
Advancing to Tuesday’s finals in their respective events were Handley senior Emeryce Worrell in the girls’ 55 (the defending state champion had the top qualifying time of 7.05) and Handley’s Rylan Stribling in the boys’ 55 with the No. 2 time of 6.41. Eight athletes advance to the finals.