WINCHESTER — A Handley High School female sprinter winning two events has been a familiar storyline at high school track & field meets the past few years.
It continued on Saturday at the 81st Handley Invitational. But instead of the Judges’ record-setting state champion achieving that feat, it was a girl inspired by her that sizzled on the James R. Wilkins Jr. Stadium track.
In her first meet of the season, Handley sophomore E.J. Mullins captured both the 400- and 200-meter titles to capture Track MVP honors.
Mullins started her day by winning 400 in a personal-record 57.40 seconds, 2.92 seconds faster than the runner-up. She then won the 200 in a PR of 25.15 to win by 0.38, even though she didn’t compete in the fastest-seeded heat. Mullins was seeded ninth overall with a 26.87, the time she ran the last time she competed in the 200 almost one full year ago.
Handley senior Emeryce Worrell — who owns four indoor state titles, is the defending outdoor 100-meter state champion, and owns school records in the 100 and 200 — was held out of Saturday’s meet as a precaution while she deals with a minor physical ailment.
Worrell — who helped out on the hurdle crew — might not have been on the track physically. But she was on the mind of Mullins.
“I look up a lot to Emeryce Worrell,” Mullins said. “She runs in the 24s, and today, I almost got that. She’s my inspiration [for the 200].”
Mullins’ performance was part of strong day for local girls even without the presence of Class 4’s two top returning sprinters from last year — Millbrook senior Jada Arrington was on a recruiting trip this weekend.
Loudoun Valley (78 points) and Fauquier (67) took first and second respectively, but each of the four Winchester-Frederick County schools finished in the top half of the 26-team field. Led by triple jump champion and Field MVP McKenna Hardy, Sherando placed fifth with 51 points, James Wood was sixth (46), Millbrook took seventh (44.5) and Handley finished 12th (31.5).
In the 2024 outdoor track & field season, Mullins never ran again after recording times of 1:02.82 in the 400 and 26.87 in the 200 (the area’s third-fastest time) at a meet three days before the Handley Invitational. She was eventually diagnosed with a hip fracture.
Her sophomore year just seems to keep getting better and better.
She was an All-Region cross country runner in the fall. In indoor track, Mullins placed third in Class 4 in the 500 to earn All-State honors and ran a 59.23 in the 400 at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston.
On Saturday, she entered elite territory with her 400 time. Out of everyone who competed in the Class 4 outdoor state meet 400 last year, the only two people who are back this year that ran faster times than 57.40 in 2024 are Arrington and Monacan’s Trinity Jones.
“This year, I’m trying to make my statement that I meant to make last year,” Mullins said. “My goal today was a 57 in the 400, and I’m only getting started. My goal is to get even lower.”
Adding to Mullins’ feats on Saturday was the fact that she missed a week of training due to strep throat and only returned on Wednesday.
“It’s all mentality,” Mullins said.
Judges coach Lloyd Phillips couldn’t have been more impressed with Mullins.
“She really set herself apart,” Phillips said. “We expect a really big year out of her. She’s really good. It’s just about keeping her healthy and figuring out her best events. She is just so dynamic in so many different events.”
The Judges also placed fifth in the 4×800 (11:07.18) and Elisabeth Pitcock placed sixth in the pole vault (7-6).
The other meet MVP winner didn’t just star in the field. Sherando’s Hardy won the triple jump by one foot and a half-inch with her best mark of the year between indoor and outdoor (35-1), placed third in the long jump (16-9), took fourth in the 100 with a state-qualifying 12.74, and took fifth in the high jump (4-10) even though she had to rush through that competition because of her 100 participation.
Like Handley’s Worrell, Hardy will also participate in NCAA Division I soccer next year in college (Hardy is headed to Radford University). She joined Sherando’s track team for the first time last year, and she’s enjoying it immensely.
“It’s more of an individual sport, but it’s still a team sport,” Hardy said. “I love my team. I feel like I make [tons] of friends here, and I like how social it is for track meets. When I see these girls, sometimes they need extra help with jumps, and I love helping them. It makes me feel really good, being able to do that, because I’m good enough to do that.
“Running without the soccer ball and just testing myself, I really enjoy that, and trying to see my improvement. And jumping-wise, I know there’s nothing about jumping that kind of relates to soccer, but I have a blast jumping. It’s one of my favorite things to do. [Track & field] makes me more athletic and helps keep me in shape.”
Hardy has had a lot of success in track, and she seems primed to have her best season yet. Last outdoor track season, Hardy had the area’s best mark in the triple jump (35-5) and placed 17th in Class 4. In indoor track this year, she placed seventh in Class 4 in the triple jump and tied for third in the high jump with a 5-0.
“I know I can get better [in the triple jump], because I’m like a foot and a half behind the boards [on my jumps],” Hardy said. “Once I get my steps down, it’s just up from there. I’m aiming for 36, 37 this year. I would love to [get a state medal] for triple jump or even high jump.”
Sherando coach Brad Symons — who is also an assistant boys’ basketball coach — said Hardy is the probably the best female athlete in Sherando’s entire student population.
“She did great today, and if she hit the boards, she really would have done something big [in the triple jump],” Symons said. “She’s a powerful jumper. She does double duty [with soccer], and she comes to track practice and does what she needs to do. We just have to watch and make sure she doesn’t do too much training [to avoid injury].”
Mercedes Silver also had a standout day for the Warriors, breaking her PR of 5-1 in the high jump with a mark of 5-2 three times as a result of competing in and winning a jump-off with Anna Chamberlain of North Hagerstown (Maryland). Silver also placed fourth in the long jump (16-6.5) and fifth in the triple jump (32-8). Sherando was also led by Gracie Defibaugh (fourth in 1,600, 5:25.60).
James Wood was led by its 4×800 team (Ally Oliver, Vivian Porter, Marly Savino, Ruby Ostrander), second in 10:17.77; Isabelle French (third in 100 hurdles, 16.79, fourth in 300 hurdles, 50.52); Erin Link (third in shot put, 34-2); Emma Messick (fourth in discus, 96-9); Mallory Juvinall (fifth in 400, 1:03.89); Omaie Aarami (sixth in 400, 1:04.14); and Olivia Boyce (sixth in long jump, 16-0.5).
Millbrook was led by its victorious 4×800 team of Savannah Florek, Marisol Lara, Adilyn Steinmetz and Caydence Bayne, who recorded a 10:13.07. Janai Washington ran in the same 200 heat as Mullins and placed second overall in 25.53, and she tied for third in the high jump (5-0). Also excelling for the Pioneers were Essence O’Banion (third in discus, 99-4); Keri Hecker (fourth in triple jump (32-8); Florek in the 400 (fourth, 1:02.03); and the 4×400 team (fifth, 4:23.37).
In the second edition of the invitational mile, North Hagerstown senior Rian Johnson won in 4:53.55, 12.87 seconds faster than Kettle Run’s Suzanna Mancini and 12.17 faster than Zoie Lamanna of Jefferson Forest’s time from last year. Johnson placed second in Class 3A in indoor track this year. James Wood junior Kate Konyar was the top local in the 14-girl event, placing seventh in 5:13.92. Konyar did not run the 3,200, where she placed second in Class 4 in indoor track this year and fourth in Class 4 in outdoor track last year.
For more coverage of Saturday’s meet, see Tuesday’s edition of The Winchester Star.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com
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