CHARLESTON — Weir’s Stewart Jones hopes to win the 3,200 all by himself this year at the state track meet. Berkeley Springs’ Rachel Buser has little to look forward to — except college.
Last year, Jones finished one second behind Winfield’s Zachary Noel in the Class AA race, but Jones was awarded first place when meet officials ruled the day after that Noel cut him off in the backstretch on the final lap.
The ruling didn’t exactly set off a celebration.
Taking his spot on the winner’s stand to receive the medal, “I felt pretty weird,” Jones said. “I felt like I shouldn’t have been up there, but I was up there.”
The race was the final event on a Friday night. The ruling on Saturday came about an hour before the 1,600, which Noel won and Jones finished fourth.
“It was a very long and drawn out process,” said Weir coach Adam Howell. “It threw Stew off a little bit going into the mile. “We waited from 7 o’clock that night until 11 the next morning to see what the ruling was. It was hard for him to prepare for the next race.
“I don’t know what the holdup was. I know they wanted to talk to both coaches and wanted to wait until the next morning to see us both. It just took a while.”
With Noel gone, Jones is the top qualifier this year in the 1,600 and 3,200. His closest competitor is expected to be Ravenswood’s Nathan Reese in both events.
“I’m just going to the state meet like usual, just hoping for the best. I know there’s a lot of awesome runners down there,” Jones said Thursday. “I really don’t think about last year. Last year was last year. You can’t really look at the past.”
Buser might be tempted to do just that. The state recordholder has stress fractures in both legs and won’t be competing at the state meet starting Friday.
“I know she’s upset,” Berkeley Springs coach Dave Mundey said by cell phone from the team bus traveling to Charleston on Thursday. “She’s become a real team player. She can help us in other ways. Obviously, she can’t score points but she does a lot to help her teammates out.”
Buser won three straight championships in the 1,600 and the 3,200. Last fall she joined Fayetteville’s Jessica Taylor as the second girl in state history to win four individual cross country championships.
With her, Berkeley County had a legitimate shot at a team championship. Those hopes have faded — Berkeley Springs finished second to Grafton in its regional.
“That’s all that we can ask,” Mundey said. “They know they’re not going to win a team title, but you can still reach for personal bests.”
Buser, who has signed a scholarship offer to run cross country and track at Eastern Kentucky, plans to cheer on her teammates, including Meghan Mock.
Mock is looking to win three Class AA events for the third straight year and perhaps four if she can capture the high jump for the fourth consecutive time. Standing in her way in that event is Sissonville’s Sydney Cummings, the only competitor to clear 5 feet, 7 inches this season. Mock holds the record at 5-8, set last year.
Mock also owns state records on the long jump (17-11) and the 300 hurdles (44.80).
The West Virginia University recruit won’t be running in the 800, where she finished second last year, but instead will compete in the 100 hurdles. She has the second-best qualifying time behind Winfield’s Morganne Bennett.
Mock will be very busy at the start of the meet. The high jump, long jump and 100 hurdles heats will take place in a two-hour span Friday afternoon.
Sports Central
May 16, 2008
State track meet set to start today
- Sports Central
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Four straight
Adam LaRoche had a two-run double in the 10th inning Tuesday night, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won their season-high fourth straight, an 8-5 victory over the Washington Nationals, who lost their sixth in a row.
Both streaks feature plenty of offense. -
Saving the day
You know the endpoint — goal after goal, the undefeated season, the state championship hardware that’s reserved a spot in the Fairmont Senior trophy case.
The Polar Bear girls’ lacrosse team, though, had humble beginnings. Most of this year’s senior class had not played the sport, had done little else than pick up a stick, until their first high school game. -
Bucs bust out in 7th, win series
In the span of one near-historic inning Sunday, the Pirates went from getting shut down to winning in a rout.
The Pirates scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, three of which were driven in by Nate McLouth, to turn a three-run deficit into a seven-run lead as they rallied for an 11-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. - Yates goes on DL; Pirates make minor trades Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Tyler Yates was placed on the 15-day disabled list before Sunday’s 11-4 win over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park with elbow inflammation. Yates has been unable to pitch multiple innings this season and has appeared on consecutive days just twice because of the elbow.
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Twice as nice
Pure joy.
It was all over the field Saturday night. In the form of smiles, hugs, a team pile-on and boys lacrosse equipment strewn across the East-West Stadium turf.
The first stick to go airborne started the celebration, and made Fairmont Senior’s season-long goal a reality, as the Polar Bears upset No. 1 Morgantown, 9-8, for their first state title. -
Polar Bears go back-to-back
The perfect season now has a perfect ending.
Fairmont Senior’s girls’ lacrosse team capped an undefeated season Saturday afternoon with an 11-9 victory over Morgantown in the state title game at East-West Stadium.
The Polar Bears, who finished at 17-0, are believed to be the first state champion in school history to go unbeaten. -
Double duty
While both have a date with Morgantown — and perhaps destiny — Fairmont Senior’s girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams have different motivating factors heading into today’s WVSLA state title games.
For the Polar Bear girls, it’s an opportunity to repeat history and capture a second straight title. -
County to send 37 to state meet
In all, 37 Marion County athletes have earned the right to compete at the West Virginia state track meet on May 22-23 at the University of Charleston Stadium.
The top three finishers in each event during regional competition as well as the next four times from all regions combined qualify for the state meet. -
Flying high
When the chips were down for East Fairmont’s softball team the Bees came through with flying colors.
Madonna Gribble homered and drove in three runs and Nikki Nuzum kept the Polar Bears off balance on the mound as the Bees defeated Fairmont Senior Thursday in the Class AAA, Region I semifinal. -
Fairmont Senior wins sectional title
Fairmont Senior head coach Steve Naternicola was looking for his Polar Bear baseball team to get up for Thursday’s Region I, Section 3 championship game against North Marion.
The two teams split the first two games of the series, both of which were closely contested.
But it was a different story. - More Sports Central Headlines
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