Upsets Morgantown to Claim the Crown
The Buckhannon Girls after their AAA Team Victory - Photo by Rollie Jacobs
The Buckhannon girls came into the 2013 West Virginia High School Track & Field Championships as mild underdogs to an excellent Morgantown team but emerged victorious in a hard fought meet. Once again, Buck-ups superb all-around athlete Emily Godwin led the way for the Buccaneers compiling 40 of the team’s 102 total points to secure the victory over Morgantown (84) and Washington (64).
Buckhannon-Upshur's Emily Godwin Sprints to the 100 Hurdles Title - Photo by Rollie Jacobs
Godwin swept the Hurdles racing to victory in 14.96 seconds in the 100m Hurdles and 44.75 in the 300m Hurdles. She added victories in the Long Jump (17’7”) and the High Jump (5’8”) to earn the high point award for the AA girls division with the maximum 40 points. It was the second straight year Godwin has scored 40 points at States, an impressive achievement!
Nevertheless a team doesn’t get top 102 points and a state title based on the efforts of even a superb athlete like Godwin. The Buck-Up throwers had an excellent day capturing the discus and shot put. Mackenzie Leigh led the way with her victory in the discus with a throw of 131’11” to finish ahead of Hurricane’s Abby Watson's 126’5” and teammate Mercedes Dowell’s third place throw of 123’6”. In a reversal of roles, Dowell captured the shot put title with a throw of 39’10” to finish ahead of Leigh’s second place throw of 39’6.5”. Buck-Up’s Lauren Cvechko lent her efforts to the cause, contributing 15.5 points on the day including third place finishes in the Long Jump (16’4.25”) and 300m Hurdles (46.67) and a victory with her relay mates in the Shuttle Hurdles (1:03.86).
Washington's Devyn Hosby Beats Morgantown's Natasha Trott to the Line for the 200m Title - Photo by Rollie Jacobs
It was sprinter Natasha Trott and a strong group of relay teams that almost carried Morgantown to victory. Trott’s day would have been even better were it not for a superb performance by Washington sprinter Devyn Hosby. Hosby swept the sprint events winning the 100m (12.36), 200m (25.15) and the 400m (57.56) Dashes. Trott finished second in the 100m (12.37) and 200m (25.55) dashes and added victories in the 4x100 Relay (49.09) and 4x200 Relay (1:43.90). Morgantown also added a victory in the 4x800 and second place finishes by Brynn Harshbarger in the 1600 (5:L08.88) and Rebekah Lafata in the Pole Vault (10’0”) to their resume for the meet.
Hosby’s performance helped Washington to a surprising but well-earned third place team finish (64 points) followed by Winfield (41) and University (31).
University's Amelia Paladino was Stellar in the 1600 and 3200 - Photo by Rollie Jacobs
Amelia Paladino of University continued her stellar performance in the distance events, winning the 1600 in 4:59.43 and establishing a new state meet record in the 3200 with a blazing 10:40.27, shattering the old record by nearly nine seconds. In that race, Jefferson freshman Abby Colbert bolted past an experienced and talented field to finish in second in 11:03.05, over 2.5 seconds ahead of Morgantown star Sydney Pineault (11:05.58). Watch Colbert for the future.
Emily Godwin (L) and Barkley Castro turn in WV#1 Performances - Photo by James Castro
Overall, the major highlights on the day included:
- 100 Meter Hurdles - Emily Godwin (Buckhannon-Upshur) 14.94 (prelims); Emily Godwin (Buckhannon-Upshur) 14.96
- 1,600 Meter Run - Amelia Paladino (University High) 4:59.43; Brynn Harshbarger (Morgantown) 5:08.88; Peyton Panger (Capital) 5:10.99; Abby Colbert (Jefferson) 5:11.02; Kaitlyn Workman (Preston) 5:12.92; Emily Schwendiman (Hurricane) 5:13.01
- 200 Meter Dash - Devyn Hosby (Washington (WV)) 24.92 (prelims)
- 300 Meter Hurdles - Emily Godwin (Buckhannon-Upshur) 44.75; Sarah Bever (Parkersburg) 46.37
- 3,200 Meter Run - Amelia Paladino (University High) 10:40.27; Abby Colbert (Jefferson) 11:03.05; Sydney Pineault (Morgantown) 11:05.58; Peyton Panger (Capital) 11:11.30; Brynn Harshbarger (Morgantown) 11:13.34; Emily Fedders (Woodrow Wilson) 11:16.15
- 400 Meter Dash - Devyn Hosby (Washington (WV)) 57.56; Rhonda Rogombe (Washington (WV)) 57.81
- 4x800 Meter Relay - Morgantown 9:36.57
- 800 Meter Run - Barkley Castro (Winfield) 2:17.57
- Discus - Mackenzie Leigh (Buckhannon-Upshur) 131-11; Abby Watson (Hurricane) 126-5; Mercedes Dowell (Buckhannon-Upshur) 123-6
- High Jump - Emily Godwin (Buckhannon-Upshur) 5-8; Rhonda Rogombe (Washington) 5-4;Haley Holloway (Morgantown) 5-4
- Long Jump - Emily Godwin (Buckhannon-Upshur) 17-7
- Pole Vault - Jessica Hamrick (Parkersburg South) 10-6
- Shot Put - Mercedes Dowell (Buckhannon-Upshur) 39-10; Mackenzie Leigh (Buckhannon-Upshur) 39-6.5
In the end it was the stellar performance by Emily Godwin with major assists by Mercedes Dowell, Mackenzie Leigh, Lauren Cvechko and others that put Buckhannon-Upshur out in front of an excellent Morgantown squad. With the graduation of stars such as Godwin, Hosby, and Trott next year’s meet may be wide open. It will be interesting to watch as the 2014 track season unfolds. See you next year.