Field events were where Arlington athletes enjoyed the biggest success during the recent 6D North Region and Class 6 state indoor track and field high-school meets.
In those competitions — held in Landover, Md. (region) and Virginia Beach (state) — county athletes won three events and had top-10 finishes in many more.
Winners at the region meet were Washington-Liberty Generals senior Gabriela Netwall in the girls high jump (5-feet, 1-inch), Wakefield Warriors senior Devin Carlson in the boys pole vault (13-feet) and W-L senior Benjamin Tahu in the boys high jump (6-7).
At the Virginia High School League’s state meet, Carlson finished second in the pole vault (14-6), Netwall third in the high jump (5-4) and Tahu eighth in the high jump (6-2).
“Devin had good meets and he’s a talented jumper. He has a lot of potential,” Wakefield coach Jordan Wright told ARLnow.
Netwall was busy at the region and state meet meets. At the region, in addition to winning the high jump, she was second in the long jump (16-5) and 500-meter run (1:15.67) and seventh in the 300 (42.28).
At the state competition, Netwall was fourth in the 500 (1:14.92) and seventh in the long jump (16-8 1/4). Her time in the 500 and 5-4 high-jump leap at the state meet were school records.
“She really worked hard and wanted to get both records,” Washington-Liberty coach Randy Lott said of Netwall, who is headed to the United States Military Academy.
Placing second at this year’s region meet were Washington-Liberty’s Elijah Purdy in the boys 1,000 (2:36.86) and Morgan Fritz in the boys 1,600 (9:48.35).
Second for the Wakefield boys at the region were Diego Fernandez in the pole vault (12-9) and Chris Gilpin in the long jump (20-10). For the Yorktown boys, Theo Wargo was second in the region 500 (1:08.91), and for the Yorktown girls, Kaiya Ovando was second in the region shot put (37-7 3/4).
Second in the state meet was Ovando in the shot (37-9 1/4).
Also at the state, Purdy was fifth in the 1,000 (2:37.25) and Fernandez fifth in the pole vault (12-6). Wargo was third in the state 500 (1:06.58) and Fritz was 13th in the 3,200 (9:59.01).
In the region, multiple girls athletes finishing third were Yorktown’s Molly Hardwick in the 3,200 (10:49.08), Wakefield’s Olivia Barr in the shot (33-4 1/4), W-L’s Maddie Brys in the 1,000 (2:58.61) and Wakefield’s 4×400 relay and W-L’s 4×800 relay. Harwick also was fourth in the 1,600 (5:03.73) and Barr was seventh in the high jump (4-9).
Third in the region boys meet was Gilpin in the 55 dash (6.5).
At the state meet, Hardwick was sixth in the 3,200 (10:47.02), Barr was eighth in the shot (34-3 3/4) and Brys 13th in the 1,000 (3:05.84). Also at the state meet, Wakefield’s Derrick Rich was 10th in the high jump (6 feet).
At the region meet, fourth for the girls were Wakefield’s Kayleigh Williams in the shot (30-1/2) and W-L’s 4×400 relay. Fourth for the boys was Wakefield pole vaulter Isaac Gunville (11-3). Rich and Gabriel Bishop tied for fourth in the high jump with 5-9 leaps. Rich Bishop added a 10th in the triple jump.
Other strong region performances were turned in by Wakefield’s Theodore Fusarelli with a fifth in the boys 500 and ninth in the triple jump; Wakefield’s Dru Kukawa with a fifth in the girls 500 and 13th in the long jump; and Yorktown’s Julia Mitzen with a sixth in the girls shot.
Other top-10 boys region finishers from Wakefield were Andrew Coe (eighth, 3,200), Dylan Hutchinson (eighth, triple jump), Daniel Herring (10th, 1,600) and Carter Lyons (10th, 300). From W-L at the region, strong performances came from Owen Bird (seventh, 500) and Kyle Matsko (eighth, 300).
Other top-10 girls region finishers from Washington-Liberty were Genevieve Holt (eighth, 55 dash) and Alda Edsall (eighth, 500). From Wakefield was Aila Simkiss (eighth, 1,600) and the 4×800 relay was fifth. From Yorktown was Griffin Divis (10th, 1,000).
In the boys region team scoring, Wakefield finished fourth, Washington-Liberty ninth and Yorktown 12th. In girls team scoring, Washington-Liberty placed fifth, Wakefield seventh and Yorktown eighth.
The highest finish by an Arlington team, girls or boys, at the state meet was the W-L girls in 13th.
“Our athletes had their ups and downs, but overall did very well and had strong meets,” Lott said. “They had confidence and they love the competition.”
