Arlington high-school track-and-field teams included one event winner, one runner-up and other top-10 finishers at the season-ending Class 6 girls and boys state meets.
The winner was Yorktown Patriots’ senior discus thrower Kaiya Ovando at the Virginia High School League event, held June 5-6 in Newport News. Her throw was a personal best and school record mark of 134 feet, 7 inches to win the girls event.
The runner-up came in the boys state meet when Wakefield Warriors’ senior Dylan Carlson was second in the pole vault with a leap of 14 feet. Days earlier, Carlson won the boys region championship by leaping the same height.
Yorktown distance runner Molly Hardwick made her mark at states with a third in the girls 3,200 (10:37.83) and a fifth in the 1,600 (4:49.87). She won the 3,200 at the region and was third in the 1,600.
Gabriela Netwall had a strong showing for the Washington-Liberty Generals girls at the state with a fourth in the high jump (5-2) and eighth in the 400 (57.0). She won the 400 at the region meet and was fourth in the high and long jumps.
Also for the W-L girls at state, thrower Eve Jungman was seventh in the shot put (35-4) and 10th in the discus (107-3) and Maddie Brys was seventh in the 1,600 (5:04.91). At regions, Jungman won the shot and was second in the discus, and Brys was fifth in the 1,600.
Wakefield thrower Kayleigh Williams was seventh in the girls discus at states (110-6) and 11th in the shot (32-7 1/2). She was third in the discus and fourth in the shot at regions.
In the boys state meet, Yorktown’s Theo Wargo was 10th in the 800 (1:56.16).
Also notable for the W-L boys at states was Benjamin Tahu placing 14th in the 300 hurdles (41.32) and 16th in the high jump (6-2) and Elijah Purdy 11th in the 800 (1:57.6). At regions, Tahu was third in the 110 and 300 hurdles and Purdy was fourth in the 800 and 1,600.
W-L’s Peter Roberti and Del Conyers had top 20 finishes in the state and top 10 places in region meets in the 400 and 110 and 300 hurdle races, respectively. Conyers won the 300 hurdles at region and was second in the 110 hurdles.
Arlington’s Bishop O’Connell Knights did not participate in the Division I private-school state track and field championship, held on the same dates as the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) meet. O’Connell chose to compete at the WCAC event.
O’Connell’s lone winner at the WCAC meet came on the boys side when senior sprinter Cameron Bowser won the 200 in 21.45. He finished fourth in the 400 (47.2).
Third for the O’Connell boys was distance runner Landon Brefczynski in the 800 (1:55.34), with his older brother Jayce sixth in the 1,600 (4:24.34).
The brothers helped the 4×800 relay win in 7:51.24. Lance Jayme and Johnny O’Donnell also ran on that relay.
The Knights’ James Jackson placed seventh in the boys high jump (5-11) and 15th in the long jump (19-7).
Logan Rudolph was eighth in the boys discus (102-10), Matheus de Souza was 10th in the discus (90-4) and Rai Detton was 10th in the 300 hurdles (43.32).
For the O’Connell girls at the WCAC meet, thrower Ciara Bliven was third in the discus (100-2) and ninth in the shot put (29-3 3/4), Abby Cobb was ninth in discus (68-7) and Sophia Lianos was eighth in the 100 hurdles (17.72).
