VA Showcase: Top Three State Sprinters Meet -- Kind Of, As Pyatt, Whyte, and Holland Clash

Three of Virginia’s top female high school sprinters got a rare opportunity to compete in the same race on Sunday, as Aaliyah Pyatt, Madison Whyte, and Micayah Holland squared off in the 200 meters. While the full competition never came to fruition, it did allow a few lucky track fans a possible final chance to see the three together. (Below: Aaliyah Pyatt wins at CNU  HS Invite - photo by Mary Ann Magnant)

Each runner has seen notable success in their respective classes, with Whyte and Holland reaching state champion level last year as freshmen. Pyatt also won a championship in the 100 meters in 2019, while emerging from under the shadow of Godwin’s Britton Wilson in the 200 and 400.

However, during the season, Pyatt competes for Class 6 Massaponax, Holland, with Class 5 Princess Anne, and Whyte as the standout among Class 4 sprinters.

With the Virginia High School League opting to not sanction invitationals with more than three teams, the trio represented different teams at the Showcase, with Pyatt sporting an MVP League singlet, Holland with GT Academy, and in Whyte’s case, unattached.

The three almost had the opportunity to share a common goal – knocking off nationally ranked Kayla Davis (Run U Express), the junior from Hough High and Cornelius, NC. who was seeded first at 23.08, and possessed the #2 time nationwide this season at 23.92, just behind RUE teammate Shawnti Jackson (23.89). In a twist of fate, Davis was injured the week before the meet, leaving the three Virginians to race against the clock and each other’s times.

At face value, Pyatt represented Virginia’s best hope for a gold in the 200. The Massaponax HS senior had set the tone for a great upcoming weekend, as the senior long sprinter anchored the Virginia-based MVP League quartet to a 3:47.68 win in the girls 1600-meter relay on Saturday evening with her sub-55 second split. With a best 200-meter time of 23.11, she was seeded #2, right behind Davis.

Holland, who specializes in the shorter sprints, held the longest odds of medaling, but also began the Showcase with an auspicious start on Saturday. Although, three girls broke the coveted seven second barrier in the 55-meter dash prelims, none were Virginians, but Holland (GT Academy/Princess Anne HS), a sophomore, and last year’s Virginia indoor Class 5 champion, grabbed the #4 seed for Sunday’s finals with a near personal-best time of 7.04.

She was outmatched in the final, finishing seventh in 7.11, behind winner Autumn Wilson of Texas, who posted a US #1 time of 6.81.

However, Holland would get about two hours rest between the 55-meter final and the 200. Would it be enough to pose a medal challenge?

Whyte also competed on Saturday evening, in the 300 meters, where she faced Pyatt in the same heat. However, that battle was anticlimactic, as Pyatt had already run the 4x400, and both runners crossed the line in roughly 39 seconds, Whyte (39.15) placed fourth, and Pyatt (39.43) was sixth.

However, Whyte’s freshman time of 37.81 in the 300 was #1 in Virginia last year. By comparison, her best 200 time (24.38) would need to improve quite a bit for the Heritage-Newport News HS freshman to do damage on the Virginia Beach Sports Center oval.

Pyatt, weary from the 400 and 300 on Saturday, was a late scratch in the 200. Holland went first in Heat 2 and gutted out a 24.89, which ended up being good for 12th overall. 

That left Whyte. The Heritage sophomore dug deep for a 24.21, but was nipped at the line by .01 by Wilson. Jackson, who was second in the 55 (6.84) ran in the next heat, but just missed beating either time with her 24.29 effort, good for fourth.

The winner, in a rarity, came from Heat 1 of 6, as freshman Avery Lewis of Wake Forest, NC, scored a one second plus heat win with an overall winning time of 23.91.

 

VA Showcase: How Virginians Fared on Sunday

The PWC Panthers stole the thunder from the rest of Virginia’s athletes on Sunday at the VA Showcase, turning in the lone win of the day for the Commonwealth. Their collective time of 1:27.52 thrust them to a VA #1 and US #2 standing, .29 seconds behind Run U Xpress, whom they defeated at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

York High’s Jennifer Wagner won the girls' pole vault with a leap of 11-6. Kettle Run sophomore Ashley Nickerson was third at 10 feet even.

Richmond Gold (sixth – 1:33.70) and Western Branch TC (seventh – 1:33.75) also broke into the top-eight.

Jayson Ward (L.C. Bird) blasted to a third-place finish in the 500 with a US #3 time of 1:02.92. Matthew Spicer was fifth in 1:05.30.

Xavier Jemison (McLean HS) just made it to the starting line after encountering a multi-mile back-up on eastbound Rte. 64 on the way to the Sports Center. However, in spite of having little opportunity to warmup, the junior also placed third, in the 1000, with a time of 2:33.28. On the girls’ side, Aniya Mosley (Ocean Lakes) was sixth in 3:01.24. In the In the non-invitational section, Dominion sophomore Cecelia Pugsley was fifth in 3:00.86.

Colgan’s Bryce Lentz was sixth in the seeded 2-mile run (9:23.76), while Zachary Morse (Oakton) was fourth in the non-invitational 3200-meter run with a time of 9:25.58. Hope Frost of Stonebridge School was fifth among girls, clocking 10:57.34.

Western Branch placed fifth in the invite girls 4x200, with a 1:43.92 effort.

Mechanicsville CC (8:29.68) and Tidewater Striders (8:32.93) were 5-6 in the boys’ 4x800 relay.

Nazir Imtohep (Western Branch) and Jayden Smith (St. Christopher’s) placed 6-7 in the 55-meter hurdle finals at 7.53 and 7.59.

Imtohep’s Bruin teammate Nylah Wiggins placed seventh in the girls’ 500 (1:17.87).

GT Academy’s Micayah Holland (Princess Anne) faltered at the start, but finished seventh in the girls invite 55-meter dash, timing out in 7.11. 

Holland, a 5-10 sophomore, also plays basketball for the nationally ranked Lady Cavaliers, and felt that the lack of track training in the days leading up to the Showcase may have infringed her performance; however, she was thrilled to make the finals.

“To make it to the finals with girls so talented was eye opening to me. I mean they train year-round, and I was on the (basketball) court all week before the meet getting ready for our season that we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to have (Note: Virginia Beach is one of the few school systems playing winter sports). My goal for the VA Showcase was to qualify for finals and I did, said Holland.

There was one regret from the weekend.

“A PR would have been the cherry on top (she ran a 7.04 in prelims compared to a 7.03 PR). But, it just wasn’t my time. It was Autumn Wilson’s day. 

Wilson won the event in a blistering 6.81. 

Finally, in the race that saw a new U20 record, the girls’ 4x800 relay, the Crozet Crew placed eighth in 9:56.47.

Late Saturday night, Fauquier High’s Stephanie Robson upset a stacked pack of triple jumpers to claim the event with a hop, skip, and jump of 40 feet, .5 inches.

Robson, who began the season with a best performance of 37-7 has steadily progressed up the ranks this winter. On December 29, she captured the technique Holiday Invitational, also at the Virginia Beach Sports Center with a 38-8 effort. The following week, the senior, representing the MVP League team, added just over nine inches, while winning the Grant Holloway Invitational in 39-5.25.

It capped a great weekend for Robson, who also earned a personal-best and third place finish in the long jump with a leap of 18-5.5.

Westfield’s Emma Seetoo, who won the Class 6 state long jump title as a freshman, was third in 38-8.25.

Also, on Saturday, the Track757 club won the girls 4x55-meter shuttle hurdle relay, with a time of 34.51.

VA Showcase: Virginians Compete on First Day; NOVA Athletic Wins Boys Distance Medley

 

The high school portion of this weekend’s VA Showcase accelerated into high gear on Saturday, with hundreds of Virginia athletes testing their skills against runners from all over the Mid-Eastern region, and in the case of invitational races, the country. Over 40 states were represented this weekend at the nation’s largest indoor track meet, held at the recently opened Virginia Beach Sports Center.

Virginia athletes enjoyed two relay wins on Saturday, and several top-eight performances scattered among the invitational events.

Most notably, the NOVA Athletic Club, featuring Loudoun Valley High runners, matched their female 4x1600 meter winning counterparts, and won the boys' distance medley in 10:30.95. The NOVA team featured the foursome of  Matt Smith (1200 - 3:10.17), Blake Moore (400 -  52.69), Aiden Soto (800 - 1:58.93), and Graham Mussmon (1600 - 4:29.16).

Kiaeem Thomas of Oscar Smith High and the Track757 club placed second in the high jump with a leap of 6-8, while Jada Foreman of Atlee High and the Richmond Heat club placed fourth for the girls at 5-4.

 McLean HS junior Xavier Jemison placed fifth in the faster heat of the boys 1600-meter invite  and seventh overall with a time of 4:21.09, pushing the Highlander to a #1 Virginia time.

Mussmon and Carly Wilkes (Glenvar) topped the Virginian boys and girls in the morning session of the 1600-meter run. Mussmon nipped the time of Ben Madrigal (Grafton) by .60 seconds to top state runners with a 4:28.61 time, while Wilkes placed eighth overall with a 5:11.62.

Four Virginians placed 4-5-6-7 in the boys invitational 300-meter, which was highlighted by a #2 US all-time performance of 32.77 by IMG’s Jayden Slade.

Matthew Spicer (#4 – 34.09) and Jayson Ward (#6 – 34.36), of L.C. Bird and Central Virginia Track Club, found the top-seven, as did Jaylen Berringer (#5 – 34.22) and Trei Thorogood (#7 – 34.36) of Freedom High in Woodbridge and the PWC Panthers track team.

Four Commonwealth throwers also placed in the shotput, with Jordae Edwards (#4 – 52-1.75) and Atrell Williams (#6 – 51-8) of Grassfield High joining Loudoun Valley’s Thomas Gaertner (#5 – 51-9) and Grafton sophomore Shinobu Hawk (#8 – 47-5.25). All were entered as unattached athletes. 

Caroline Bowe of Midlothian High placed eighth among a national all-star field in the girls 1600 meters, but broke the five-minute barrier for the first time of her indoor career at 4:59.48. Bowe, best known as a 1000-meter standout with her Class 5 championship in the event last year, had never broken 5:10 in the 1600-meter or mile event before yesterday.

The girls 55-meter hurdle trials were brutal for state athletes as 10 runners broke the 8.20 barrier. Jahnelle Saunders (Bethel) led the Virginia contingent with an 8.19 clocking, but her tenth place finish was not good enough to advance.

The boys fared better, with two hurdlers Jayden Smith (Central Virginia Track and Field) and Nazir Imhotep (Western Branch TC) advancing to Sunday’s finals. Smith was fifth in 7.48, while Imhotep snuck into the eighth and final slot with a time of 7.55.

 

 

 

Axsom's Army Nets 30 medals at AAU Nationals

The Axsom Dojo finished out their 2020 competition campaign on a positive note, netting 30 medals at the 2020 AAU National Championships and Team Trials. 

Due to the COVID-19 virus, the championships, which were supposed to take place in July, and then again in October of 2020 at the ESPN Wild World of Sports in Orlando, FL was reconfigured, as the AAU organized a Virtual Online National Championships where competitors and coaches could video submit entries for the following categories: Kata (Empty Hand Forms), Kobudo (Weapons Forms), Team Kata, Family Kata, and Team Kobudo. 

This format was a first for the Newport News based dojo, but Axsom's Army was steadfast and undeterred, as it competed in this first-ever virtual national championships. Below are the results spread from among four teams for Team Kata.

TEAM Kata:

18-34-year-olds: Will Whitaker, Austin Galeski, and Shaun Coles (SILVER Medal/Cup); Ryan Sigsbee, Anna Deller, and Jabari Smith (GOLD Medal/Cup) 

15-16-year-olds: Brett Fallen, Alex Tomaino, and Braeden Monroe; Miranda Chellis Martinez, Daniela Chellis Martinez, and Maimouna Ouattara

13-14-year-olds: Hunter Feicht, Matthew Thomas, and Joe Fuscia (GOLD Medal/Cup)

9-10-year-olds: Conner Strickland, Amari Mathews, and Jalyn Wilks (Bronze Medal/Cup).

Kata Results:

18-34-year-old Male - Austin Galeski (Bronze Medal)

15-16-year-old Male - Alex Tomaino (Silver Medal); Brett Fallen (Bronze Medal)

5-6-year-old Male - Daniel Carney (Bronze Medal)

Kobudo Results:

18-34-year-old Male LONG Kobudo Advance (Bo and Eaku) - Austin Galeski (Silver Medal); Will Whitaker (Bronze Medal)

18-34-year-old Male SHORT Kobudo Advance (Sai, Tonfa, Kama, Nunchaku) - Austin Galeski (Bronze Medal)

18-34-year-old Female LONG Kobudo Advance - Jessica Sigsbee (Bronze Medal)

18-34-year-old Female SHORT Kobudo Advance - Jessica Sigsbee (Silver Medal)

15-16-year-old Male Novice - Brett Fallen (Silver Medal); Alex Tomaino (Bronze Medal)

13-14-year-old Male Intermediate - Joe Fuscia (Bronze Medal)

11-12-year-old Male Beginner - Ryan Wartell (GOLD Medal)

9-10-year-old Male Beginner - Moustapha Ouattara (Bronze Medal)

9-10-year-old Female Beginner - Coley Carney (Bronze Medal) 

7-8-year-old Female Beginner - Shianne Medlin (GOLD Medal)

5-6-year-old Male Beginner - Daniel Carney (GOLD Medal)

In total, the dojo had 23 total competitors and brought home a total of 30 medals for team and individual events.

T. Tyler Reflects on Breakthrough Year at Army

(As seen on Recruit757.com)

Several players from the Peninsula region made an indelible mark on the college football landscape in the fall of 2020, most notably Butkus Award winning linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Bethel HS/Notre Dame) and wide receiver Dazz Newsome (Hampton High/Univ. North Carolina). Both players are expected to be picked early in the upcoming NFL draft, with Owusu-Koramoah, a first-team All-American, slated as a potential lottery selection.

But perhaps no player’s ascent to collegiate gridiron royalty this fall was more surprising than Tyhier Tyler’s. 

Tyler (Class of 2022, 5-8 185), a 2017 graduate of Woodside High in Newport News, has successfully, and against stiff odds, made the transition from Wolverine triple-option quarterback under coach Danny Dodson, to high school graduate (with honors), West Point Prep school student, West Point cadet, football player, and finally starting Army QB in a remarkable four-year period that has blasted him on to the national spotlight as the result of several televised events.

In the first, Tyler, who was elevated to share the starting position in Week 6 with freshman Cade Ballard, helped to lead the Black Knights to a 28-16 win over the University of Texas – San Antonio. In that game, Tyler ran for 95 yards, which included a 37-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, one that proved to be the pivotal score as it stretched the Army lead to 21-10. 

The following week, Tyler and Ballard combined to earn co-Commander-in-Chief MVP honors in a 49-3 win over Mercer. In that game, he led the team with 77 rushing yards while throwing his first NCAA pass (an incompletion).

Although the Knights record stood at 6-1, neither signal caller would play in the next game, a 38-12 loss to Tulane. Such is life when playing for a military academy team with a roster of 155 players, including six quarterbacks, all of whom saw playing time in 2020.

But Tyler earned the reins of the offense again just before Week 9, and led Army to a comeback 28-27 win over Georgia Southern. With 121 yards on the ground, he became the fifth Army rusher to top the century mark, a team record. 

He would remain behind center for the final four games, including the prestigious annual Army-Navy game, a 15-0 Army win.

It was the Army-Navy game, seen by tens of millions of viewers worldwide, that Tyler earned his first showcase moment, and made the most of it, carrying the ball 19 times for 96 yards and the game’s only touchdown. 

In the days following the win over Navy, he faced one more surprise encounter, from the Secretary of the Army, Gen. Ryan D. McCarthy, who presented Tyler with a commemorative coin from his office for “Outstanding Service to the Nation,” while letting his team’s quarterback know that he “liked my style of play.”

Finally, in the Liberty Bowl, Tyler and the Black Knights battled West Virginia for four quarters, only to fall short 24-21, ending the season with a 9-3 record.

In the Liberty Bowl, Tyler scored all three of Army’s touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards. The three rushing TD’s tied a Liberty Bowl record. For the season, he led the Black Knights with 578 yards on 139 carries with five TD’s), boosting the redshirt freshman to a first-team All-Independent honors at quarterback.

For the Newport News native, taking over the offense for his Army team was more about honoring the commitments to duty and honor that he has developed at the Point.

“Any time I get the chance to lead my teammates in a game it’s an honor and a blessing,” said Tyler, who is currently enjoying a mini-winter break before heading back to New York. “I love my teammates, so having the ability to lead them in the postseason meant a lot.”

He also expressed an obligation to the other team leaders. Speaking of the Liberty Bowl experience, he added, “The chip on our shoulder was our seniors. We wanted to send our seniors out with a bang, and we also wanted to show the college football world we belong. West Virginia was a very good team and very well coached. They were the better team when we played.”

Still, the accolades continue to pour in for Army, coached by Jeff Monken (43-21, and four bowl games in the last five years). The Knights won the Commander-in-Chief trophy over rivals Navy and Air Force. And with many young players returning to key roles, the future looks bright over the Hudson.

For the next few weeks, however, there is a reflection on the events of December. “Ultimately, I am upset we didn’t come out on top, but looking around the locker room and evaluating myself, we gave it all we had and we fought hard.”

And the goals for 2021 remain intact. In a parting thought, Tyler looked ahead. “Our path to defending the Commander in Chief trophy starts now, and we will be back to getting over that hump of beating a Power 5 school.”