Menchville Girls Win Class 5 Basketball (As Seen on Virginia Preps)

 

Menchville Spoils Woodgrove's Perfect Season, Wins Class 5 Girls 59-36

Menchville won both the Region 5B title and VHSL Class 5 State Championship (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)

Jim McGrath • VirginiaPreps

Staff

@jfmcgrath

VHSL Class 5 Girls

MENCHVILLE 59, WOODGROVE 36

After going 13 years without a team High School Champion, the city of Newport News earned its second in two weeks, as the Menchville Monarchs routed the Woodgrove Wolverines 59-36 on Friday evening.

With the win, Menchville earned the Class 5 Girls state title, but also leveled the Wolverines hopes of winning their first Championship and finishing the season with a perfect record.

Instead, it was the Monarchs and Head Coach Adrian Webb, who won their inaugural state crown.

Two weeks ago, the Heritage girls track team, also of Newport News, won the Class 4 meet at the Tolsma Track Center on the Lynchburg campus of Liberty University.

The way the Monarchs ruined Woodgrove’s previously undefeated season was rough and unemotional. Just business.

And that’s the way that Menchville played during a game whose outcome was never in doubt.

From Lisa Nice’s three-point swish just 16 seconds into the game, to Rileigh Weaver’s two free throws in the game’s final ten seconds, Menchville executed their game-plan with exceptional skill. The Monarchs turned the ball over only seven times, and the defense held Woodgrove to 29 percent shooting from the floor (12-42).

Amari Smith led the Monarchs with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Atiana Williams plated well all over the floor, finishing with 13 points, six boards, four steals and three assists. In the paint, the Monarchs finished with a decisive 30-12 advantage.

Even Woodgrove Coach Derek Fisher knew his team was in trouble early.

“Once they get far ahead, they are hard to catch,” said Fisher, whose team fell behind by 30 points at the end of the third quarter. “They just knocked down shots and got on runs. If we could have held their 10-point runs to six-point runs.”

Menchville started the game on fire, building a 17-6 lead at the end of the first period. Jayleen Hallums scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half, while the Monarchs boosted their lead to 39-20.

A 16-5 run through the third quarter gave Menchville its 30-point lead at 55-25, which led to a mostly uneventful final quarter that served as a coronation for the new champion.

Williams and Smith spoke of the importance of winning states for their city after the game.

“It feels great to represent our city,” said Williams, a junior guard. “This is a big win for our community.”

Speaking of the Championships won by Heritage and now Menchville, Smith added, “it’s great to be part of a movement.”

Anni Rohs paced the Wolverines scoring with 11, and Colette Baine added 10 points and eight rebounds for Woodgrove, who finished the season 28-1. The Wolverines were without injured standout Ashley Steadman, a 1st Team All-Region performer who'll play her College Basketball at Christopher Newport University, a nationally-ranked Division III program.

Amari Smith finished with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go with eight rebounds as Menchville defeated previously unbeaten Woodgrove for the VHSL Class 5 Girls Basketball State Championship on March 11, 2022 (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)

Inside the Numbers:

MENCHVILLE 17, 22, 16, 4 -- 59

WOODGROVE 6, 14, 5, 11 -- 36

MENCHVILLE (25-3): Woodson 6, Smith 17, Williams 13, Robertson 2, Harrison 6, Thomas 0, Woodbury 0, Bagwell 0, Weaver 2, Hallums 13, Wright 0, Hester 0. Totals 23 9-15 59.

WOODGROVE (28-1): Steadman 0, Nice 6, Baine 10, Mullen 6, Shores 3, Shea 0, Rohs 11, Miller 0, McCullers 0, Pabon 0. Totals 12 6-14 36.

Three pointers: Menchville 4 (Hallums 3, Williams). Woodgrove 6 (Nice 2, Mullen 2, Rohs 2).

Menchville Postgame Press Conference:

Menchville Girls Postgame Press Conference after their 59-36 win over Woodgrove on Friday, March 11, 2022 in the VHSL Class 5 State Championship at VCU in Richmond.

Speaking from left to right are Keylee Harrison, Coach Adrian Webb, Atiana Williams and Amari Smith.

With the win, Menchville finished 23-3 overall and captured their first state title in program history. They became the first girls basketball team from the city of Newport News to win a state title since Heritage High in 2008.

Woodgrove Postgame Presser:

Woodgrove Head Coach Derek Fisher and players chat with the media following their 59-36 loss to Menchville in the VHSL Class 5 Girls Basketball State Championship held at VCU in Richmond on Friday, March 11, 2022.

Fisher's Wolverines - the Region 5D Champs - finished 29-1 overall.

Highlights:

Kast, Witte Win at Menchville Winter Chill 5K

Courtesy of Bruce Davis - Peninsula Track Club

The Peninsula road racing season kicked off with the Menchville Winter Chill 5K, held last Saturday at Menchville High. The Winter Chill 5K is the first race in the eleven-race 2022 PTC Grand Prix race series.

Ninety-four runners entered the event with 76 completing the 5K.

The 10th Annual Menchville Winter Chill 5K was finally held after a cancellation in 2021 due to Covid and then two postponements this year due to adverse winter weather the two previous weekends.  The third time turned out to be the charm on a sunny, but cold and breezy morning with a temperature of 36 at the race start and a wind chill of 28. 

The small but fast field yielded three new age group records for the 10th year of this event:

Race winner Steven Kast, 57 of Yorktown VA set a new age group record for Men 55-59 with a time of 17:50 beating the time 18:30 set by Craig Hymes in 2019.

Crystal Wittewon the women's race in 19:48, with former Menchville High standout Lindsay Crain placing second (20:50).

For Men 75-79, Michael Daly, 75 of Williamsburg VA set a new age group record with a time of 28:16, eclipsing the mark of 30:50 set by William Coker Jr in 2016.

For Women 9 and Under, Imogen Leone, 7 of Newport News VA set a new age group record with a time of 31:55 breaking the previous record of 39:34 set by Kaitlyn Scicchitano in 2020.

Finish line and results services were provided by the Peninsula Track Club.  A copy of the results, links to race pictures and listings for future races can be found on the PTC website: www.peninsulatrackclub.com. 



==========================================================================================

                  10th Annual MENCHVILLE WINTER CHILL 5K

             Menchville High School, Newport News, Hampton, VA

                         February 5, 2022 9:30 AM

               benefitting the Menchville High School Cho                  A PENINSULA TRACK CLUB GRPRIX EVENT

Place O'All Name                       Age City State           Time   Pace
===== ===== ========================   === ===================  =====  ========================
TOP OVERALL MEN
    1     1 STEVEN KAST                 57 YORKTOWN VA          17:50  5:45 *   
    2     2 DILLON BRITT                25 PENDLETON NC         18:03  5:49     
    3     3 JIM WARNER                  35 NEWPORT NEWS VA      18:10  5:51   

  
TOP OVERALL WOMEN
    1     6 CRYSTAL WITTE               36 YORKTOWN VA          19:48  6:23 *   
    2     9 LINDSEY CRAIN               26 VIRGINIA BEACH VA    20:50  6:43     
    3    17 SUSAN HAGEL                 48 NORFOLK VA           24:07  7:46 *   

MEN:  13 AND UNDER
    1    28 BRYCE FELUMLEE              11 NEWPORT NEWS VA      27:53  8:59     
    2    31 AIDEN DREYER                13 NEWPORT NEWS VA      28:07  9:03     
    3    73 SPENCER ALLEN               13 NEWPORT NEWS VA      51:19 16:32     
MEN:  14 - 19
    1     4 JOHNNY CRAIN                16 NEWPORT NEWS VA      19:16  6:13     
    2     8 JACK GORTON                 15 NEWPORT NEWS VA      20:23  6:34 *   
    3    22 RYAN KENNEY                 15 YORKTOWN VA          26:18  8:28     
MEN:  20 - 24
    NONE
MEN:  25 - 29
    1     5 BILLY NIXON                 28 VIRGINIA BEACH VA    19:26  6:16     
    2     7 ERIC CAIN                   29 RICHMOND VA          20:13  6:31     
    3    24 MARSHALL BAGLEY             28 NORFOLK VA           27:16  8:47     
MEN:  30 - 34
    NONE
MEN:  35 - 39
    1    49 FRANK LEONE                 37 NEWPORT NEWS VA      31:55 10:17 *   
MEN:  40 - 44
    1    29 JONATHAN FELUMLEE           41 NEWPORT NEWS VA      27:54  8:59     
MEN:  45 - 49
    1    10 PAUL SCRIBBINS              49 GLOUCESTER VA        20:52  6:43     
    2    14 AARAM DREYER                46 NEWPORT NEWS VA      21:14  6:50     
    3    40 RICHARD SILCOX              46 NEWPORT NEWS VA      29:34  9:31     
MEN:  50 - 54
    1    11 AARON CANDELLA              53 YORKTOWN VA          20:56  6:44 *   
    2    19 RICH KENNEY                 51 NEWPORT NEWS VA      25:54  8:20     
    3    41 MARK KONST                  53 NEWPORT NEWS VA      29:35  9:32 *   
MEN:  55 - 59
    1    12 JOHN R SCOTT                58 NEWPORT NEWS VA      20:58  6:45 *   
    2    13 ORLANDO PEREZ               59 NEWPORT NEWS VA      21:06  6:48     
    3    15 GREG PIKE                   57 YORKTOWN VA          21:35  6:57 *   
MEN:  60 - 64
    1    37 RICHARD SHOEMAKER           62 NEWPORT NEWS VA      28:40  9:14     
    2    45 MICHAEL BYRUM               63 SUFFOLK VA           30:21  9:47     
    3    47 MIKE THOMAS                 63 NEWPORT NEWS VA      31:51 10:15 *   
MEN:  65 - 69
    1    67 PETER NAVIN                 67 HAMPTON VA           48:12 15:31 *   
MEN:  70 AND OVER
    1    16 DALE ABRAHAMSON             72 YORKTOWN VA          23:16  7:30 *   
    2    32 MICHAEL DALY                75 WILLIAMSBURG VA      28:16  9:06 *   
    3    33 RON WORTHINGTON             77 BENA VA              28:18  9:07 *   

WOMEN:  13 AND UNDER
    1    48 IMOGEN LEONE                 7 NEWPORT NEWS VA      31:55 10:17     
    2    53 SYDNEY ALLEN                13 NEWPORT NEWS VA      33:22 10:45     
    3    55 CHIARA LEONE                10 NEWPORT NEWS VA      34:28 11:06     
WOMEN:  14 - 19
    1    18 RAQUEL MANADERO             16 NEWPORT NEWS VA      25:22  8:10 *   
    2    42 ELIZABETH MCELFRESH         16 NEWPORT NEWS VA      29:45  9:35     
    3    44 JULIA SILVERMAN             15 NEWPORT NEWS VA      30:01  9:40     
WOMEN:  20 - 24
    NONE
WOMEN:  25 - 29
    1    38 LAUREN CRAIN                28 CHARLOTTESVILLE VA   29:04  9:22     
WOMEN:  30 - 34
    1    23 KOLBY KELLER                31 NEWPORT NEWS VA      26:56  8:40     
    2    34 KASEY PATTON                34 SUFFOLK VA           28:23  9:09     
    3    58 GENEVIEVE MAYER             32 NEWPORT NEWS VA      35:47 11:31     
WOMEN:  35 - 39
    1    56 SARA LEONE                  37 NEWPORT NEWS VA      34:29 11:06 *   
WOMEN:  40 - 44
    NONE
WOMEN:  45 - 49
    1    27 AMANDA HALL                 46 NEWPORT NEWS VA      27:45  8:56     
    2    70 LEANNE ALLEN                45 NEWPORT NEWS VA      48:45 15:42     
    3    71 KRISTI HARMON               46 NEWPORT NEWS VA      50:04 16:07     
WOMEN:  50 - 54
    1    51 JUDY AMUNDSON               54 NEWPORT NEWS VA      33:00 10:38     
    2    57 MARIA RAMIREZ GORTON        50 NEWPORT NEWS VA      35:09 11:19 *   
    3    65 TARA MAYS                   51 NEWPORT NEWS VA      42:20 13:38     
WOMEN:  55 - 59
    1    20 VALOR FOY JONES             58 NEWPORT NEWS VA      26:15  8:27 *   
    2    21 LAURA BIAVA                 58 NEWPORT NEWS VA      26:17  8:28     
    3    69 CAROL SCHON                 55 NEWPORT NEWS VA      48:44 15:42     
WOMEN:  60 - 64
    1    46 THEA GANOE                  64 HAMPTON VA           30:37  9:52 *   
WOMEN:  65 - 69
    1    25 HELEN WORTHINGTON           67 BENA VA              27:33  8:53 *   
    2    60 BRENDA STENTON              66 NEWPORT NEWS VA      38:03 12:15     
    3    66 KATHLEEN BUSCH              66 WILLIAMSBURG VA      44:15 14:15     
WOMEN:  70 AND OVER
    1    59 DOTTIE HUMPHREYS            70 NEWPORT NEWS VA      37:36 12:07 *   

                           * denotes PTC memberchville Winter Chill 5K is also the 1st race in the eleven-race 2022 PTC Grand Prix race series.

9

Heritage Girls 4x200 Relay Runs US #2 Time at VA Showcase (as seen on MIlestat.com)

 In the surprise category, one of the best finishes of Saturday came in the girls' invitational 4x200, where Heritage (Newport News) almost overtook national powerhouse Bullis on the last lap, but finished in a strong second place in 1:39.50.

With their time, the foursome of Kara Ashley, Myzhane Solomon, Sanaa Wooden, and Madison Whyte vaulted all the way to #1 among state high schools, as well as #3 nationally.

Said Coach Ray Pollard, who along with Jacqueline Bateman, have headed the Hurricane program, "that was a great race. We've never had anything quite like this."

And on this day, the legends of Newport News historical track past reached out and touched a new generation.  

(Kara Ashley readies to hand off to Madison Whyte. The Heritage girls almost defeated nation-leading Bullis School, of Potomac, MD at the VA Showcase on January 15. Photo by Mary Ann Magnant)

The connections are strong. It starts with head coaches Bateman and Pollard. Both are entrenched members of the Newport News Track Hall of Fame, a group that hosts the names of many athletes from among the 46 state indoor and outdoor titles won by Newport News teams.

The pair have coached cross-country, indoor and outdoor track at Heritage since its doors opened in 1996. Pollard, who was the High School Track MVP of the 1964 Penn Relays while competing with Huntington High in Newport News, can trace his coaching career back to the 1980's at Denbigh High School, on the north side of town.

Kara Ashley, a sophomore, led off the relay, and put Heritage into a comfortable top-half position, well within the group of teams that also included Wakefield (NC) and perennial Washington Catholic Athletic Conference power Elizabeth Seton (MD).

Ashley is fairly new to national-level competition and freely shared her initial thought on the line. "Yeah, I was so nervous and scared!" However, Ashley handed off to junior Myzhane Solomon who kept the baton moving well in spite of her own nerves - "My heart was just beating, but it was fun!" Solomon passed the baton to Sanaa Wooden in third place.

Wooden is a familiar name in Newport News track circles, namely because of Kerry Wooden, a star long sprinter for Warwick High in the mid-80's who clocked bests of 21.24 in the 200 and 46.44 in the 400. He is the uncle of both Sanaa and sister Sabria.

Wooden used her carry to solidify Heritage's hold on second place, but their position was still 15 meters behind Bullis. For Heritage to pull off the unlikely win, it was going to come down to Madison Whyte.

The foursome knew that Whyte was the fastest. It went back to their younger days as teammates with the East End Flyers, a long-standing youth track team. According to its own social post, the "Flyers" team was born in the spring of 1997 as a collaborative effort of the Doris Miller Community Center and the C. Waldo Scott Center for HOPE.  The Flyers program was started with the goal of exposing children in Newport News' Southeast Community to the sport of track and field. Ashley, Solomon, the Wooden's and Whyte first trained together on different tracks and parks around Newport News. Among their spots were the Belk track at Christopher Newport University and Riverview Farm Park, in the shadow of Menchville High, a school that once claimed former University of Pittsburgh coach Steve Lewis as its track head.

Whyte had already competed in one invitational race, the 300, but aimed for one last dusting of the Sports Center oval. Grabbing the baton, she took off and immediately made up five meters on the first turn, drawing a slow rumbling of "woop, woop, woop" from the crowd. Later, Whyte would say, "I heard it!"

The Bullis anchor managed to concede only a couple of meters on the back straightaway, and almost no part of her lead on the back turn. But Whyte wasn't done, and with a strong focus and sense of possession, Whyte came off the back turn with all cylinders running, closing, closing, closing on the lead until she ran out of space. Bullis won in a high school US #1 1:39.19, while Heritage placed second in US #2 1:39.50.

In the end, the Heritage team celebrated toward the far corner of the Sports Center, and Whyte, currently the nation's top 200-meter runner (23.66), could only lament for the lack of real estate.

"If I only had 10 more yards.," said Whyte, possibly knowing that this rivalry is probably not over for the season if the two teams meet at a Nationals meet.

Honeycutt, Torres Win Son for Haiti 5K

(Courtesy of Bruce Davis of the Peninsula Track Club)

Below are the award winners for the 15th Annual Run With the Son for Haiti 5K held on the roads in and around the Running Man subdivision in Tabb, VA on Saturday morning, December 4, 2021.  The race was organized by the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church.  

This race was also the 12th and final event in the 2021 PTC Grand Prix race series.  The awards for the PTC Grand Prix will be presented at the Annual PTC Awards Banquet, currently scheduled for Saturday evening, January 15, 2022.  The final PTC race of 2020 is the Raptor Chapter Ugly Sweater 5K, which will be held at Newport News Park on Saturday, December 18.

The conditions for today's race were very good for running - a temperature around 50 at race start, sunny with a very slight breeze.  And, after 2020 when only virtual runners competed, 248 runners and racewalkers entered this live race with 228 completing the 5K.

For runners, two new age group course records were set as well as new records for both male and female walkers.

The first woman and fourth runner overall, Tabb XC coach Emily Honeycutt, 30 of Newport News, VA set a new age group course record for Women 30-34 with a time of 19:44, improving on the old record of 21:35 set by Jessica Burcham in 2014.

For Men 80-84, Bill McDonald, 80 of Poquoson VA set an age group record with a time of 35:35 besting the previous mark of 39:24 set by ed by Ed Sharp in 2019.

For the male walkers, David Lockard, 52 of Hampton VA set a new record with a time of 31:02, besting the previous record of 31:44 set by Scott Stakes in 2010.

For the Woman Walkers, Marie Price, 53 of Chesapeake VA set a new record with a time of 36:42 beating the previous Walking record of 37:26 set by Robin Land in 2009.

Also, a notable performance by a member of the Hampton Roads Road Running Hall of Fame, Robert S White of Hampton who at the age of 98 completed the 5K in a time of 1:02:02.  Notably Robert White holds the age group records for Men 90-94 (37:15 set in 2014) and for Men 90+ (55:46 set in 2019)

=====================================================================

        15th ANNUAL ST. KATERI'S RUN/WALK WITH THE SON FOR HAITI 5K

                     Running Man Subdivision, Tabb, VA

                    Saturday, December 4, 2021, 8:30AM

                  A PENINSULA TRACK CLUB GRAND PRIX EVENT

Place O'All Name                       Age City State           Time   Pace

===== ===== ========================   === ===================  =====  ====

TOP OVERALL MEN

    1     1 JONATHAN TORRES             31 NEWPORT NEWS VA      17:57  5:47     

    2     2 STEVEN KAST                 56 YORKTOWN VA          18:42  6:01 *   

    3     3 CHRIS NOVAKOSKI             40 CHESAPEAKE VA        19:28  6:16     

TOP OVERALL WOMEN

    1     4 EMILY HONEYCUTT             30 NEWPORT NEWS VA      19:44  6:21     

    2     7 CRYSTAL WITTE               36 YORKTOWN VA          20:05  6:28 *   

    3    13 SVETLANA GONCHAROVA         23 WILLIAMSBURG VA      21:01  6:46     

MEN:  8 AND UNDER

    1   170 HENRY LUCK                   7 POQUOSON VA          47:07 15:10     

MEN:  9 - 11

    1     9 CARSON SADLER               10 CHESAPEAKE VA        20:26  6:35     

    2    21 MYLES FORD                  11 YORKTOWN VA          22:12  7:09     

    3    31 ELIJAH KOCH                 10 YORKTOWN VA          23:18  7:30     

MEN:  12 - 14

    1    16 JAMES ROBERTS               13 YORKTOWN VA          21:19  6:52     

    2    30 BRAXTON LEE                 12 QUINTON VA           23:15  7:29 *   

    3    41 ARTHUR ROE                  12 YORKTOWN VA          24:43  7:58     

MEN:  15 - 19

    1     6 RYAN SHURTLEFF              15 YORKTOWN VA          19:59  6:26     

    2    11 DREW RYAN                   16 YORKTOWN VA          20:42  6:40     

    3    36 SPENCER ROE                 16 YORKTOWN VA          23:58  7:43     

MEN:  20 - 24

    1    24 JACOB LEBLANC               24 LANGLEY AFB VA       22:24  7:13     

MEN:  25 - 29

    1    19 BRYAN RAMOS                 27 NEWPORT NEWS VA      21:58  7:05     

    2   121 ROBERT BOLAND               27 POQUOSON VA          32:32 10:29     

MEN:  30 - 34

    NONE

MEN:  35 - 39

    1    10 ALEXEY POPOV                38 NEWPORT NEWS VA      20:28  6:36     

    2    15 DARREN LESLIE               39 POQUOSON VA          21:17  6:51     

    3    89 TANNER HODGES               39 YORKTOWN VA          28:57  9:20     

MEN:  40 - 44

    1    18 CHRIS LAFLAMME              40 YORKTOWN VA          21:56  7:04     

    2    28 TIM ROE                     43 YORKTOWN VA          23:11  7:28     

    3    50 MITCHELL KOCH               43 YORKTOWN VA          25:34  8:14     

MEN:  45 - 49

    1     8 ANDREA BUOSO                47 NORFOLK VA           20:24  6:34     

    2    14 MARK ROBERTS                47 YORKTOWN VA          21:06  6:48     

    3    42 JEFF K JONES                49 YORKTOWN VA          24:45  7:58     

MEN:  50 - 54

    1    23 KEVIN RAFFERTY              50 VIRGINIA BEACH VA    22:22  7:12     

    2    57 RICK DAVENPORT              51 YORKTOWN VA          26:36  8:34 *   

    3    95 MARC DAUTEUIL               50 NEWPORT NEWS VA      29:10  9:24     

MEN:  55 - 59

    1    17 ORLANDO PEREZ               59 NEWPORT NEWS VA      21:28  6:55     

    2    22 GREG PIKE                   57 YORKTOWN VA          22:16  7:10 *   

    3    32 CLIFF CARR                  58 YORKTOWN VA          23:25  7:32     

MEN:  60 - 64

    1     5 ROBERT WHITAKER             63 YORKTOWN VA          19:49  6:23 *   

    2    12 ANDREW D CUTLER             64 YORKTOWN VA          20:47  6:42 *   

    3    33 TIMOTHY HODGE               62 VIRGINIA BEACH VA    23:43  7:38     

MEN:  65 - 69

    1    26 KEVIN TOPP                  66 TABB VA              22:26  7:13     

    2    37 JIM GULLO                   67 WILLIAMSBURG VA      24:09  7:47 *   

    3    43 JESS BROWN                  66 NORFOLK VA           24:48  7:59     

MEN:  70 AND OVER

    1    40 DALE ABRAHAMSON             72 YORKTOWN VA          24:29  7:53 *   

    2    55 JOSEPH VERDIRAME            72 SUFFOLK VA           26:30  8:32 *   

    3    88 RON WORTHINGTON             77 BENA VA              28:57  9:19 *   

WOMEN:  8 AND UNDER

    NONE

WOMEN:  9 - 11

    1   148 AMELIA LUCK                 11 POQUOSON VA          41:26 13:21     

    2   157 ABRIANNA RODRIGUEZ          11 NEWPORT NEWS VA      44:21 14:17 *   

WOMEN:  12 - 14

    1    79 NYLA FORD                   13 YORKTOWN VA          28:29  9:11     

    2   118 CALEIGH NORDIN              13 YORKTOWN VA          32:14 10:23     

WOMEN:  15 - 19

    1   131 MEGAN BLANCO                17 HAMPTON VA           35:30 11:26     

    2   132 TANVEE GUPTA                17 YORKTOWN VA          35:30 11:26     

WOMEN:  20 - 24

    1    73 ALISON BREWER               23 YORKTOWN VA          27:41  8:55     

WOMEN:  25 - 29

    1    61 TAYLOR SCHWARTZ             29 NEWPORT NEWS VA      26:57  8:41     

    2   160 KAITLIN EVANS               28 LYNCHBURG VA         44:41 14:23     

    3   173 KATHY BOLAND                26 POQUOSON VA          47:11 15:12     

WOMEN:  30 - 34

    1   124 PIPPA ELLIOTT               32 YORKTOWN VA          33:18 10:43     

WOMEN:  35 - 39

    1    27 JENNY KELLER                39 NEWPORT NEWS VA      22:39  7:18 *   

    2    49 JAIME LAWSON                39 HAMPTON VA           25:25  8:11 *   

    3    81 MARYANNE LEE                39 QUINTON VA           28:41  9:14 *   

WOMEN:  40 - 44

    1    45 MICHELLE HOOPER             42 HAMPTON VA           24:52  8:00     

    2    65 ABIGAIL SMITH               43 YORKTOWN VA          27:08  8:44     

    3    72 AMANDA COLLIER              42 YORKTOWN VA          27:38  8:54 *   

WOMEN:  45 - 49

    1    20 ANNETTE LOMBARDO            45 YORKTOWN VA          22:09  7:08     

    2    25 KATHY ROBERTS               46 YORKTOWN VA          22:25  7:13     

    3    38 SUSAN HAGEL                 48 NORFOLK VA           24:17  7:49 *   

WOMEN:  50 - 54

    1    29 MILDA DONAHOE               54 YORKTOWN VA          23:13  7:29 *   

    2    51 JENNIFER CORNETTE           50 NORFOLK VA           25:48  8:18 *   

    3    84 ALYSON KAST                 52 YORKTOWN VA          28:44  9:15 *   

WOMEN:  55 - 59

    1    53 CHRISTINE SCHAFFNER         58 YORKTOWN VA          26:03  8:24 *   

    2    54 VALOR FOY JONES             58 NEWPORT NEWS VA      26:19  8:29 *   

    3    69 RUTH CLECKNER               57 HAMPTON VA           27:30  8:52     

WOMEN:  60 - 64

    1    52 NORMA PHILLIPS              61 WILLIAMSBURG VA      25:57  8:22 *   

    2    62 SUSAN LINDEMANN             64 YORKTOWN VA          26:59  8:41 *   

    3    70 JANICE KAILOS               60 WILLIAMSBURG VA      27:32  8:52 *   

WOMEN:  65 - 69

    1    63 JEAN PHELAN                 65 VIRGINIA BEACH VA    27:01  8:42 *   

    2    71 HELEN WORTHINGTON           67 BENA VA              27:35  8:53 *   

    3    77 CAROL HANSEN-VESSA          67 RESTON VA            28:15  9:06     

WOMEN:  70 AND OVER

    1   105 PATRICIA TRAVIS             70 WILLIAMSBURG VA      30:16  9:45 *   

    2   115 BARBARA BIASI               74 YORKTOWN VA          31:54 10:16 *   

    3   175 MAUREEN LOWDER              71 NEWPORT NEWS VA      47:55 15:26     

WALK - MEN:

    1   106 DAVID LOCKARD               52 HAMPTON VA           31:02 10:00     

    2   135 BEN FENIGSOHN               34 POQUOSON VA          36:37 11:47     

    3   146 AARON JOHNSON               20 POQUOSON VA          41:20 13:19     

WALK - WOMEN:

    1   136 MARIE PRICE                 53 CHESAPEAKE VA        36:42 11:49     

    2   149 LAURA SCOTT                 56 POQUOSON VA          41:53 13:29 *   

    3   150 SUSAN SORLIE                60 FT MONROE VA         42:02 13:32 *   

A Heartbeat of Resilience – Lessons of Living Life to the Fullest. Resilience Series – Episode Three

A Heartbeat of Resilience – Lessons of Living Life to the Fullest. Resilience Series – Episode Three: We are joined this week by Pete Radigan, a husband, father, author, entrepreneur, and Heart Transplant Recipient, along with his friend and editor, Jim M…

Campbell and Avery Win at Poquoson "Run for the Bull" 5K

Two Poquoson residents captured the titles at the Run for the Bulls 5K, held last Saturday at Poquoson HIgh. Zach Campbell won the men's crown with a time of 17:32, while Casey Avery took the women's crown in 23:11. The race is part of the Peninsual Track Club Grand Prix, and was sponsored by the Poquoson Education Foundation and Kiwanis Club of Poquoson.

RESULTS

Place O'All Name                       Age City State           Time   Pace
===== ===== ========================   === =================== 
TOP OVERALL MEN
    1     1 ZACH CAMPBELL               26 POQUOSON VA          17:32  5:39     
    2     2 TRAVIS MOORE                 28 POQUOSON VA          19:51  6:24     
    3     3 TYLER MOORE                  24 POQUOSON VA          20:03  6:28     

TOP OVERALL WOMEN
    1    15 CASEY AVERY                 19 POQUOSON VA          23:11  7:28     
    2    17 ANGELA RIBARSZKY       42 POQUOSON VA          23:56  7:43     
    3    19 SUSAN HAGEL                 48 NORFOLK VA             24:11  7:47 *   

MEN:  15 AND UNDER
    1     4 CAISON ADKINS               13 POQUOSON VA          20:17  6:32     
    2    12 KEVIN TAYLOR                10 POQUOSON VA          23:07  7:27     
    3    24 WILLIAM SCOTT               13 POQUOSON VA          25:15  8:08     
MEN:  16 - 19
    1     5 WILL OATES                  17 POQUOSON VA          20:56  6:45     
MEN:  20 - 29
    1    84 GABRIEL MCMILLAN            26 VIRGINIA BEACH VA    32:50 10:34     
MEN:  30 - 39
    1     6 DARREN LESLIE               39 POQUOSON VA          21:01  6:46     
    2    11 KYLE HOLSCHUH               32 POQUOSON VA          22:53  7:22     
    3    13 RORY LOVE                   36 HAMPTON VA           23:09  7:27     
MEN:  40 - 49
    1     8 PAUL SCRIBBINS              48 GLOUCESTER VA        22:09  7:08     
    2    10 RUSSELL TAYLOR              40 POQUOSON VA          22:48  7:21     
    3    44 JONATHAN JONES              49 YORKTOWN VA          27:49  8:58     
MEN:  50 - 59
    1     7 STEVEN ROBBINS              58 POQUOSON VA          21:56  7:04     
    2     9 ORLANDO PEREZ               59 NEWPORT NEWS VA      22:28  7:14     
    3    26 NATHAN NICKERSON            59 POQUOSON VA          25:26  8:11     
MEN:  60 - 69
    1    20 JORGE CORTINA               62 POQUOSON VA          24:36  7:55     
    2    23 BILL DANCY                  68 SMITHFIELD VA        25:12  8:07 *   
    3    30 KEVIN GIBBS                 65 POQUOSON VA          26:10  8:26 *   
MEN:  70 AND OVER
    1    16 DALE ABRAHAMSON             72 YORKTOWN VA          23:43  7:38 *   
    2    56 RON WORTHINGTON             77 BENA VA              29:09  9:23 *   
    3    69 RANDY HAWTHORNE             76 WILLIAMSBURG VA      30:23  9:47 *   

WOMEN:  15 AND UNDER
    1    41 LILY WISE                   13 POQUOSON VA          27:26  8:50     
    2    58 AVA SCOTT                   11 POQUOSON VA          29:17  9:26     
    3    63 ESZTER VINCZICZKI           15 POQUOSON VA          29:27  9:29     
WOMEN:  16 - 19
    1    47 HALEY JARRELL               17 POQUOSON VA          28:00  9:01     
    2    49 ANNA AVERY                  17 POQUOSON VA          28:29  9:10     
WOMEN:  20 - 29
    1    73 COURTNEY KINT               29 POQUOSON VA          31:18 10:05     
    2    75 RALEIGH HASKINS             28 POQUOSON VA          31:32 10:09     
    3    89 LAUREN LYLE                 25 POQUOSON VA          33:18 10:43     
WOMEN:  30 - 39
    1    45 MYLEA CARPENTER             31 POQUOSON VA          27:55  8:59     
    2    65 EMILY FORREST               34 POQUOSON VA          29:36  9:32 *   
    3    68 JAMIE VENDETTI              39 POQUOSON VA          30:22  9:47     
WOMEN:  40 - 49
    1    25 JOANNA FOREST               48 POQUOSON VA          25:20  8:10     
    2    28 JOANNA LEE                  42 RICHMOND VA          25:39  8:16     
    3    51 ERICA JARRELL               48 POQUOSON VA          28:43  9:15     
WOMEN:  50 - 59
    1    32 VALOR FOY JONES             58 NEWPORT NEWS VA      26:28  8:32 *   
    2    33 CHRISTINE SCHAFFNER         58 YORKTOWN VA          26:39  8:35 *   
    3    46 GABRIELE LINGENFELTER       58 YORKTOWN VA          27:56  9:00 *   
WOMEN:  60 - 69
    1    31 NORMA PHILLIPS              61 WILLIAMSBURG VA      26:17  8:28 *   
    2    40 HELEN WORTHINGTON           67 BENA VA              27:19  8:48 *   
    3    42 GLORIA FREEMAN              60 HAMPTON VA           27:33  8:52 *   
WOMEN:  70 AND OVER
    1    79 BARBARA BIASI               74 YORKTOWN VA          32:08 10:21 *   
    2   119 LEORA HARTY                 71 NEWPORT NEWS VA      38:57 12:33     

2 MILE WALK - MEN:
    1    50 BAYLOR PAULS                 9 POQUOSON VA          28:37 14:19     
    2    53 JAMES SIZEMORE              44 POQUOSON VA          28:48 14:24     
    3    66 JOHN PAULS                  39 POQUOSON VA          29:58 14:59     
2 MILE WALK - WOMEN:
    1    35 LAUREN JONES                 9 POQUOSON VA          26:57 13:29     
    2    36 MEGHAN JONES                 8 POQUOSON VA          26:59 13:30     
    3    39 CHARLOTTE JORDAN            10 POQUOSON VA          27:13 13:37     

From Bethel Back to the Brigade - Coach Eddie Williams Named VMI Women's Track Coach

(from VMI Athletics)

 LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Superintendent Maj. General Cedric T. Wins '85 announced Monday the hiring of Eddie Williams '83 as the head women's track and field coach at VMI. 

Over a 25-year coaching career, Williams has led indoor and outdoor teams of both male and female athletes to multiple state championships at Bethel High School (Hampton, Va.). Named the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) USA National Outdoor Track Coach of the Year in 2006, he has coached his teams to 22 girls indoor and outdoor district/conference championships and nine boys indoor and outdoor district/conference championships. 

"Coach Williams has a stellar track record of competing and winning," Wins said. "He has been successful in everything he has taken on including as a VMI cadet, engineer, coach and a mentor. I am excited for our cadets to learn from his success. As a VMI alumnus, Coach is no stranger to the challenges that cadet-athletes face. I am confident in his ability to develop them not just as world-class athletes but also as leaders of character."

Williams has led his squads to 13 girls indoor/outdoor state championships and three boys indoor/outdoor state championships as well as 14 girls indoor/outdoor regional championships and two boys indoor/outdoor regional championships.

 On an individual level, 31 of his female athletes have earned individual state titles in addition to 11 boys individual state titles. Eleven state champions went on to earn national titles in their respective events, and three own national high school records. He has also led 40 relay squads to state titles.

 Over 100 student-athletes have obtained college scholarships to various major and mid-level colleges including VMI, UVA, Virginia Tech, VCU, Hampton, Norfolk State, Seton Hall and the University of Maryland.

 "VMI has a proud history in track and field of which I am blessed to be a product," Williams said. "I am thankful for the opportunity to lead the VMI's Women's Track & Field program. My goal is to take the foundation that has been successfully built and inspire alignment and ownership based on the VMI Way – that of shared values, purpose, and vision.

 "We will improve individual and team performance, produce champions, and win in the Southern Conference and on a national level. I want to thank the Superintendent MG Cedric Wins, Acting Athletic Director Lenny Brown, Director of Track and Field Darrin Webb and the VMI administration for their faith in me. I look forward to the challenge of developing our next generation of cadet-athlete leaders."

Williams managed indoor and outdoor programs to ensure appropriate funding, proper planning and administration of practices, safety and well-being of student-athletes and proper utilization of financial resources. 

He also recently served as an assistant meet director for VHSL 5A/6A (AAA) indoor and outdoor state meets, a role he fulfilled for seven years.

 Since his graduation from VMI in 1988, Williams was employed by Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia, as an electrical procedure writer and nuclear test engineer. Over this period, he served in multiple capacities including as an A4W electrical procedure writer (2020-21), a Navy Nuclear Test Engineer (NNTE) Supervisor (2013-20), and an electrical test supervisor of the CVN65 aircraft carrier (2001-13).

 A former collegiate athlete himself, Williams was a four-year letter winner on the track and field team at VMI from 1980-83 and helped the team to Southern Conference indoor and outdoor titles from 1981-83. He was named a team captain for the 1983 season and went on to earn All-SoCon honors as a sprinter that year.

 He was named VMI's Henry Johnson Award winner in 1988 and received the Peninsula Sports Club Person of the Year Award in 2006. Williams also earned a Peninsula Sports Club Achievement Award in 2001.

Williams earned his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from VMI in 1988 and later earned a master's degree in management from Cambridge College in 2006.

 "We are excited to welcome Coach Williams back to post and look forward to his leadership of the women's track and field program," said VMI Acting Director of Athletics Lenny Brown.

 

Tragedy to Triumph Trailer - Presale Has Begun

Axsom's Army Antagonizes AAU Field with #1 ranking and Top-20 AAU Recognition

In its most recent event, the old and new fighters of Axsom dojo of Newport News competed in the 2021 AAU Karate National Championships, which were at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. 

This year's competition was the first major comeback event since the COVID outbreak, which pushed last December's Nationals to an online format. 

Yet, the break away from live mat competition didn't leave Axsom's martial artists worse for wear. In fact, a whole new group of 15 beginners competed in Short and Long Kobudo (weapons forms), Kata (empty hand forms), and Kumite (sparring), and the advanced division had opportunities at different styles of kumite as well.

Axsom's dojo had 32 athletes participate this year, and six coaches, who brought home a total of 81 Medals, 37 were GOLD, and 40 of the team's medals were in the kumite division! 

Likewise, three of the athletes made the AAU National Team Pool for international travel and competition. 

An added bonus this year was that the Bull-Moose Dojo was named the #1 Participating Dojo at the National Championships and a "Top 20 AAU Club" in the country. 

Advanced Division (Black Belts):

Austin Galeski (18-34 Male): Silver Short Weapons (Tonfa); Silver Open Weight Kumite; GOLD, National Champion, Ippon Kumite; Selected for the AAU 2021-2022 National Team Pool traveling to Romania for the WUKF World Championships.

Jessica Sigsbee (18-34 Female) did not place in her events, but did win a $1,000 AAU Scholarship to William and Mary.

Ryan Sigsbee (16 Male): Bronze Ippon Kumite; Silver in ISF Olympic Rules Kumite; Silver in Team Rotational Kumite; GOLD in Sanbon Weight Class Kumite; 

Selected for the AAU 2021-2022 National Team Pool traveling to Romania for the WUKF World Championships.

Jaylen Nicholson (14 Male) 

Amiyr Gordon (12 Male) Silver in Kata; Silver in Long Kobudo (B0); Bronze in Kumite; Selected for the AAU 2021-2022 National Team Pool.

Intermediate Division (Brown Belts):

Brett Fallen (16 Male) GOLD in all 3 Divisions -- Kobudo, Kata, and Kumite! Silver in Team Rotational Kumite.

Alex Tomaino (16 Male) Silver in Kobudo and Kata; Bronze in Kumite; Silver in Team Rotational Kumite.

Joe Fuscia (13 Male) Bronze in Kumite.

Chris Gordon (7 Male) Silver in Kobudo; GOLDS in Kata and Kumite!

Novice Division (Green Belts);

Miranda Martinez-Chellis (15 Female) GOLDs in all three events--Kobudo, Kata, and Kumite, GOLD in Team Rotational Kumite

Daniella Martinez-Chellis (14 Female) Silvers in Kobudo and Kata; GOLD in Kumite!

Dakota Parnell (13 Male) GOLD in Kumite!

Ryan Wartell (12 Male) Bronze in Kumite.

Conner Strickland (11 Male) Silver in Kobudo and Kata; Bronze in Kumite.

Lucas Gardner (8 Male) Bronze in Kumite.

Shianne Medlin (8 Female) GOLDs in Kata and Kumite!

Isaiah McClain (8 Male) GOLD in Kumite!

Beginner Division (White Belts):

Hudson Burns (18-34 Male) Bronze in Kata and Kumite; GOLD in Kobudo!

Emily Galindo (15 Female) Silver in Kobudo; GOLD in Kata and Kumite!

Jasmine Elsayyad (14 Female) Silver in Kobudo; GOLD in Kumite!

Brodee Blackwell (12 Male) Silver in Kata; Bronze in Kumite; GOLD in Kobudo!

Nate Carney (12 Male) GOLDs in Kata and Kumite, Silver in Team Family Kobudo.

Coley Carney (10 Female) Silver in Kobudo; GOLDs in Kata and Kumite, Silver in Team Family Kobudo.

Robert Gibson (9 Male) Bronze in Kumite!

Cristiano Perez (8 Male) Bronze in Kata; Silver in Kumite.

Reagan Strickland (7 Female) Silver in Kumite; GOLDs in Kobudo and Kata!

Billy Lamping (7 Male) Bronze in Kumite.

Kylah Johnson (6 Female) Silver in Kumite; GOLDs in Kata and Kobudo!

Xavier Johnson (6 Male) Bronze in Kobudo and Kumite; Silver in Kata.

Daniel Carney (6 Male) Silver in Kobudo; GOLDs in Kata and Kumite! + Team family Kobudo.

Mia Blackwell (5 Female) GOLDs in all 3 divisions- Kobudo, Kata, and Kumite

Alana Humber (5 Female) Silvers in all 3 divisions-Kobudo, kata, and Kumite.

Axsom's Army Finishes Out 2020 Virtually

We have fallen woefully behind on updates from the Axsom dojo. In fact, Sensei "Moose," as he is affectionately called, just sent a fourth one today. So, we're going to dedicate the month of July as Martial Arts Month here at VPS. It will be a good month to promote the dojo as McGrath Educational will be posting a big announcement on July 15, and hopefully steering extra traffic to Virginia Peninsula Sports.

Here's how Axsom's Army ended the 2020 campaign, as reported by the good Sensei himself.

As a result of Covid19, the 2020 AAU National Championships and Team Trials were cancelled. They were supposed to take place in July and then in October of 2020 at the ESPN Wild World of Sports in Orlando, FL. Despite the cancellation, 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. Our dojo competed in this first ever virtual national championships, and below are the results of our competitors hardwork and determination. Our dojo fielded 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 ChellisMartinez, 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 Female old Beginner - Shianne Medlin (GOLD Medal)

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

In total, our dojo had 23 total competitors compete. Not everyone medaled. The dojo brought home a total of 30 Medals for team and individual events.