Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 7, 1995 TAG: 9506070069
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Patrick Henry's Jamie Price earned the boys' honor, nosing out Covington's Chris Merrell.
Among the girls, Giles' Tomika Saunders and Christiansburg's Bethany Eigel wound up in a dead heat with sensational performances in their respective state meets.
Those two finished just ahead of Glenvar's Trish Nervo, a double-winner in the distance events at the Group A meet, and Franklin County's Leticia Claytor, who saved her best for last by coming up with a long jump of 18 feet, 71/4 inches to win the Group AAA title.
It wasn't that close in coaching.
After 27 years on the job, Christiansburg's Norma Cox won her first Group AA title to take top honors among girls' coaches.
Patrick Henry's Jeff Johnson, who has earned coaching awards in boys and girls track and field, is a repeat winner. His Patriots boys' team became only the second Roanoke Valley District team to win the Northwest Region title.
Price, who won the 55-meter dash at the Group AAA meet during the indoor season, failed to win a state championship outdoors. Still, he dominated the dashes in Timesland and the Northwest Region before finishing second in the 200 and fourth in the 400 at the Group AAA meet.
He was beaten in the 200 by Hayfield's Ian Winston, who has been a nemesis of Price since he beat the PH star in close races twice in 1994 and again this spring at an invitational meet in Knoxville, Tenn.
``It's a real satisfying season and you just can't win them all,'' Price said. ``I had to take the SAT [Scholastic Assessment Test] that morning [in Newport News]. I was only there 40 minutes before the race. I wasn't at the track long enough to get my adrenaline flowing.''
Price says leading PH to victory in the regional, where he won two events with ease, was the highlight of his track and field career.
``No City [of Roanoke] team had ever won the regional, so considering that, I was very happy,'' he said.
Merrell won two Region C distance crowns over Floyd County's Ben Cooke. He also won the 3,200 meters at the Group A meet, but was beaten by Cooke in the 1,600. Merrell became the first track and field athlete with a jersey retired at Covington.
In girls' track and field, Saunders did everything but lead Giles to the Group A title. She scored 50.2 points as the Spartans won the Region C crown, then provided 31 points at the Group A meet, where Giles finished second.
``I was surprised by this year,'' said Saunders, who will enter the U.S. Air Force in the fall. ``There was a lot of pressure at the state meet. I went up against some girls who were really good.''
Eigel won both distance events at the Group AA meet, and Christiansburg needed those points to claim the state crown with 36.
``There's certainly room for improvement on running,'' Eigel said. ``But with the team winning and me winning, who could ask for more?
``I didn't know if I could double [in the 1,600 and 3,200] and win. We were afraid it would be hot. The weather cooperated.``
Nervo won both distance events in Group A and had a faster time than Eigel by less than a second in the 3,200. Nervo lost two races to Eigel at the Cosmopolitan Invitational, but was running so well at the end of the season that a rematch would have been one of Timesland's great duels.
Claytor didn't win an event at the Northwest Region meet, though she placed in four. She wasn't favored to do well in the Group AAA meet, but got off her best long jump of the year to stun the field and give the Roanoke Valley District its only girls' title.
In coaching, Cox also has been involved in basketball and gymnastics at Christiansburg. But track and field is her first love.
``Winning the state is probably the best feeling I've ever had,'' Cox said. ``I know it was very close to the last event and other schools kept getting points.''
``We were counting points, figuring out what would happen if this came through or that didn't come through. We had everyone who knew anything trying to figure out the angles.''
Cox pointed toward the Group AA meet all year, toughening her team's schedule to prepare the Blue Demons for tougher competition.
Johnson did double duty as boys' and girls' coach at PH.
``The regional was by far my most satisfying day, but we were a little disappointed in the state,'' Johnson said after his Patriots scored 13 points in the Group AAA meet.
PH overcame the loss of Larry Jones, its top jumper and hurdler, for most of the spring with a pulled hamstring.
by CNB