THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 21, 1995 TAG: 9505210209
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
On a day that Western Branch runners broke four records and tied a fifth, Great Bridge used its overall superiority to capture the boys and girls championships in the Southeastern District track meet.
The Great Bridge boys piled up 136 1/2 points Saturday at the Churchland track to retain their district crown. Runner-up Western Branch had 110, followed by Deep Creek (81), Norcom (77 1/2), Churchland (69), Oscar Smith (18), Indian River (14) and Wilson (8).
In the girls meet, Great Bridge totaled 127 points for a 31-point edge over second-place Western Branch. Oscar Smith was third with 86, followed by Norcom (85), defending champion Deep Creek (51), Wilson (23), Indian River (23) and Churchland (0).
Five records fell and another was tied on a nearly perfect day for track.
The highlight of the meet was a 37.1 clocking by Western Branch's Tony Smith in the semifinals of the 300-meter hurdles. It was the fourth-fastest time in the nation this year by a high school hurdler. Smith went on to win the finals at 37.32. He shattered a nine-year-old district record.
Deep Creek's Jason Waters tied the Accutrak district mark in the 110-meter hurdles, reeling off a 14.32 time.
Two records were toppled in the boys relays. Western Branch's 400-meter relay unit of Clayton Porter, Malik Cook, Darren Walton and Dre Bly, posted a 41.9 handheld time and a 42.27 Accutrak time, both under the old standard of 42.6.
Norcom erased the 3,200-meter relay record of 8:19.52 with a blistering 8:14.6. Jerod Ruffin, William Coltrain, Darrius Mason and Jason Wells formed the Greyhound unit.
The two girls records were set by Western Branch's Meredith Turnage. She won the 1,600-meter run in 5:17.8, clipping about a second off the record (5:18.7) by Laura Stevens of Deep Creek in 1987.
Turnage later came back with an 11:59.0 time in the 3,200-meter run to barely better the 11:59.94 mark set by Great Bridge's Jody Bing four years ago. The Great Bridge boys showed their overall muscle by winning five events and placing in all except three.
With only one senior, the Great Bridge girls had four firsts and missed placing in just one event. The lone senior, Melba Brown, won the 800-meter run.
Churchland's Greg Boothe was a double winner, taking the 100- and 200-meter dashes. On Friday, Great Bridge's Brian Hunter won the high jump and pole vault. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
PAUL AIKEN/Staff
Darren Walton, right, hands off to Dre Bly during Western Branch's
record run in the 400 relay.
by CNB