Wolverines fare well against record WNC Polar Bear field

Published 10:00 pm Thursday, January 26, 2017

Polk County’s Reese Alley soared to top-four finishes in the long and triple jumps at Wednesday’s meet. (Photo by Andy Rhinehart)

Polk County’s Reese Alley soared to top-four finishes in the long and triple jumps at Wednesday’s meet. (Photo by Andy Rhinehart)

Runners, throwers and jumpers filled G.M. Tennant Stadium on Wednesday.

The combination of near-perfect weather and a last chance to qualify for state championship competition brought a record field to Polk County’s WNC Polar Bear indoor track meet. More than two dozen schools were represented – some with full teams, some with only a few individuals – in the Wolverines’ final home meet of the indoor season.

“This is the largest indoor track meet we’ve ever had here,” said Polk County head coach Alan Peoples.

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The large turnout led to sights such as the boys 500-meter run, in which a field of 38 competed in a single heat in the lap-plus around the track.

Amid all the athletes, Polk County’s teams finished well. The Wolverines girls placed second in the team standings, scoring 66 points to place behind T.C. Roberson in the 24-team field. The Polk County boys tied for sixth in the 25-team field, with Hendersonville winning the boys title.

Individually, Polk County notched a 2-3-4 finish in the girls shot put, with Kimberly Williams nearly matching a school record, throwing 33-11 to take second in the event behind defending state champion LesLeigh Tabor of Franklin. Williams’ throw was just an inch short of the mark set by teammate Micheala Nelon in last year’s state championships. Nelson placed third Wednesday, with Reagan Waddell in fourth.

Lauren Ketwitz tied for first place in the pole vault, losing a tiebreaker to Pisgah’s Rylee Williamson, while Reese Alley placed fourth in the long jump and third in the triple jump.

On the track, Izzy Jackson ran to a second-place finish in the 500 meters, passing a handful of runners in the final 100 meters, while India Godlock took second in the 1000 meters. The Wolverine 4×400-meter relay team placed third with its best time of the season, a 4:27.65.

For the Wolverine boys, Troy Lieberman matched his personal record, clearing 13-6, to win the event, with teammate Jake Justice taking third at 12-0.

Caleb Potter placed third in the 32000-meter run while Zach Foy added a sixth-place finish in the shot.

Polk County will end its indoor season on Feb. 10, competing in the 2A/1A indoor state championships at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.

– article submitted by PolkSports.com