Jackson, Lieberman win 2A regional track titles to lead Polk
Published 2:15 pm Monday, May 15, 2017
Polk County made its final 2A West Regional a memorable experience.
Hosting teams from Charlotte to Franklin Saturday in the regional meet in G.M. Tennant Stadium, the Wolverines posted 13 qualifying finishes for Friday’s state 2A championship meet, winning two regional titles and setting a school record.
Sophomore Izzy Jackson won the 400-meter dash and senior Troy Lieberman won the pole vault to lead the parade of Polk County state qualifiers. The top four finishers in each event earned a berth in the state meet, to be held at North Carolina A&T State University.
Polk County’s girls finished fourth overall in the team competition. The Wolverine boys placed sixth.
Senior Marissa Longshore took third in the long jump and posted a mark of 17-4 3/4 to break her own school record in the event. Longshore jumped 17-4 1/4 earlier this season.
The rest of Polk County’s state qualifiers included:
Junior Reagan Waddell, who placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 34-2.
Junior Lauren Ketwitz, who cleared 8-6 in the pole vault to place third
Sophomore Mariah Overholt, who placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 17-1 and took third in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:01.55
Senior India Godlock, who placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:26.74. It will be the fourth state championship appearance for Godlock.
Polk County’s 4×400-meter girls relay team, which placed second in a time of 4:14.80.
Sophomore Jake Justice, who placed second in the pole vault with a leap of 13-0 and second in the long jump with a mark of 21-0.
Sophomore Caleb Potter, who took fourth in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:45.53.
Sophomore Jack Derkach, who took fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:02.69.
For Jackson, it marked the first time the sophomore ran the 400 in under a minute as she finished the race in 59.56. That placed her less than a second away from Rebecca Elliott’s school record of 58.68, set in 2012.
Lieberman matched his personal record of 13-6 in winning the pole vault.
Lake Norman Charter won the girls regional championship, scoring 92 points to finish ahead of Hendersonville, Brevard and Polk County. Bunker Hill’s 88 points easily earned the regional boys championship, with Shelby, Brevard and Smoky Mountain rounding out the top four.