Dominant Wolverines capture WHC boys, girls track titles

Published 8:00 am Saturday, May 5, 2018

Western Highlands Conference champions — with no doubts.

Polk County captured the WHC boys and girls track and field championships on Thursday, with both teams posting dominating performances to claim titles at G.M. Tennant Stadium.

The Polk boys posted 203 points, easily topping the 106 scored by runner-up Avery. The Wolverine girls racked up 217 points, also far ahead of the second-place team, Owen, which finished with 137 points.

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Polk County head coach Alan Peoples was named the men’s and women’s conference coach of the year, with Jake Justice being named the male field athlete of the year. Izzy Jackson was named the WHC female runner of the year, with Reagan Waddell sharing female field athlete of the year honors with Owen’s Chesney Gardner.

Justice broke his school record in the long jump with a mark of 22-6 1/2, with teammate Dillon Overholt taking second at 20-9 1/2. Justice also matched the school record in the pole vault for the second time this season, winning the conference title with a leap of 14-6, and took second in the 400 meters.

Other Polk boys standouts included:

• Luke Sellers, who placed third in the shot put and second in the discus and qualified for the 1A West Regional in each

• Jason Fox, who won the triple jump with a mark of 39-8

• Caleb Potter and Evan Dadson, who finished 1-2 in the 1600-meter run, and Jack Derkach, who won the 800 meters with Potter placing second; Potter and Dadson also finished second and third in the 3200 meters

• Polk’s 4×800 and 4×200-meter relay teams, each event winners

For the Wolverine girls:

• Waddell took first in the shot put and third in the discus, with Autumn Owen grabbing second in the shot put

• Mariah Overholt and Marissa Twitty finished 1-2 in the long jump, while Ansley Lynch and Anna McFadden placed second and third in the triple jump; McFadden also added a third in the high jump

• Lauren Ketwitz, Sydney Waldman and Tana Harris finished 1-2-3 in the pole vault

• Jackson finished first in the 100 and 200 meters, just ahead of Lynch in both, and placed second in the 400 meters, with Twitty taking third

• Emmie McDowell won the 3200 meters and placed second in the 300-meter hurdles

• The Wolverines closed the day by winning the 4×400-meter relay

View results online at PolkSports.com.

– Submitted by PolkSports.com