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As winds whipped across W.J. Miller Field on Wednesday afternoon, a visiting coach stood in the grass and shouted to no one in particular.

 

“Indoor track,” he said. “It’s indoor track.”

 

Polk County’s Polar Bear 1 indoor track and field meet certainly felt at times fit for those Arctic dwellers, but that didn’t stop athletes from eight schools from competing in the first full meet since the resurfacing of the Wolverines’ track.

 

It proved a good day for Polk athletes as well – the Wolverine boys placed first in the team competition, with the Polk girls finishing third behind Pisgah and Smoky Mountain.

 

Polk County’s Nathaniel Rhein delivered the best showing of the day, posting qualifying times in two events for the state 2A/1A indoor track and field championships set for February. Rhein won the triple jump with a mark of 39-3 and took the 55-meter hurdles in 8.52.

 

Polk’s 4×400-meter relay squad also earned a state spot, winning that event with a time of 3:46.98.

 

Susanna Ashworth had the lone track win for the Polk girls, taking the 3200-meter run in a time of 13:31.40. Wolverines’ Leah Dotson and Sarah Vitale had field event victories, with Dotson winning the pole vault with a jump of 6-6 and Vitale topping the long jump field with a mark of 12-8.

 

Polk County teams are scheduled to return to G.M. Tennant Stadium on Dec. 7 for the Polar Bear 2 meet.