By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga Women’s Track and Field team used strong performances in the middle and longer distances to capture the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference track and field championships title on May 1, hosted at Jack Groce Stadium.

Unlike in the Men’s Division where all three 4A schools took the top three spots in the team results, NWC 3A member Ashe County posted a strong performance to take the No. 2 team finish in the Women’s competition.

Highlights of the Women’s competition:

• 4×800 Relay: Watauga demonstrated its roster depth, capturing No. 1 by almost a 19 second margin over No. 2 Ashe County, with South Caldwell another 30 seconds later at No. 3.
• 100 Meter Hurdles: Watauga’s Sadie Buchanan was the only hurdler to record a time under 15 seconds as No. 1, with Ashe County claiming the No. 2 and No. 3 finishes by Emmi Cheek and Paige Overcash, respectively.
• 100 Meter Dash: Alexander Central (Malaya Adams), Hibriten (Jada Brown), and Ashe County (Emmi Cheek) claimed the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 podium finishes, respectively.
• 4×200 Relay: Alexander Central topped Watauga by a fraction of a second to claim the No. 1 spot on the podium. Ashe County came in No. 3.
• 1600 Meter Run: A Watauga 1-2 sweep with sophomore Janie Beach-Verhay taking the convincing win with freshman Lainey Johnston capturing the No. 2 spot. Ashe County picked up valuable team points with Emory Taylor’s No. 3 finish and teammate Evie Pyles at No. 4.
• 4×100 Relay: Same players, similar order with Alexander Central, Watauga and Ashe County taking 1-2-3.
• 400 Meter Dash: In one of the closest races of the afternoon, Freedom’s Ava Cooke took No. 1, just 10/100ths of a second ahead of No. 2 Lilly Stough of Watauga. The Pioneers’ Ava Doty and Kaitlyn Darner claimed the No. 3 and No. 4 finishes among the large field of 15 athletes competing.
• 300 Meter Hurdles: Ashe County’s Emmi Cheek triumphed over No. 2 Sadie Buchanan and No. 3 Tessa Buchanan, both of Watauga.
• 800 Meter Run: Jainey Beach-Verhay became a double winner with a convincing win over Ashe County’s Abilene Dollar at No. 2 and Pioneer teammate Lainey Johnston at No. 3, who also claimed her second podium finish.
• 200 Meter Dash: In a large field of 14 runners, Alexander Central’s Malayah Adams also became a double winner with Emmi Cheek of Ashe County at No. 2 and Hibriten’s Jada Brown also claiming multiple podium finishes each.
• 3200 Meter Run: Watauga’s Annabelle Stewart and Ellary Smith were both more than 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the field in finishing No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Ashe County’s Emory Taylor, Chloe Henson and Evie Pyles put in a strong Husky performance with the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 finishes.
• 4×400 Relay: This middle distance relay demonstrated more High Country depth as Watauga claimed No. 1 and Ashe County No. 2, with Alexander Central at No. 3.
• Long Jump: Hibriten’s Jada Brown was the class of the field, jumping more than 2 feet farther than Hallie Jarrett at No. 2. Watauga’s Eden Krenzin and Kayla Graham went 3-4, a few inches short of the No. 2 spot.
• Triple Jump: Jada Brown of Hibriten earned some more No. 1 hardware, with Watauga’s Lilly Stough and Alexander Central’s Cadence Rollins not far behind in No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.
• High Jump: Ashe County’s Paige Overcash became a multi-medalist in winning the event, followed by Alexander Central’s Carly Hendren and another Husky, Katlyn French at No. 3. Watauga’s Olivia Foskey and Ashe County’s Loralei Overcash took home the No. 4 and No. 5 honors in the 14-jumper field.
• Pole Vault: This was another dominating Watauga team performance in going 1-3-4 led by Olivia Burroughs at No. 1, Sydney Helms at No. 2 and Emmerson Martin at No. 4. Ashe County’s Gracie Finley was No. 2, but Burroughs’ successful vault performance was almost 3 feet higher than anyone else.
• Shot Put: Ashe County’s Emily Hartsoe had a heave that was more than 8 feet farther than No. 2, Maggie Tay of Hibriten and another foot beyond Watauga multi-sport athlete Emma Pastusic’s No. 3 distance.
• Discus: Another solid performance by Emily Hartsoe of Ashe County claimed the title, with Olivia Burroughs and Emma Pastusic of Watauga going No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

Team Scores
      TEAM                               SCORE
==================================================
1     Watauga                            248
2     Ashe County                        180.5
3     Alexander Central                  113.5
4     Hibriten                           61
5     South Caldwell                     39
6     Freedom                            38

4x800 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
Finals
  1 Watauga  'A'                                       10:56.37  
  2 Ashe County  'A'                                   11:15.23  
  3 South Caldwell  'A'                                11:35.93  
  4 Alexander Central  'A'                             11:51.83  
  5 Freedom  'A'                                       12:11.96  
 
100 Meter Hurdles
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Buchanan, Sadie              Watauga                  14.80   2 
  2 Cheek, Emmi                  Ashe County              16.32   2 
  3 Overcash, Paige              Ashe County              16.41   2 
  4 Buchanan, Tessa              Watauga                  16.75   2 
  5 Schneider, Kara              Watauga                  17.68   2 
  6 Lackey, Kylie                South Caldwe             18.67   2 
  7 Rash, Haley                  Alexander Ce             19.03   2 
  8 Harrington, Hallie           Alexander Ce             20.24   1 
  9 Bolick, Chloe                South Caldwe             20.44   1 
 10 Taylor, Aniyah               Alexander Ce             21.75   2 
 11 Plumley, Zania               Freedom                  22.73   1 
 
100 Meter Dash
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Adams, Malayah               Alexander Ce             12.55   3 
  2 Brown, Jada                  Hibriten                 12.59   3 
  3 Cheek, Emmi                  Ashe County              12.72   3 
  4 Kop, Olivia                  Watauga                  13.14   3 
  5 Caldwell, Cynica             Freedom                  13.31   3 
  6 Dawson, Lexie                Ashe County              13.36   3 
  7 Queen, Aniah                 Freedom                  13.75   2 
  8 Howell, KaMauri              Hibriten                 13.75   2 
  9 Miller, Nya                  Alexander Ce             13.76   3 
 10 Kop, Sophia                  Watauga                  13.79   2 
 11 Foskey, Olivia               Watauga                  13.83   2 
 12 McMinn, Kerris               South Caldwe             13.99   2 
 13 Taylor, Cheyenne             Alexander Ce             13.99   3 
 14 Dula, Nivea                  Hibriten                 14.36   2 
 15 Bridges, Bella               South Caldwe             14.49   1 
 16 Goodman, Carley              Ashe County              14.59   1 
 17 Kanipe, Kemora               Freedom                  15.30   1 
 18 Lambert, Kayleigh            South Caldwe             16.06   2 
 
4x200 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
  1 Alexander Central  'A'                              1:47.12  
  2 Watauga  'A'                                        1:47.76  
  3 Ashe County  'A'                                    1:48.62  
  4 Freedom  'A'                                        1:50.08  
  5 Hibriten  'A'                                       2:02.87  
  6 South Caldwell  'A'                                 2:07.76  
 
1600 Meter Run
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Beach-Verhay, Janie          Watauga                5:38.26  
  2 Johnston, Lainey             Watauga                5:58.55  
  3 Taylor, Emory                Ashe County            6:04.65  
  4 Pyles, Evie                  Ashe County            6:25.03  
  5 Noble, Clara                 South Caldwe           6:27.61  
  6 Townsend, Sydney             Watauga                6:31.53  
  7 Bautista, Hannely            Ashe County            6:43.97  
  8 Cox, Hope                    Alexander Ce           6:49.73  
  9 Osborne, Maggie              South Caldwe           7:04.96  
 10 Denton, Kennedy              Freedom                7:08.10  
 11 Childers, Madison            South Caldwe           7:20.43  
 12 Spencer, Chloe               Freedom                7:28.97  
 
4x100 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
  1 Alexander Central  'A'                                50.37  
  2 Watauga  'A'                                          50.50  
  3 Ashe County  'A'                                      52.08  
  4 Freedom  'A'                                          53.31  
  5 Hibriten  'A'                                         55.86  
  6 South Caldwell  'A'                                   57.57  
 
400 Meter Dash
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Cooke, Ava                   Freedom                1:02.15   2 
  2 Stough, Lilly                Watauga                1:02.25   2 
  3 Doty, Ava                    Watauga                1:03.68   2 
  4 Darner, Kaitlyn              Watauga                1:04.19   2 
  5 Kirksey, Leah                Freedom                1:06.29   2 
  6 Shepherd, Madalyn            Alexander Ce           1:08.36   2 
  7 Smith, Ava                   Alexander Ce           1:08.75   2 
  8 Goodman, Carley              Ashe County            1:10.03   1 
  9 Pennell, Lexi                South Caldwe           1:10.32   1 
 10 Bolick, Chloe                South Caldwe           1:13.21   2 
 11 Ritchie, Rylei               Hibriten               1:13.84   1 
 12 Satterwhite, Audrey          Ashe County            1:17.47   1 
 13 Holden, Vera                 South Caldwe           1:17.79   1 
 14 Lewis, Emily                 Ashe County            1:19.27   1 
 15 Yang, Raine                  Freedom                1:32.12   1 
 
300 Meter Hurdles
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Cheek, Emmi                  Ashe County              46.84   2 
  2 Buchanan, Sadie              Watauga                  48.10   2 
  3 Buchanan, Tessa              Watauga                  50.31   2 
  4 Davis, Frances               Watauga                  54.37   2 
  5 Rash, Haley                  Alexander Ce             56.22   2 
  6 Harrington, Hallie           Alexander Ce             56.72   2 
  7 Lackey, Kylie                South Caldwe             56.76   2 
  8 Taylor, Aniyah               Alexander Ce             59.81   1 
  9 Howell, Emma                 Ashe County            1:00.86   1 
 10 Plumley, Zania               Freedom                1:06.30   1 
 11 Bridges, Bella               South Caldwe           1:06.31   1 
 -- Hamby, Sophia                South Caldwe                FS   1 
 
800 Meter Run
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Beach-Verhay, Janie          Watauga                2:31.19  
  2 Dollar, Abilene              Ashe County            2:34.26  
  3 Johnston, Lainey             Watauga                2:37.30  
  4 Anderson, Payton             South Caldwe           2:44.55  
  5 Franca, Josie                Ashe County            2:48.24  
  6 Hendren, Lydia               Alexander Ce           2:51.38  
  7 Crafton, Celeste             Alexander Ce           3:02.48  
  8 Llibre, Mia Grace            Watauga                3:02.89  
  9 Ritchie, Rylei               Hibriten               3:17.62  
 10 Tomberlin, Olivia            South Caldwe           3:25.67  
 11 Spencer, Chloe               Freedom                3:27.49  
 12 Harris, Mackenzie            South Caldwe           3:39.67  
 
200 Meter Dash
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Adams, Malayah               Alexander Ce             26.48   3 
  2 Cheek, Emmi                  Ashe County              26.92   3 
  3 Brown, Jada                  Hibriten                 27.02   3 
  4 Johnson, Sienna              Watauga                  28.06   3 
  5 Caldwell, Cynica             Freedom                  28.15   3 
  6 Cheek, Mackenzy              Watauga                  28.47   3 
  7 Hendren, Carly               Alexander Ce             28.50   3 
  8 Dollar, Addison              Ashe County              29.07   2 
  9 Evans, Leland                Freedom                  29.19   2 
 10 Cooke, Ava                   Freedom                  29.22   3 
 11 Glover, Olivia               Ashe County              29.73   2 
 12 Howell, KaMauri              Hibriten                 30.42   2 
 13 Higginbothom, Brady          South Caldwe             33.51   1 
 14 Austin, Zoey                 South Caldwe             36.00   1 
 
3200 Meter Run
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Stewart, Annabelle           Watauga               13:08.31  
  2 Smith, Ellary                Watauga               13:16.55  
  3 Taylor, Emory                Ashe County           13:47.47  
  4 Henson, Chloe                Ashe County           13:53.30  
  5 Pyles, Evie                  Ashe County           13:56.26  
  6 Llibre, Mia Grace            Watauga               14:52.49  
  7 Osborne, Maggie              South Caldwe          15:51.92  
  8 Noble, Clara                 South Caldwe          15:52.97  
  9 Childers, Madison            South Caldwe          17:10.23  
 10 Roupe, Tessa                 Alexander Ce          17:23.41  
 
Event 23  Girls 4x400 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
  1 Watauga  'A'                                        4:18.50  
  2 Ashe County  'A'                                    4:23.75  
  3 Alexander Central  'A'                              4:41.68  
  4 South Caldwell  'A'                                 5:13.69  
 -- Hibriten  'A'                                           DNF  
 
Long Jump
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Brown, Jada                  Hibriten              17-09.00  
  2 Jarrett, Hallie              Alexander Ce          15-08.75  
  3 Krenzin, Eden                Watauga               15-04.75  
  4 Graham, Kayla                Watauga               15-01.25  
  5 Rollins, Alexis              Ashe County           14-11.00  
  6 Foskey, Olivia               Watauga               14-09.00  
  7 Glover, Olivia               Ashe County           14-08.00  
  8 Dollar, Addison              Ashe County           13-07.00  
  9 Caldwell, Payton             Freedom               13-01.50  
 10 Higginbothom, Brady          South Caldwe          12-10.50  
 11 Merritt, Makenzie            Alexander Ce          12-05.50  
 12 Beck, Allie                  South Caldwe          12-00.75  
 13 Capula Leon, Mayra           Hibriten              11-02.00  
 14 Austin, Zoey                 South Caldwe           9-05.00  
 
Triple Jump
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Brown, Jada                  Hibriten              39-02.00  
  2 Stough, Lilly                Watauga               35-03.50  
  3 Rollins, Cadence             Alexander Ce          34-06.50  
  4 Spears, MaNya                Alexander Ce          34-00.00  
  5 Krenzin, Eden                Watauga               33-06.00  
  6 Foskey, Olivia               Watauga               31-10.00  
  7 Rollins, Alexis              Ashe County           31-03.00  
  8 Cremeans, Joely              Alexander Ce          29-04.00  
 
High Jump
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Overcash, Paige              Ashe County            5-00.00  
  2 Hendren, Carly               Alexander Ce           4-10.00  
  3 French, Katlyn               Ashe County            4-08.00  
  3 Foskey, Olivia               Watauga                4-08.00  
  3 Overcash, loralei            Ashe County            4-08.00  
  6 Helms, Sydney                Watauga               J4-06.00  
  7 Graham, Kayla                Watauga               J4-06.00  
  8 Fox, Chloe                   Alexander Ce          J4-06.00  
  9 Dula, Layah                  Hibriten               4-02.00  
 10 Higginbothom, Brady          South Caldwe           4-00.00  
 10 Hendren, Lydia               Alexander Ce           4-00.00  
 -- Summerlin, Chloe             South Caldwe                NH  
 -- Lambert, Kayleigh            South Caldwe                NH  
 -- Moss, Ryver                  Hibriten                    NH  
 
Pole Vault
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Burroughs, Olivia            Watauga               12-02.00  
  2 Finley, Gracie               Ashe County            9-06.00  
  3 Helms, Sydney                Watauga               J9-00.00  
  4 Martin, Emmerson             Watauga               J9-00.00  
  5 Miller, Emery                Alexander Ce           8-00.00  
  6 Rollins, Alexis              Ashe County            7-06.00  
  6 Ackerman, Andersyn           Alexander Ce           7-06.00  
  8 Capula Leon, Mayra           Hibriten               6-00.00  
 -- Suddreth, Jenna              South Caldwe                NH  
 -- Pennell, Lexi                South Caldwe                NH  
 
Shot Put
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Hartsoe, Emily               Ashe County           40-09.25  
  2 Maggie) Tay, Margaret        Hibriten              32-08.50  
  3 Pastusic, Emma               Watauga               31-03.25  
  4 Peterman, Dakota             Ashe County           28-10.50  
  5 Huitt, Carleigh              South Caldwe          27-06.25  
  6 Cole, Somerlyn               Watauga               26-11.00  
  7 Jackson, Asia                Alexander Ce          26-05.75  
  8 Lail, Kendra                 South Caldwe          25-10.25  
  9 Cowan, Tyiana                Alexander Ce          25-10.00  
 10 Miller, Abigail              Ashe County           25-06.00  
 11 Moss, Ryver                  Hibriten              25-03.25  
 12 Wright, Simone               Freedom               24-04.00  
 13 Hartis, Teryn                Alexander Ce          22-01.25  
 14 Azua Martin, Yesenia         Hibriten              21-04.25  
 15 Eaker, Choe                  South Caldwe          21-02.00  
 
Discus Throw
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Hartsoe, Emily               Ashe County             120-06  
  2 Burroughs, Olivia            Watauga                 114-04  
  3 Pastusic, Emma               Watauga                  98-07  
  4 Moss, Ryver                  Hibriten                 89-07  
  5 Maggie) Tay, Margaret        Hibriten                 89-01  
  6 Peterman, Dakota             Ashe County              87-00  
  7 Bowers, Lanie                Ashe County              85-05  
  8 Jackson, Asia                Alexander Ce             84-08  
  9 Huitt, Carleigh              South Caldwe             82-11  
 10 Hartis, Teryn                Alexander Ce             65-05  
 11 Wright, Simone               Freedom                  63-03  
 12 Smith, Margot                Watauga                  61-04  
 13 Lail, Kendra                 South Caldwe             59-00  
 14 Azua Martin, Yesenia         Hibriten                 58-10  
 15 Parsons, Riley               Alexander Ce             58-03  
 16 Lambert, Kayleigh            South Caldwell

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Thanks especially to strong performances in the Men’s relay and middle distance events, Watauga turned back a strong team effort by Alexander Central to capture the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference Track and Field Championship.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article. For best viewing on a desktop monitor, click on any image for Slideshow Mode,

True to form, the three 4A schools (Watauga, Alexander Central and South Caldwell) took the top three spots, but Ashe County also had a strong showing and barely missed the No. 3 spot in the team standings.

Highlights of note:

• Watauga relay performances
  • 4×800: No. 1
  • 4×200: No. 2
  • 4×100: No. 1
  • 4×400: No. 1
• 110 Meter Hurdles: While South Caldwell senior Suan Moore won the day, Ashe County picked up valuable team points when senior Ryder Phipps and sophomore Sawyer Greene crossed the line No. 2 and No. 3.
• 100 Meter Dash: Alexander Central was strong in the sprints, going No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 with Jamison Rowe, Jeremiah Whitaker and Jaheim Redmond, respectively. South Caldwell’s Moore finished No. 2 and Watauga’s Kees Greene was No. 5 in the large field of 17 competitors.
• 1600 Meter Run: Junior Will Bradbury led a 1-2-3 sweep for Watauga, with Sam Nixon at No. 2 and Wesley Coatney at No. 3.
• 400 Meter Dash: It was a 1-2 finish for Watauga juniors Jakob Crosswell and Alex Gremmell, with Curtis Sevensky also finishing strong at No. 6 in the 17-man field.
• 300 Meter Hurdles: With Ryder Phipps of Ashe County taking the No. 1 spot, Watauga sophomore Nyle Peays was 1/100th of a second behind in the photo finish. South Caldwell’s Zach Freeman was another full second for the No. 3 placing.
• 800 Meters: Another Watauga 1-2-3 sweep, all seniors, led by No. 1 Micah Duvall, No. 2 Sam Nixon and No. 3 Collin Anderrson.
• 200 Meters: Alexander Central junior Jamison Rowe captured the title with teammate and sophomore Jeremiah Whitaker coming in No. 3. The Cougar duo provided bookends of a sort for No. 2 Suan Moore of South Caldwell.
• 3200 Meters: Call it a Watauga youth movement as junior Will Bradbury was No. 1, sophomore Calvin Zwetsloot crossed the line as No. 2, and junior Jonah Norris brought home the No. 3 spot.
• Long Jump: Freedom sophomore KeAndre Davis unleashed a more than 22 foot effort that outdid everyone else by well over a foot. Ashe County senior Michael Acevedo was No. 2 and Watauga junior Josiah Railey was close behind as the No. 3.
• Triple Jump: The junior class held sway as Freedom’s Tiras Walker was No. 1, Watauga’s Josiah Railey No. 2, and South Caldwell’s Paxton Perkins No. 3. Just for that junior emphasis, Alexander Central’s Austin Presnell was No. 4 out of the dozen competitors.
• High Jump: Ashe County sophomore Sawyer Greene outdid the field in taking No. 1, with Watauga’s Josiah Railey at No. 2 and Ashe County teammate Ian Graybeal holding down the No. 3 spot.
• Pole Vault: Caleb Robbins allowed Hibriten to have a rare appearance atop the awards podium at No. 1, with a pair of Watauga Pioneers sharing the spotlight at No. 2 and No. 3, Clayo Kulczyk and Santino Wood, respectively.
• Shot Put: Alexander Central’s Garison Millsaps and Chad Lasher outmuscled the 18-man field in sweeping the No. 1 and No. 2 places, respectively, while Ashe County senior Elliott Cox was close behind at No. 3.
• Discus: The Discus was a near replica of the Shot Put, with Alexander Central’s Lasher and Millsaps switching places to take No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, while Ashe County’s Cox put in the No. 3 effort.

Men's Team Scores
      TEAM                               SCORE
==================================================
1     Watauga                            197
2     Alexander Central                  160
3     South Caldwell                     113.5
4     Ashe County                        104
5     Freedom                            64
6     Hibriten                           50.5

Licensed to Watauga High School         HY-TEK's Meet Manager 5/1/2024 07:10 PM
                                    Results                                    
 
4x800 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
Finals
  1 Watauga  'A'                                        8:43.27  
  2 South Caldwell  'A'                                 8:56.19  
  3 Hibriten  'A'                                       9:33.32  
  4 Alexander Central  'A'                              9:34.92  
  5 Freedom  'A'                                        9:53.48  
  6 Ashe County  'A'                                   10:11.06  
 
110 Meter Hurdles
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Moore, Suan                  South Caldwe             15.60  
  2 Phipps, Ryder                Ashe County              15.79  
  3 Greene, Sawyer               Ashe County              16.19  
  4 Freeman, Zach                South Caldwe             16.81  
  5 Presnell, Austin             Alexander Ce             17.24  
  6 Perry, Bobby`                South Caldwe             19.01  
  7 Reed, Ethan                  Watauga                  19.64  
 -- Lindsay, Nathan              Freedom                     FS  
 
100 Meter Dash
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Rowe, Jamison                Alexander Ce             10.99   3 
  2 Moore, Suan                  South Caldwe             11.31   3 
  3 Whitaker, Jeremiah           Alexander Ce             11.48   3 
  4 Redmond, Jaheim              Alexander Ce             11.71   3 
  5 Greene, Kees                 Watauga                  11.72   3 
  6 Symons, Austin               South Caldwe             11.74   3 
  7 Bunn, Lorenz                 Hibriten                 11.79   2 
  8 Price, Riley                 South Caldwe             11.80   2 
  9 Dominguez, Justice           Freedom                  11.93   3 
 10 Oguntoyinbo, Lade            Watauga                  11.98   3 
 11 Felder, Gerard               Hibriten                 12.02   2 
 12 Chapman, Bryce               Freedom                  12.04   2 
 13 Mosley, Dexter               Hibriten                 12.09   2 
 14 Casner, Creed                Watauga                  12.11   2 
 15 Osborne, Luke                Ashe County              12.16   2 
 16 Cox, Austin                  Ashe County              12.79   1 
 17 Guijosa, Gael                Ashe County              15.48   1 
 -- Belin, Jaiveon               Freedom                    DNF   1 
 
4x200 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
  1 Alexander Central  'A'                              1:32.22  
  2 Watauga  'A'                                        1:33.14  
  3 Freedom  'A'                                        1:34.49  
  4 Ashe County  'A'                                    1:34.54  
  5 Hibriten  'A'                                       1:39.82  
  6 South Caldwell  'A'                                 1:40.42  
 
1600 Meter Run
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Bradbury, Will               Watauga                4:43.08  
  2 Nixon, Samuel                Watauga                4:49.48  
  3 Coatney, Wesley              Watauga                4:53.39  
  4 Zirkle, Zachary              Alexander Ce           4:55.50  
  5 Bowman, Parker               South Caldwe           5:04.69  
  6 Bowman, Levi                 South Caldwe           5:05.36  
  7 Sanderlin, Lukas             Hibriten               5:10.12  
  8 Sanderlin, Ian               Hibriten               5:12.12  
  9 Fulcher, Holden              South Caldwe           5:17.21  
 10 Ramirez-Temaj, Luzvin        Freedom                5:29.66  
 11 Oller, Garrett               Ashe County            5:48.08  
 12 Bruch, Alexander             Hibriten               5:51.18  
 13 Causby, Shaun                Freedom                5:52.10  
 14 Ixchoy, Luis                 Freedom                5:54.75  
 15 Aravjo, Carlos               Ashe County            5:58.62  
 16 Bennett, Jonah               Ashe County            5:59.29  
 
4x100 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
  1 Watauga  'A'                                          43.92  
  2 Alexander Central  'A'                                44.24  
  3 South Caldwell  'A'                                   44.77  
  4 Hibriten  'A'                                         45.61  
  5 Freedom  'A'                                          45.69  
  6 Ashe County  'A'                                      47.16  
 
400 Meter Dash
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Crosswell, Jakob             Watauga                  53.00   3 
  2 Gremmell, Alex               Watauga                  53.73   3 
  3 Jamison, Dylan               Alexander Ce             53.95   3 
  4 Acevedo, Micheal             Ashe County              54.62   3 
  5 Davis, Trent                 Freedom                  54.69   1 
  6 Sevensky, Curtis             Watauga                  55.03   3 
  7 Morales, Alexander           Alexander Ce             55.41   3 
  8 Barlowe, Brody               South Caldwe             55.91   3 
  9 Hinson, Logan                South Caldwe             56.36   3 
 10 Pearson, Jewelz              Freedom                  56.66   2 
 11 Albright, Elijah             South Caldwe             57.73   2 
 12 Howell, Daven                Hibriten               1:00.07   2 
 13 Powers, Traythan             Ashe County            1:00.74   2 
 14 Gonzalez Velez, Enrique      Freedom                1:01.34   2 
 15 Healy, Elijah                Hibriten               1:02.01   2 
 16 Euceda, Jabes                Hibriten               1:03.65   1 
 17 Flores-Garcia, Jesus         Ashe County            1:07.98   1 
 
300 Meter Hurdles
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Phipps, Ryder                Ashe County              42.00   2 
  2 Peays, Nyle                  Watauga                  42.01   2 
  3 Freeman, Zach                South Caldwe             43.21   2 
  4 Lindsay, Nathan              Freedom                  44.13   2 
  5 Greene, Sawyer               Ashe County              45.09   2 
  6 Wellington, Dante            Ashe County              47.23   2 
  7 Perry, Andrew                South Caldwe             49.53   1 
  8 Mays, Cory                   Alexander Ce             49.77   2 
  9 Kizer, Colby                 South Caldwe             50.19   1 
 10 Reed, Ethan                  Watauga                  50.23   1 
 11 Elliott, Grayson             Watauga                  50.66   1 
 
800 Meter Run
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Duvall, Micah                Watauga                2:07.43   2 
  2 Nixon, Samuel                Watauga                2:08.16   2 
  3 Anderson, Collin             Watauga                2:16.84   2 
  4 McLain, Aaron                Alexander Ce           2:17.36   2 
  5 Sanderlin, Lukas             Hibriten               2:20.24   2 
  6 Sanderlin, Ian               Hibriten               2:27.05   2 
  7 Zirkle, Zachary              Alexander Ce           2:27.42   2 
  8 Vasile, Andrew               Freedom                2:27.53   1 
  9 Menedez, Dennis              Freedom                2:28.10   1 
 10 Quinonez, Samuel             Freedom                2:33.33   1 
 11 Haas, Ethan                  South Caldwe           2:34.93   2 
 12 Thompson, Sawyer             South Caldwe           2:35.32   2 
 13 Roten, Owen                  Ashe County            2:38.53   1 
 14 Bowman, Levi                 South Caldwe           2:42.12   2 
 15 Church, Christopher          Hibriten               2:44.27   1 
 16 Aravjo, Carlos               Ashe County            2:50.00   1 
 17 Perez, Marcos                Ashe County            2:52.35   1 
 
200 Meter Dash
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Rowe, Jamison                Alexander Ce             22.56   3 
  2 Moore, Suan                  South Caldwe             23.03   3 
  3 Whitaker, Jeremiah           Alexander Ce             23.56   3 
  4 Davis, KeAndre               Freedom                  23.92   3 
  5 Graybeal, Ian                Ashe County              23.96   3 
  6 Gremmell, Alex               Watauga                  24.37   2 
  7 Baity, Adian                 Alexander Ce             24.49   2 
  8 Mills, Javon                 Freedom                  24.52   2 
  9 Dula, William                South Caldwe             24.66   2 
 10 Chapman, Bryce               Freedom                  24.73   2 
 11 Lee, Anthony                 Hibriten                 25.07   2 
 12 Miller, Zarrian              Hibriten                 25.70   2 
 13 Rameriz, Joe                 Ashe County              26.29   1 
 14 Hess, Sam                    Ashe County              27.68   1 
 
3200 Meter Run
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Bradbury, Will               Watauga               10:25.96  
  2 Zwetsloot, Calvin            Watauga               10:43.14  
  3 Norris, Jonah                Watauga               10:43.80  
  4 Bowman, Parker               South Caldwe          11:20.12  
  5 Corpening, Bryce             South Caldwe          11:36.78  
  6 Ritchie, Lucas               Alexander Ce          11:48.23  
  7 Duncan, Griffin              Alexander Ce          11:52.39  
  8 Harris, Samuel               South Caldwe          12:36.22  
  9 Albino, Sebastian            Ashe County           13:52.21  
 10 Bruch, Alexander             Hibriten              14:23.19  
 11 Oller, Garrett               Ashe County           14:24.15  
 12 Hogan, Sully                 Hibriten              15:17.40  
 13 Church, Christopher          Hibriten              15:58.64  
 -- Zirkle, Zachary              Alexander Ce               DNF  
 
4x400 Meter Relay
================================================================
    School                                               Finals 
================================================================
  1 Watauga  'A'                                        3:35.78  
  2 Ashe County  'A'                                    3:46.45  
  3 South Caldwell  'A'                                 3:47.14  
  4 Freedom  'A'                                        3:47.58  
  5 Alexander Central  'A'                              3:49.08  
  6 Hibriten  'A'                                       4:04.83  
 
Long Jump
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Davis, KeAndre               Freedom               22-00.25   2 
  2 Acevedo, Micheal             Ashe County           20-05.25   2 
  3 Railey, Josiah               Watauga               20-02.25   2 
  4 Perkins, Paxton              South Caldwe          20-02.00   2 
  5 Gutierrez, Eduardo           Hibriten              19-08.75   1 
  6 Walker, Tiras                Freedom               19-06.50   2 
  7 Presnell, Austin             Alexander Ce          18-08.25   2 
  8 Jones, Jahzir                Hibriten              18-07.00   1 
  9 Felder, Gerard               Hibriten              18-01.00   1 
 10 Mays, Cory                   Alexander Ce          17-09.50   2 
 11 Miller, Jacob                Alexander Ce          16-11.50   2 
 12 Gonzalez Velez, Enrique      Freedom               16-08.50   1 
 13 McConnell, Jaylen            South Caldwe          16-07.50   2 
 14 Hess, Sam                    Ashe County           16-06.50   1 
 15 Oates, Khian                 South Caldwe          16-04.50   2 
 16 Rameriz, Joe                 Ashe County           16-02.50   1 
 
Triple Jump
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Walker, Tiras                Freedom               42-06.00  
  2 Railey, Josiah               Watauga               41-02.00  
  3 Perkins, Paxton              South Caldwe          39-08.00  
  4 Presnell, Austin             Alexander Ce          39-05.00  
  5 Greene, Sawyer               Ashe County           38-07.00  
  6 Kizer, Colby                 South Caldwe          37-08.00  
  7 Rowe, Braydon                Alexander Ce          37-05.00  
  8 Freeman, Kendall             South Caldwe          36-04.00  
  9 Gonzalez Velez, Enrique      Freedom               35-00.00  
 10 Mcguire, Hunter              Alexander Ce          34-06.00  
 11 Elliott, Grayson             Watauga               32-09.50  
 12 Rameriz, Joe                 Ashe County           31-00.50  
 
High Jump
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Greene, Sawyer               Ashe County            6-02.00  
  2 Railey, Josiah               Watauga               J5-10.00  
  3 Graybeal, Ian                Ashe County           J5-10.00  
  4 Presnell, Austin             Alexander Ce           5-08.00  
  5 Perkins, Paxton              South Caldwe           5-06.00  
  6 Morales, Alexander           Alexander Ce           5-04.00  
  6 Hubbard, Jacob               Alexander Ce           5-04.00  
  8 Jones, Jahzir                Hibriten               5-02.00  
  8 McConnell, Jaylen            South Caldwe           5-02.00  
 10 Simmons, Micah               Hibriten               5-00.00  
 
Pole Vault
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Robbins, Caleb               Hibriten              13-06.00  
  2 Kulczyk, Clayo               Watauga               13-00.00  
  3 Wood, Santino                Watauga               11-06.00  
  4 Mabry, Alex                  South Caldwe         J10-06.00  
  5 Branson, Neil                Alexander Ce         J10-06.00  
  6 Greer, Hayden                South Caldwe           9-06.00  
  6 Cliff, Richie                Ashe County            9-06.00  
  6 Haney, Nicholas              Alexander Ce           9-06.00  
  9 Heath, Benny                 Alexander Ce          J9-06.00  
 10 Miranda-Aponte, Julian       Watauga               J9-06.00  
 11 Wood, River                  Ashe County            9-00.00  
 12 Osborne, Luke                Ashe County            8-00.00  
 13 Watson, Kyle                 Hibriten               7-06.00  
 
Shot Put
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Millsaps, Garison            Alexander Ce          53-02.25   2 
  2 Lasher, Chad                 Alexander Ce          47-04.75   2 
  3 Cox, Elliott                 Ashe County           47-01.50   2 
  4 Surratt, Adarian             Freedom               44-02.00   2 
  5 Dewey, Caleb                 Watauga               42-04.50   2 
  6 Gunnell-Beck, Carson         Watauga               42-01.50   2 
  7 Johnson, Coy                 Watauga               40-05.75   2 
  8 Barnett, Zakkary             Alexander Ce          40-04.25   2 
  9 Suddreth, Gabe               Hibriten              37-01.50   2 
 10 Maffia, Tristan              South Caldwe          37-01.00   2 
 11 Spradling, Malcom            South Caldwe          36-07.50   2 
 12 Sanabria, Johnathon          South Caldwe          36-06.50   1 
 13 Upchurch, Alex               Ashe County           34-06.50   1 
 14 Feaster-Hicks, Daivyon       Freedom               31-03.00   1 
 15 Church, Tyler                Ashe County           31-02.00   1 
 16 Amaya Perez, Daniel          Hibriten              29-02.50   1 
 17 Foddrell, Micah              Hibriten              28-01.50   1 
 18 Lo, Yeng                     Freedom               24-03.50   1 
 
Discus Throw
===================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  H#
===================================================================
  1 Lasher, Chad                 Alexander Ce            144-09   2 
  2 Millsaps, Garison            Alexander Ce         138-08.50   2 
  3 Cox, Elliott                 Ashe County             131-06   2 
  4 Suddreth, Gabe               Hibriten                130-04   2 
  5 Gunnell-Beck, Carson         Watauga                 122-06   2 
  6 Armentrout, Mason            Ashe County             119-08   2 
  7 Barnett, Zakkary             Alexander Ce            112-01   2 
  8 Surratt, Adarian             Freedom                 110-07   2 
  9 Johnson, Coy                 Watauga                 109-10   2 
 10 Dewey, Caleb                 Watauga                 109-09   2 
 11 Hess, Sam                    Ashe County              98-09   1 
 12 Spradling, Malcom            South Caldwe             95-06   1 
 13 Foddrell, Micah              Hibriten                 92-08   1 
 14 Moran, Jace                  South Caldwe             67-08   1 
 15 Amaya Perez, Daniel          Hibriten                 63-06   1 
 16 Feaster-Hicks, Daivyon       Freedom                  63-03   1 
 17 Lo, Yeng                     Freedom                  60-07   1 
 -- Sanabria, Johnathon          South Caldwe              FOUL   2

BONUS PHOTOS

By Matt Present. SHELBY, N.C. — App State blasted four home runs, including two from Kameron Miller, but the Mountaineers’ ninth inning rally fell short in a 10-9 loss to No. 13 Wake Forest at Keeter Stadium.

The App State (26-15-1) offense enjoyed a strong start to open the ballgame. Austin St. Laurent led off with a double to right field and Drew Holderbach followed by launching his sixth home run of the season, just inside the left field foul pole, to give the Mountaineers an instant 2-0 advantage.

Holderbach finished with three hits in the ballgame and extended his on-base streak to 42 consecutive games.

Later in the first inning, CJ Boyd belted a solo home run to left field, his 15th of the season and 32nd career blast to tie Tony Welborn (1983-86) for second most in program history.

After Wake Forest (28-16) got a run back in the bottom of the first inning, the Mountaineers stormed back in the second. Hunter Wilder worked a leadoff walk and stole second to get into scoring position for Joseph Zamora, who singled up the middle to drive him home. After Zamora advanced to second on a wild pitch, Holderbach ripped an RBI single through the left side to increase the lead to 5-1.

App State was strong on the mound too early in the ballgame. Everette Harris, making his first career start, tossed 2.2 innings, striking out three, before giving way to Cody Little who fired 1.1 scoreless innings without giving up a hit.

The Black and Gold built on their lead in the fifth. Boyd reached on a one-out walk and Miller followed with a mammoth two-run home run to left-center to take a 7-2 advantage.

Wake Forest responded with a big bottom half of the frame to take their first lead of the ballgame. After loading the bases and scoring a run on a wild pitch, the Demon Deacons reloaded them and hit a grand slam and a solo homer back-to-back to go in front, 8-7.

It remained a one-run game until the bottom of the eighth thanks to Ryan Sleeper who came out of the bullpen to strike out three over 1.2 scoreless innings.

After giving up a pair of runs in the bottom on the eighth on a two-out, two-run double, the Mountaineers continued to fight in the ninth. Holderbach led off with a single to left field and after two loud outs from Tolley and Boyd, Miller crushed his second home run of the night to get the Mountaineers back to within one. Unfortunately, the Black and Gold were unable to chip away any further.

The Mountaineers out-hit the 13th-ranked Demon Deacons 12-7 in the ballgame.

App State returns to Boone for a three-game series with South Alabama Friday through Sunday.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A lightening delay of over one hour didn’t faze Watauga forward Katie Durham and her Pioneer teammates on April 30.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article. For best viewing on a PC, click on any image for Slideshow Mode.

Charlotte Cuthbert scored Watauga’s early goal and Morgan Flynt punched in the second after Alexander Central tied the game with a penalty kick early in the final period. Against what appeared to be a massively stacked defense with as many as nine Cougar defenders in the box, Durham didn’t find the back of the net until midway through the final period. Then it all but rained goals by the senior forward as she deftly picked apart the Cougars’ defensive strategy.

In part because of Alexander Central’s decision to stack the defensive box against the high-scoring Pioneers,  Watauga nonetheless dominated possession and skillfully moved the ball with short, one- and two-touch passes.

Now 13-1-1 overall and 6-0-1 in Northwestern Conference play, Watauga next travels to Hibriten for a May 3 rematch with the Panthers. Ranked by MaxPreps as the No. 5 best team in the NCHSAA 4A West region and No. 18 in the state among all classifications, Watauga will face a Hibriten team that is ranked No. 22 in the state and No. 1 in the NCHSAA 3A rankings. Last time out, in Boone, the teams battled to a 1-1 draw in a match marred by an early, red card to a Watauga player, which required the Pioneers to play shorthanded for the rest of the contest.

In looking ahead to the upcoming Hibriten match, Durham explained that it will be a challenge in that the Panthers’ field is one of the smallest in the conference and very uneven.

“That can work for us as well as against us,” said Durham. “Hibriten is very well coached, especially defensively, so it will definitely be a challenge.”

For the April 30 match vs. Alexander Central, sophomore Hannah Graham was promoted to varsity after a dynamic junior varsity season that saw her scoring as many as four and five goals per game.

“Hannah clearly deserves being brought up. Our JV team has had a terrific season. No one has scored a goal against them this season and that is reflected in their undefeated, 7-0 record,” said Watauga head coach Chris Tarnowski. “Hannah has been a big part of that success.”

“Playing on the JV team really helped me develop,” Graham noted. “It helped me prepare for this next challenge.”

BONUS PHOTOS

BOONE, N.C. – Strong pitching and 18 runs on 19 hits helped propel the App State Mountaineers’ nonconference winning streak to eight games as they closed their midweek schedule with a doubleheader sweep over the ETSU Buccaneers, winning 7-0 and 11-4 on Tuesday at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. App State finished its nonconference schedule with a 17-10 record.

The Mountaineers (21-27) scored in all but five of the 14 innings played to open their five-game homestand and battled through a 40-minute rain delay to post 11 runs in the finale. Kayt Houston’s four-hit, two-homer day and Addie Wray’s three-hit, four-RBI game two helped fuel the App State offense to 18 runs across the two contests. App State has scored 30 runs in its past three games.

In the circle, the duo of Sejal Neas and Delani Buckner allowed just four runs and nine hits while striking out 18 (nine apiece). Neas’ four-hit shutout to open play set the tone for the Mountaineers as she started the day by striking out five of the first nine Buccaneers (11-35) she saw. Buckner followed that performance with her season-best number of strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

App State’s offense erupted for 19 hits while also being patient at the plate, drawing 14 walks across the two wins. The Mountaineers saw at least one runner reach base in every inning they batted and had at least one hit in all but one inning. Over the past three games, App State has cracked 31 hits and has raised its team batting average to .300, the fourth-best mark in the Sun Belt Conference.

GAME 1: App State 7, ETSU 0

Returning to the High Country after a brief three-game road trip, Neas took to the circle to make her team-leading 25th start and struck out the first batter she faced en route to a perfect opening frame. Feeding off Neas’ strong start, Houston ignited the Mountaineer offense with her 10th homer of the season to help App State strike first. Houston, who eclipsed 30 career homers last Sunday, also became the first Mountaineer in program history to surpass 240 career hits with that blast.

Houston’s solo homer was followed by a walk from Peyton Darnell and a double from Ambry Lucas, immediately putting two runners in scoring position with one out. Being aggressive on the basepaths turned into two more first-inning runs as Darnell scored on a wild pitch and Lucas strolled home on a passed ball to make it 3-0 before the final out was recorded. App State is now 12-4 when scoring the game’s first run.

Two more perfect innings from Neas in the second and the third kept the App State lead at three through three innings and allowed the Mountaineer offense to strike for their fourth and fifth runs in the fourth to extend their lead. Summer Simpson led off the inning with a walk and stole second base, putting a runner in scoring position for Barrett. With two strikes, the freshman drove home Simpson with a sharply hit single into right field and a SAC fly by Darnell made it 5-0 after four. To that point, App State had already tallied seven hits.

ETSU recorded its second hit of the game in the fifth inning, but back-to-back punchouts from Neas ended the frame, her seventh and eighth of the game. In the bottom half of the inning, two more hits pushed across two more runs, building the Mountaineer lead to seven.

Three straight baserunners helped fuel the crooked number as Killian Roberts led off the fifth with a walk and Wray pushed her to second with a single. Then, Abby Cunningham struck a double into the right-center gap that scored Roberts, marking Cunningham’s 13th RBI of the year. App State scored once more in the inning to lead 7-0 after five.

In the sixth, Lucas recorded her third hit of the game as the Mountaineers finished the game with 10 hits, but Neas didn’t need much run support in her marvelous start as she shut out the Buccaneers to pick up her 10th victory of the year. She needed just 98 pitches to do so.

GAME 2: App State 11, ETSU 4

After a brief pause between contests, Delani Buckner picked right back up where Neas left off in game one as she struck out a batter in her first inning of work to toss a clean opening inning in game two.

A lead-off walk to Grace Barrett and a flyout started the Mountaineer offense, but a 40-minute weather delay halted play in the first. Once the teams took the field again, App State put another runner on, courtesy of Lucas’ fourth time aboard, but the Buccaneers were able to strand them both, keeping it tied.

Unfazed by the weather, Buckner returned to the circle and struck out the side in the top of the second inning, freezing the last hitter with a perfect pitch on the inside corner to cap it off. In the third, the Mountaineer starting pitcher racked up her fifth strikeout of the game to make it 10 consecutive scoreless innings from the App State staff.

Capitalizing off solid pitching, the Mountaineer offense caught fire with five runs in the third to take the lead. Barrett’s lead-off walk started the frame and in almost identical fashion to game one, Houston belted a long homer over the left-center field fence to give the Mountaineers the lead. Now with 11 home runs, Houston is tied for fifth in the Sun Belt in long balls. ETSU recorded the next two outs, but a walk and a single put two runners on for Wray as App State threatened again.

The lefty promptly delivered a first-pitch single through the right side which plated Roberts and an errant throw home allowed Taylor Thorp to score. Not done yet, Brooke Kennerly smoked a double that bounced off the base of the fence, which scored the fifth run of the inning. App State’s five-run fifth would be all the support it needed.

A pair of walks and a pair of doubles helped ETSU cut into the lead in the fourth, but App State quickly worked to answer as a Darnell single down the right-field line extended the lead back to four. It was Darnell’s 191st career RBI.

Two more strikeouts from Buckner quelled the ETSU offense in the top of the fifth, sparking the Mountaineer offense to score twice more in the bottom half on two more hits. A walk to Thorp started the inning and Wray’s RBI triple scored her as she raced around the bases for her sixth career triple. Kennerly scored Wray from third to make it 8-2 as she tallied RBI No. 2 for the game.

ETSU struck for two more in the sixth to trim its deficit to four, but the Mountaineers found a way to answer again, recording three more runs in the sixth. App State loaded the bases thanks to two walks and Killian Roberts’ 99th collegiate hit and Wray’s third hit of the contest scored her third and fourth RBIs of the game to make it 10-4. An error advanced two runners into scoring position and Kennerly delivered home her third RBI of the contest to plate App State’s 11th run. The combination of Wray and Kennerly combined for seven hits and six RBIs in game two.

Trekking back to the circle for the seventh, Buckner worked around a single to post a scoreless frame, securing the Mountaineers’ 21st win of the year and her 25th career win in the circle.

Up Next

App State will wrap up its Sun Belt and home regular season schedule with a three-game set with the Georgia Southern Eagles starting Thursday at 2 p.m. Every game can be streamed on ESPN+.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Visiting Hibriten used a double play with the bases loaded with Watauga runners to wiggle out of a first inning jam and allowing just a single run, but after a lightning delay the Pioneers scored three more runs to defeat the Panthers, 4-1, on April 30 at Pioneer Field. The action was Round 1 of the Northwestern Conference post season tournament.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article. Click on any image for Slideshow Mode and best photo viewing.

Back to back doubles senior Kara Brooks and junior Julie Matheson to open the bottom half of the fifth inning were critical to the Pioneers’ scoring two runs in the inning, after also tallying a run in each of the first and third frames.

Junior Katie Matheson started in the pitcher’s circle for the Pioneers and went the full seven innings, giving up one run on six hits while hurling 107 pitches, striking out seven Panthers. Backing up Matheson, the Pioneers played error-free ball in the field.

The Pioneers have won four of their last five games with all of the victories in conference play. The last three wins in NWC play allowed Watauga to lay claim to third place in the league standings and draw home field advantage for the first round of the conference tournament.

With the win, Watauga is now 10-10 overall and 6-5 in conference play, behind undefeated South Caldwell (20-0, 10-0) and Alexander Central (17-4, 8-2).

The Pioneers advance to the semifinal round against the No. 2 seeded Cougars of Alexander Central, in Taylorsville, with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

KEY PERFORMERS

• Katie Matheson: winning pitcher, 7 innings, allowed 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 7. Offensively, she was 1-4, with a stolen base.
• Julie Matheson: 1-2, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 2B, walk
• Elizabeth Watson: 2-3, 1 RBI
• Kara Brooks: 1-2, 1 run scored, 2B

BONUS PHOTOS

By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. – App State women’s basketball coach Alaura Sharp announced the hiring of Brooklyn Taylor and Caleb Thomas as assistant coaches as well as LaRomeo McKee as assistant coach & director of basketball operations on Monday.

“I am so thankful to announce our staff,” said head coach Alaura Sharp. “They are difference makers. I want to surround our players with great people who are willing and able to connect and develop young people. Each of them will bring a unique skill set that will be an immediate impact to our team. They are top notch recruiters and their work ethics are unmatched.

“Our staff is a family and we can’t wait to build another program together here in Boone. The community is going to fall in love with their energy and passion for App State Women’s Basketball.”

Taylor, Thomas and McKee worked with Sharp at Presbyterian during the Blue Hose’s historic 2023-24 season. The trio assisted in leading the Blue Hose to the program’s first Big South Tournament title and first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Under their guidance, Presbyterian notched the program’s first NCAA victory and appearance in the second round, as well as a Division I-era record of 21 wins. During the 2023-24 season, Presbyterian shattered 10 team single-season records, including marks connected to scoring, assists, total rebounding, defensive rebounding and field goal percentage.

Presbyterian also garnered a pair of Second-Team All-Big South selections in Bryanna Brady and Tilda Sjökvist under the staff’s direction. Brady and Sjökvist each ended the season averaging team-high totals of 12.2 points per game. Brady led the team in rebounds (4.6 per game), while Sjökvist led the team in assists (3.5 per game). Sjökvist also earned a spot on the conference’s all-academic team.

Brooklyn Taylor | Assistant Coach

“I am honored and excited that Coach Sharp has given me this opportunity to join the App State family,” Taylor said. “I love the goals and the vision of the athletic department and am excited to recruit high level student-athletes to this beautiful campus. I believe in Coach Sharp’s vision, and I know the App State fan base is going to love it.”

Taylor joins the Mountaineers’ staff after two seasons on Sharp’s staff at Presbyterian. Prior to her time at Presbyterian, Taylor spent one season at her alma mater, St. Francis (Pa.) University, where she worked with post players, including Jada Dapaa, who led the Northeast Conference in rebounds and ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 12.3 per game.

Taylor also has made coaching stops at Akron and Mercer. While at Akron, Taylor coordinated video, worked with the shooting guards, assisted in the Zips’ defensive strategy, and helped with recruiting/social media efforts. She also oversaw the team’s graduate assistant and video coordinator positions. While at Mercer, Taylor was a graduate assistant for the Bears, who went 30-3, clinched a SoCon tournament title, and were NCAA tournament bound. On the day-to-day, Taylor assisted the coaching staff with game film preparation, scouting reports, and workouts. She also oversaw the hiring and organization of the team’s student managers. The Bears went 30-3 in her time at Mercer and clinched a SoCon Title and ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

In 2016, Taylor participated in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s “So You Want to Be a Coach” program at the Final Four, a program that helps assist young women aspiring to become coaches. Taylor was also invited to speak on the Rookie Coaches Panel at the 2019, 2021 and 2022 “So You Want to Be a Coach” events.

Taylor earned her master’s degree in higher education leadership from Mercer in 2018 and earned her bachelor’s of science in exercise physiology from St. Francis in 2016. Additionally, Taylor was a member of St. Francis’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Student-Athlete Mentors (SAMS) program.

Caleb Thomas | Assistant Coach

“I am honored to work with Coach Sharp once again at App State,” Thomas said. “Her leadership, character, and competitive spirit are unmatched. App State is an incredible place with a winning standard from top to bottom. The vision of Coach Sharp, matched with the spirit of excellence in athletics, makes me excited to be a part of something special in the mountains.”

Thomas joined Sharp’s staff at Presbyterian for the 2023-24 season. Before his time in Clinton, S.C, he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech, where he earned a master’s in health informatics. While with the Bulldogs, Thomas focused on film evaluation, scouting reports, and recruiting He also spent time as a player development assistant and helped prepare social media content for various accounts. Thomas helped guide the Bulldogs to a 2021-22 West Division Title in Conference USA and the most league wins in program history.

Thomas attended Carroll University, where he was a member of the basketball team as a combo guard while studying healthcare administration. While at Carroll, he was an admissions ambassador, mentorship liaison and dean’s list scholar. He finished his undergraduate studies at Louisiana Tech and received a bachelor’s in health informatics.

With his background in health informatics, Thomas piloted a state-licensed respite center in Monroe, La., during the COVID-19 pandemic. He led weekly business expos for students ages 7-12 to sell toys, apparel, and food created by students and facilitated weekly talent shows. In addition to teaching, Thomas also worked to sustain students’ school curriculum with remote learning centers and Chrome book distribution throughout schools.

LaRomeo McKee | Assistant Coach & Director of Basketball Operations

“I am thrilled to be joining the App State athletics family, and I am extremely humbled and grateful for Coach Sharp inviting me to be a part of the program,” McKee said. “The chance to come over to Boone and start something special with this staff and team was an opportunity of a lifetime. The App State athletics department has welcomed me graciously, and I cannot wait to contribute to the mission and success of Mountaineers Women’s Basketball.”

Prior to his time at Presbyterian, McKee served as a graduate assistant for the University of Mobile women’s basketball team. He also made a stop as an assistant coach at Petal High School and helped guide the team to back-to-back MHSAA playoff appearances.

While earning a bachelor’s degree at Southern Miss, McKee held the title of head team manager and oversaw all student managers, handled inventory control of athletic gear, and assisted in the coordination of team travel on game days.

McKee earned an associates degree of arts from East Central Community College, a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Southern Miss and a master’s degree in higher education leadership & policy in 2022 from the University of Mobile.

By Ethan Bumgarner. ROME, Ga. — After an incredible run through the Sun Belt Tournament, App State Tennis fell 4-2 to No. 69-ranked Old Dominion in the championship match on Sunday.

The seventh-seeded Mountaineers (15-10) defeated James Madison, Marshall and Troy to become the lowest-seeded team to make a championship appearance since 2019.

App State started hot as it took two doubles wins to secure the point for an early 1-0 lead for the fourth straight time in tournament play. Savannah Dada-Mascoll and Ellie Murphy defeated Old Dominion’s No. 1 paring of Sofia Johnson and Lidiia Rasskouskaia 6-1. App State’s tandem won three deuce set points, providing enough momentum to win five straight games.

Naledi Manyube and Maggie Pate closed out doubles play with a 6-2 victory over Allison Isaacs and Kira Matushkina on court three. The Mountaineer duo won the first two games in the match and then closed out doubles play with three consecutive games to secure their third win in the tournament.

Dada-Mascoll defeated 116th-ranked Johnson 6-2, 6-2 She claimed the first set after jumping out to a 2-0 lead and never looking back.

In the second set, Dada-Mascoll sent a powerful forehand cross court after a high-arcing return from Johnson to go up 30-15 en route to her first game. After a tie at 1-1 Dada-Mascoll would then win four straight games, building a 5-1 lead as she would claim victory in the No. 1 singles rematch after the April 20 meeting.

Old Dominion (17-5), which went unbeaten against league teams in 2024 to earn the top seed in the tournament, won on singles courts two, four, five and six to claim its second consecutive Sun Belt Tournament title.

The 2023-24 tennis season is presented by Hound Ears Club.

(1) Old Dominion 4, (7) App State 2

Doubles

• Savannah Dada-Mascoll/Ellie Murphy (App) def. Sofia Johnson/Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU) 6-1
• Taya Powell/Olwyn Ryan-Bovey (App) vs Alexandra Viktorovich/Ulyana Romanova (ODU) 3-3 (unfinished)
• Naledi Manyube/Maggie Pate (App) def. Allison Isaacs/Kira Matushkina (ODU) 6-2

Singles

• Savannah Dada-Mascoll (App) def. 116 Sofia Johnson (ODU) 6-2, 6-2
• Alexandra Viktorovich (ODU) def. Taya Powell (App) 6-1, 6-2
• Olwyn Ryan-Bovey (App) vs Allison Isaacs (ODU) 1-6, 2-5 unfinished
• Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU) def. Maggie Pate (App) 7-5, 6-0
• Kira Matushkina (ODU) def. Naledi Manyube (App) 6-3, 6-0
• Ulyana Romanova (ODU) def. Ellie Murphy (App) 6-1, 6-4