Track and Field: Saving the Best for Last - Loudoun County 4x400 Meter Relay Team Gives Raiders the Region II Title

(May 23, 2012) - The Loudoun County High School boys track and field team saved the best for last Wednesday as the Raiders 4x400 meter relay team sprinted to first place in the final even of the night and it was enough to move the Raiders into the top spot at the Region II meet at Fluvanna High School.


Loudoun County trailed Louisa County by four points going into that final race, 45-41, but the quartet of Michael Durrer, Steven Graham, Patrick Joseph and Nolan Graves ran a 3:20.93, blowing the field away by six seconds and shattering the regional meet record by three seconds. The Raiders 10 points for the win moved them to 51 and Louisa took 8th to finish runner-up with 46 points.

It was a record-breaking meet for Dulles District athletes with Briar Woods sophomore Brandon Polk setting two meet records with a 10.65 100 meters win and 21.74 win in the 200 meters. The 100 meters mark of 10.69 by Reuben Jones of Charlottesville had stood since 2004.

Joseph also won two individual events, with a meet record 1:52.90 in the 800 meters and a winning time of 4:22.18 in the 1600 meters.

Graham won the 400 meters with a 48.84 and was second in the 200 meters to Polk in a 21.81 time that also bettered the previous meet record.

Potomac Falls' Tommy Fort won the 300 meter hurdles with a 40.35.

Briar Woods' Chris Schopper was runner-up in the 3200 meters with a 9:38.15 and Tuscarora's Jordan Roach was runner-up in the 100 hurdles with a 15.21. Woodgrove's Omar Safiani was second in the high jump, losing a jump off at 6-4.

Polk's big day helped Briar Woods take third at 44 points in the tight meet.

On the girls side, Heritage's Alayna Bigalbal won the 3200 meters with a 11:44.34 time that was some 15 seconds better than her seed time coming in. Loudoun County's Ana Valdez was second at 11:44.47 in a spectacularly close finish for such a long race.

The other local girl to come home with a first place medal was John Champe's Makayla McGowan who threw a 35-10 in the shot.

Woodgrov'es Emma Gillies was second in the 800 meters with a 2:20.71. Potomac Falls' Eileen Fautuex was runner-up in the 300 hurdles with a 45.47.

Heritage had the best team finish for Loudoun school on the girls side with a 7th place finish and 27 points.

Region II Track and Field
Boys
1, Loudoun County 51
2, Louisa 46
3, Briar Woods 44
t4, Fauquier 37
t4, Western Albemarle 37
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8, Tuscarora 34
t10, Potomac Falls 24
12, Dominion 21
14, Woodgrove 14
t20, Park View 6
t20, Heritage 6
t20, Loudoun Valley 6
t23, Champe 5

Girls
1, Fauquier 75.33
2, Western Albemarle 55.83
3, Louisa 54.50
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7, Heritage 27
9, Woodgrove 22
13, Potomac Falls 17
14, Tuscarora 14.33
t16, Loudoun County 13
18, Briar Woods 11
19, Champe 10
20, Loudoun Valley 7
t22, Dominion 4