Pioneers send athletes

to 4-A track finals
From staff reports

CHARLOTTE — Watauga will be sending five athletes to the state meet this Saturday after qualifying during the Western 4-A Regional Championships held Saturday.

Taylor Cook won the girls’ pole vault by clearing the ball at 10-feet, 6-inches. Her teammate, Kristina Tracy, set a personal record with a vault of 9-6, which was good for fourth place and a berth in the state final.

On the boys’ side, Ben Vollmer was second in the 3,200-meter run, and Jay Weaver was fourth in the 1,600 run.

Watauga’s 3,200-meter relay team of Justin Martin, Vollmer, Weaver and Jordan Trivette was second. Matt Salzano was third in the discus and fourth in the shot put for the Pioneers.

Watauga’s boys’ team finished sixth with 48 points, while the girls’ team scored 37 and took ninth in the Western 4-A Regional Championships held Saturday.

Weaver, Vollmer and Salzano were not the only Pioneers to score points during the meet. Weaver also finished fifth in the 800-meter run, while Ian Boyd was sixth in the pole vault with an 11-0 effort. Will Barbour was sixth in the 3,200 run.

Pioneers coach Randy McDonough was happy to see his distance runners advance.

“We’ve come back this year and I’m happy to see that, because it’s our trademark,” McDonough said. “If we can get back to placing in the pole vault, the throws and the distance running, I’ll be happy.”

In the girls’ meet, Kristina Tracy finished sixth in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump. Rebekah Pineda was fifth in the discus and ninth in the shot put, while her sister, Emily, was sixth in the discus and seventh in the 400 dash.

Kayla Schneider was fifth in the 3,200 run, while teammate Amanda Carringer was eighth.

Myers Park won the girls’ team event with 117 points and Butler was second with 100. A.C. Reynolds, with 55 points, was the highest finishing Northwestern 4-A Conference school. The Rockets took fourth.

Butler won the boys’ meet with 100 points.