RALEIGH — One state title and one new school record return to Watauga from the NCHSAA 4-A outdoor track state championship in Raleigh Saturday. Sallie Gurganus’ vault of 11 feet even equaled her personal best and school record. Tracy Prohoniak of Vance, the regional winner over Gurganus the previous weekend, finished second with a vault of 11 feet as well, though it took her two jumps to hit the mark. “She finally got past Tracy,” McDonough said. “That’s our first title in a couple years. She’s worked so hard, those two have battled for a couple years and Tracy always got the best of her, but Sallie finally got past her.” |
Watauga’s girls’ team finished ninth overall with 28 points. That total was helped along by Ginna Calloway’s second place in the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200-meter relay team’s second place finish.
Anna Mae Flynn, Lauren Smith, Ashley Norris and Calloway placed second for the second straight year. Their time of 9:41.11 wasn’t fast enough to beat the team from the eventual overall champion, Southeast Raleigh, which turned in a time of 9:36.41.
“Southeast Raleigh was a cut above everyone this year,” McDonough said. “We would have had a hard time beating them no matter how we ran. But Ginna took the baton in fifth place and passed all but one person. It was a great race.”
After running that hard, Calloway was ill for two hours before coming back and running the 1,600 and finishing second.
Danielle Cullen and Flynn finished eighth and 10th respectively in the 3,200-meter run, and Julie Ward finished eighth in the pole vault with a vault of nine feet even.
The boys’ team received just four points and finished in 44th overall, but Adrian Wilkinson surpassed the school record of 45 feet, five inches in the triple jump with his fifth place jump of 45-8.25.
“I’m real proud of him,” McDonough said. “He scored our only points. All his jumps were 44 feet or better and he got it on his last jump.”
The two Watauga throwers, Daniel Corriher and Daniel Fioramonti, didn’t have their best days in Raleigh. Corriher had thrown his shot put over 48 feet at the regional meet, but his best throw at the state meet of 46-8.5 was only worth ninth place. Fioramonti is capable of throwing a discus well into the 140s, but his 12th place throw at states was short, at 135-8.
“Corriher had an okay day,” McDonough said. “He made the finals in eighth. Fioramonti didn’t have as good a day and was real disappointed.”
The boys’ 3,200-meter relay also ran at state, finishing 11th, and David Gibbs ran the 300-meter hurdles in his first year of running the event, but did not qualify for the finals. He fell over a hurdle in his preliminary and was too far behind to come back.
The best days were had by the girls of Harding and the boys of Southeast Raleigh. However, the Pioneers have a strong returning group for next year, with only six of this year’s 15 state competitors graduating.
Girls’ team results:
1, Harding, 89; 2, Mount Tabor, 80; 3, Vance, 49; 3, Southeast Raleigh, 49; 5, Apex, 35; 6, Providence, 34.5; 7, Jordan, 34; 8, Millbrook, 29.5; 9, Watauga, 28; 10, Scotland, 25.
Watauga girls’ individual results:
Pole Vault: 1, Gurganus, 11-00; 8, Ward, 9-00.
1600-meter run: 2, Calloway, 5:12.93. 3200-meter run: 8, Cullen, 12:13.09; 10, Flynn, 12:18.66.
3200-meter relay: 2, Watauga (Flynn, Norris, L. Smith, Calloway), 9:41.11.
Boys’ team results:
1, Southeast Raleigh, 66; 2, West Charlotte, 43; 3, Sanderson, 39.5; 4, Garinger, 37; 5, Page, 29; 6, McDowell, 27; 7, Fuquay-Varina, 23; 7, Vance, 23; 7, Providence, 23; 10, West Forsyth, 22; 44, Watauga, 4.
Watauga boys’ individual results:
Triple Jump: 5, Wilkinson, 45-08.25.
Shot Put: 9, Corriher, 46-08.5.
Discus: 12, Fioramonti, 135-08.
300-meter hurdles:
3200-meter relay: 11, Watauga (M. Smith, I. Smith, Bennett, Olson), 8:19.94.