×
×
homepage logo

Cougar track and field teams leave Charleston with team titles

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | May 5, 2023

Hope Gestl (left) and T'Asya Jay run shoulder to shoulder in the 100 meter hurdles at the AAA Tudor's Biscuit World Relays, coming in fourth and third place, respectively, within less than 0.2 seconds of each other. David Pennock

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — Getting acclimated to conditions at Laidley Field and also with several of the state’s best track and field teams, seemed to serve Jefferson High School well over the past weekend.

Both the boys and the girls team participated in the Tudor’s Biscuit World Relays in Charleston — seeing Huntington High School and other schools that could be contenders at this year’s state track and field meet, also to be held at Laidley Field.

Jefferson, Huntington, Morgantown, University, Cabell Midland, Parkersburg South and several other schools are the most decorated boys and girls teams of this season and could be considered viable challengers for state laurels again this spring.

There were 12 teams at the Tudor’s boys meet and Jefferson edged highly regarded Huntington, 121-106, for the team title.

The Jefferson foursome composed of Caleb Shelton, Isaiah Fritts, Tay’Shaun Roper and Keyshawn Robinson shattered the meet record in winning the 4×100 relay record with a time of 42.5. Jefferson also won three more relays, taking first in the 4×200, 4×400 and 4×800.

Keyshawn Robinson, the winner of the Boys AAA high pointer designation, runs the anchor leg of the AAA Boys 4 x 100 meter relay at the Tudor's Biscuit World Relays last week. Caleb Shelton, Isaiah Fritts, Tay'Shawn Roper and Robinson broke the record that Jefferson High School had set at the state meet in 2012 for the fastest time in the history of the state. David Pennock

Those four wins in the relays were worth 40 of Jefferson’s 121 points.

Robinson sprinted to victory in the 400-meter dash. Justin Gottlieb was the winner in the grueling 800-meter run.

The Jefferson girls, the runner-up team at the 2022 state meet, easily deposed all its competition by accumulating 169 points to second-place Bridgeport’s 100 points. There were 14 teams entered in the girl’s division of the meet.

All-purpose sprinter Lorelei Bangit had wins in both the 200-meters and 400-meters.

Hannah Phillips helped lift the Jefferson point total with a victory in the 800-merter run.

Lorelei Bangit, pictured winning the 100 meter dash heat, scored the most points for the AAA Girls and was chosen the outstanding AAA Girls athlete at the Tudor's Biscuit World Relays last week. David Pennock

The 4×800 relay unit also claimed victory. Notching eight team points for each second-place, the Cougars spiced their point total by 24 points with runner-up finishes in the 4×100, 4×200 and shuttle hurdles relays.

Jefferson’s teams will prepare their state meet qualifiers for Charleston, when they compete in the Class AAA Region II Meet to take place at Spring Mills High School’s track and field facility on Wednesday.

Other teams also competing in the Regional Meet will be Hedgesville, Musselman, Spring Mills, Washington, Hampshire and Martinsburg.

Jefferson’s boys and girls will both be the defending region champions, having posted runaway team wins at the 2022 meet.

Jefferson High School senior Justin Gottlieb won the grueling 800 meter at the AAA Tudor's Biscuit World Relays last week. David Pennock

Jefferson High School swept the first place awards at the AAA Tudor's Biscuit World Relays in both the Boys and Girls categories, in preparation for the regional meet next week and the state meet in two weeks. David Pennock