BLACKSVILLE — As Clay-Battelle’s Hailey Carreon stepped off the track following the shuttle hurdle relay at the April 13 Mason-Dixon Conference (MDC) championships, she was all smiles. She had swept her four events on the evening, earning the girls’ high point award for the meet.
“That was the goal coming into the meet. I usually run the 4×100 meter relay, but you get less points winning in a relay, so that’s why I ran the open 200 meter today,” she said.
Carreon took home individual titles in the 100 meter hurdles, 100 meter dash and
200 meter dash, as well as competing on the victorious hurdle relay squad with Addison Ammons, Shannon Statler and McKenna Kirby.
For Carreon, the sweetest victory lies not in the high point honor itself, but continuing the legacy of her older sister and current Marshall track star, Hannah.
“It really means a lot to me. A lot of people compare me to my sister, and it just shows I’m trying to follow in her footsteps,” Carreon said. “I really look up to her, and she taught me a lot.”
Carreon was joined in victory by Ammons, who set an MDC meet and C-B school record in the pole vault, landing a mark of 10 feet, good enough to rate as the best performance in Class A on the season.
“I’ve been working so hard for 10 feet, and it’s just a dream come true. I finally broke the plateau, and it feels good to be past it,” Ammons said. “It means a lot. I’ve worked really hard, and I’ll be in the record books at C-B now.”
Haley Barr added two victories for the Cee-Bees, in the 1600 and 3200 runs, and the C-B 4×200 relay team, consisting of Faith Stewart, Shannon Statler, Maddie Pennington and Miranda King, also nabbed a top finish. The eight victories were enough to catapult C-B to the first-place team finish.
“Knowing that we all came together as a team just to win this thing is great,” Ammons said.
The girls from Trinity Christian also turned in an impressive performance despite a serious disadvantage in the numbers game. The Warriors field just five athletes, but every one earned at least one victory on the day as their team placed third out of seven competing schools.
“It’s been a great experience for us all. We’re a small team and a close-knit group, and we’re having fun building a name for the school,” Trinity sprinter Shawnee Jenkins said.
The charge for the Warriors was led by Reagan Sharp, who finished fourth in the competition for high point honor while earning the victory in the long jump.
“The competition was really good, and I always like coming to run at Clay-Battelle,” Sharp said. “It’s an honor to get the win; I know these girls are really good, and they work hard. I just want to thank God for letting us come out here today and compete.”
Jenkins secured the gold in the 300 hurdles for Trinity, while Kaylie Laskody took first in the 800 run. Laskody and Jenkins also joined Emily Braham and Katie White in victory as part of the 4×10 relay squad.
BOYS
As the MDC boys’ champions were announced, a roar went up from C-B that could possibly be heard on the other end of Blacksville. The Cee-Bees had been desperately chasing victory, and they finally secured it.
“The boys’ team hasn’t won this conference in a while, and we pushed the best we could to get the win today,” C-B sprinter Logan Forquer said. “It means a lot to me as a senior.”
The Cee-Bees were paced by Gunner Brummage, Seth Casino and Nathan Swaniger, who each tallied 23 points toward the team standing for the Cee-Bees. Brummage notched a victory in the high jump, Casino earned first in long jump and Swaniger nabbed gold in the 100 meter dash.
“I was hoping to come out with a (personal record), but the season’s not over yet,” Swaniger said. “It means a good bit to get the win because there are a lot of good teams and good kids here. I work pretty much every day, and I just want to be the best I can be.”
The trio of Brummage, Casino and Swaniger also combined on the 4×100 and 4×200 relays to grab two more top finishes. Forquer also played a pivotal role, securing an individual victory in the 200 dash and contributing to all three victorious C-B relays.
“Our relays are looking really good this year. It’s about all four guys — putting our heads together, getting the hand-offs right — and I really believe we can win a state championship with it,” Forquer said. “We work with each other every day. When we’re down, we pick each other up. When we’re up high, we lift each other higher.
“It’s a crazy feeling. Every year I’ve run our relays have done well, and it’s nice to keep that tradition going.”
Brummage also earned a mark of 6 feet in his high jump win, which is good for the top performance in Class A this season.
“I’ve only cleared 6 feet once before in my career, and I finally hit again. I was so excited I ran around the track with my arms out like an airplane,” Brummage said. “It means the world to me.”
C-B also scored victories from Kaden Statler, in the 3200; Luke Currence, in shot put; Benji Steele, in discus; and the 4×400 relay squad of Cadon Skavinsky, Nick Rose, Dylan Towns and Forquer.
Trinity fielded two athletes on the boys’ side of the meet, with Jack Barnett taking eighth in the 200 meters, 12th in shot put and 11th in discus, while Frankie Kerekes earned ninth in discus and 15th in shot put. The Warriors finished seventh as a team.
