CHARLESTON – The 2026 track and field season came to a close on Saturday at Laidley Field in Charleston.
In the first-ever season of Class AAAA competition, the boys’ state championship was shared between Morgantown and Huntington, with each team totaling 107 points after two days of competition.
MHS held a two-point lead entering the final event (4×400 meter relay), but the Highlanders pulled level, finishing second, one spot ahead of the Mohigans in the event. That proved enough to earn a share of the Class AAAA team title.
University High finished in third with 85 points.
The Mohigans had three individual state champions: senior Joel Moreland and juniors Joaquin Summers and Benjamin Fink, all of whom took home the honors.
Moreland finished with the best height in the High Jump at 6-04.00. After anchoring the 4×800 meter relay team to a state championship on Friday afternoon, Summers followed with a time of 4:15.11 in the 1600 meter run for his second medal. Fink claimed the title in the 100-meter dash in 11.19 seconds.
“I went out pretty fast in the first two laps,” said Summers of his 1600 performance. “I started getting ahead more with about 700 meters left and felt good closing it out. That was my first 1600 race at states, so it was fun.”
UHS also had a trio of champions. Senior Keion Arnold took first place in the 400-meter dash in 48.34 seconds. Junior Kaleil Lewis defended his 2025 110-meter hurdles state championship in 2026 with a time of 14.53. Finally, sophomore Micah Gainer won the 3200-meter run on Friday in 9:10.91.
Clay-Battelle senior Maggie Lemley became the first state track champion for her school since 2021 with her victory in the 300-meter hurdles on Saturday, with a personal best time of 45.96. She finished second in the 400-meter dash as well.
Entering the final 100-meters of the race, Lemley trailed by about 20 meters before willing herself to a comeback to take home first place.
“I was so close to the 400-meter title, and I’ve been competing in this race (300-meter hurdles) since I was a freshman,” she said. “It feels great to go out with this win. I wasn’t sure if I could get it done near the end, but I found a way to win, and I’m so happy I did.”
Morgantown’s Harlyn Nelson won the state title in the AAAA Pole Vault with a jump of 11 feet.
University sophomore Victoria Ribas finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.90. Her teammate, freshman Cara Zundell, took second in the 800-meter race in 2:16.61.
