By Stephen Smoot
In recent years, the Pendleton County track squad has continued to elevate its collective game. Under the leadership of head coach Christopher Wilburn, both middle and high school competitors have developed skills, attained experience, and showed that the Wildcats can compete with the best in the Potomac Highlands.
“We have a pretty senior dominated group,” stated Wilburn, who shared that eight of his 22 competitors are in their final year.
Wilburn praised the maturity and influence of his upperclassmen, saying the group has helped in coaching and mentoring each other and the younger athletes. “When I’m over with the middle schoolers, the seniors are really like having other coaches.” He told of how they “can look at each other and see what they did wrong. That’s quite a blessing.”
He said that they know how to instruct each other on the details that add up to success.
The senior class includes Sawyer Apple, who competes as a sprinter, hurdler, and jumper. Of Riley Copley, Wilburn said, “He came over from football. This is year four for him.”
Thunder Gill, also a fourth year competitor, is a middle distance and distance runner, while Gabe Harvey, a third year team member, sprints, runs, and fills in “whenever we need someone or someone goes down” on the four by eight relay team. Titus Nulph, who along with Gill stars for the cross-country squad, in his third year specializes in distance.
Wilburn also has three stellar seniors on the girls’ squad. Emma Hartman, who helped to lead the state tournament qualifying volleyball team, competes as a jumper and a sprinter. Wilburn related that “she’s definitely a leader as well. You never have to ask her to give you effort. It’s always 110 percent.”
Aubrey Keiter also is a jumper and sprinter while Laney Sites-Woods, Wilburn describes, “leads by example.”
While the seniors have helped to establish the squad’s competitiveness in recent years, underclass competitors have also emerged as difference-makers. Wilburn listed Cayson Armstrong, who “has picked up where he left off last year. He was on the four by eight team last year.”
Additionally, Sam Eason has started his initial high school track season and, said the coach, “He’s continued to show strides.” Another competitor has shown promise in his first year of ever competing in the sport. David Noble, who contributed heavily to the football team’s success last fall “has picked things up rather quickly.”
Most of the girls’ squad is underclass as well. Wilburn shared that they have been “pleasant to work with. All of them feed off each other. All work hard.”
In the first meet of the year at East Hardy, both the boys and girls teams performed well. The boys side placed third in a field of eight, racking up 97 points. Other schools at the event included Southern (Maryland), who took first place with 176 points. Moorefield scored 108, East Hardy 89, Paw Paw 38, Union 30, Petersburg 21, and Timber Ridge three.
On the girls’ side, the Wildcats earned sixth place of seven teams, but scored 37.5 points in the effort.
Many Wildcat athletes set both personal and season records at East Hardy. Personal record refers to an athlete’s best performance in the event as a varsity athlete in an official event. Season record states that this was their best performance this year.
In the men’s 200-meter race, Harvey set a personal record with a time of 24.27a and took second place in the event. Logan Fisher, a junior, raced to a 26.72 a finish and a personal record, while Noble placed 18 and set a personal record of 27.23a. Junior Ryan Bruns ran for a 29.62a.
In the 400-meter race, Harvey dominated the event. He took first place with a personal record of 53.51. Fisher placed eighth with a season record of 59.06. Noble’s 1:02.88a earned him a personal record and 12th place while Bruns set a personal record at 1:08.18a
In the 1600, Gill set a season record with a 4:57.47a and a third-place finish, then earned second place in the 3200 with a season best 11:18.80a.
Apple hurdled past the rest of the field in the 110-meter event, setting a season record with 16.13a and a first-place finish. He similarly dominated the 300-meter field with a personal record of 41.99a and finished first here as well.
In the 4x 800 relay, Pendleton County’s team of Gill, Armstrong, Nulph, and Eason set a personal record at 9:46.13a, placing second.
Five Wildcats threw the shot put during the day’s events. Ryland Copley set a personal record, throwing 30’9″ for a 12th place rank. Noble followed right behind at 29’2″, also throwing for a personal record with a mark of 29’2″ meters. Eason threw for 25’7.5″ and placed 22nd, setting a personal record.
Ben Puffenbarger, a freshman, threw for 23’5.5″ and a personal record while Garrett Hartman threw for a 22′.5″, also setting a personal record.
The same five competed in the discus throw. Copley placed sixth, throwing 89’9″ for a season record. Noble’s throw went for 71’11” for a personal record and an 18th place finish. Puffenbarger threw for 65’11” and a personal record. Eason and Garrett Hartman set personal records as well, throwing for 50’9″ and 34′, respectively.
In the high jump, Apple tied for first place with a leap of 5’10”. Harvey jumped for 5’8″, both setting season marks.
Apple and Harvey also placed first and second in the long jump. Apple set a personal record with 18’6.5″ and Harvey a season mark at 17’11.5″.
On the girls’ side, Arianna Alt, a sophomore, placed 10th in the 200-meter race, setting a personal record of 32.88a. Two Wildcats ran in the 400. Emma Hartman ran for a seventh-place finish, setting a season record with a time of 1:14.43a. Keiter also set a record on the year at 1:23.43a.
Two Wildcats also ran in the 1600=meter race. Callie Dunn, a freshman, earned the fifth spot with a personal record time of 7:00.74a, while Allison Reuss, a sophomore, ran for 7:30.14a.
Three Pendleton County athletes competed in the 300-meter hurdles. Autumn Lockard ran for a sixth-place finish and a time of 1:02.45a, Alt for a 1:03.13a and seventh place, and Shayne Clutter, a freshman, ran for 1:04.09a. All set personal records.
Keiter, Hartman, Lockard, and the experienced Laney Sites-Woods set a team record in the 4×400 with a time of 5:25.67a. In the 4×800 relay, the Wildcat team of Dunn, Clutter, Reuss, and Sites-Woods took second place with a team record time of 12:17.58a.
Pendleton County scored well in the high jump, with Keiter earning second place, setting a personal record of 4’4″. Emma Hartman placed fourth with a personal record of 4’2″.
In the long jump, Lockard set a personal record, leaping 10’1″ meters.
Both teams competed next at Elkins.
