PREP TRACK: Western takes state title

In Harrisonburg, the Western Albemarle boys track team captured the Group AA track and field crown — in an unconventional way.
The Warriors, without a single individual or relay winner in the event, garnered 54 points to outdistance Brookville (45.3) for the win on Saturday.
Western even clinched the victory before the final event.
“We knew going into it we were a little bit of a favorite,” said Western Albemarle coach Lindy Bain. “But I was pretty nervous until they
announced the score before the 4x400 relay.”
The Warriors collected 34 points on Friday behind solid performances from Tyler Stutzman and Kyle Satterwhite in the 3200 meters, who finished second and third, respectively.
The 4x800 relay team of Adrian Sitler, James Howard-Smith, Kevin Duvbovsky and Nick Ward placed second in a time of 8:02.38.
Western also got some help in the field events as Ben Cherniaski and Tyler Lewandowski were second and fifth, respectively, in the pole vault.
On Saturday, Stutzman finished third in the 1600 and sixth in the 800, while Satterwhite took fifth in the 1600. Nick Ward placed third in the 400 and Sitler was eighth in the 800.
Orange County’s Logan Collins won title in the 800 in an impressive 1:54.13, edging Blacksburg’s Peter Dorrell, who finished the event in 1:54.89. Teammate Kevin Pearson won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.20 and finished second in the 200 as the Hornets placed fourth overall with 37 points.
Another notable area performer was Charlottesville’s Justin Jackson who won the high jump.
Albemarle shines in Group AAA meet
In Newport News, Albemarle’s boys track team relied on a bevy of underclassmen to earn a fourth-place finish at the Group AAA track and field championships at Todd Stadium.
Western Branch won the state title, while Deep Creek was second. Douglas Freeman finished third.
The Patriots were led by the 4x800 relay team of Zach Vhrovac, Garrett Bradley, Luke Noble and Anthony Kostelac, which took top honors and set a new state record in the process — finishing in a time of 7:49.55.
Sophomore Jordan Hill finished fourth in the 100 meters and seventh in the high jump, while Noble took fifth in the 1600 (4:21.58).
Vhrovac, a junior, posted a new school record in the 800 with a 1:54.53, and Kostelac finished fifth in the event.
The 4x400 relay team of Hill, Vhrovac, Bradley and Kostelac rounded out the strong finish, taking seventh.