Athletes keeping sharp over break at Ashe

Athletes gathered over winter break in between the Christmas and New Year\'s Holidays to compete in the annual track and field clinic invitational held at the Arthur Ashe Center in Richmond. Several solid performances were turned in throughout the meet.

Tallwood was one of the few schools outside of the Richmond that competed in the meet as they faired well with three event winners. Tallwood took two of the three girls\' distance races with Anne Barber of Tallwood (3:11.90) in the 1000 meter run and Octavia Rinehardt (12:27.67) in the 3200 meter run. Troian Donaldson also picked up a win in the 55 meter dash with a 6.59 clocking.

Finishing second to Donaldson with a 6.61 clocking was Manchester\'s Anthony Chesson, who won the 300 meter dash in a time of 38.23. Chesson was a double event winner with a first place finish in the long jump (20-10.50).

Chesson\'s teammate Andrew Duty took first place honors in the 1000 meter run in 2:45.64 as he held of Hermitage\'s John Vial (2:46.95) for the win.

All-state runner Alex Bowman of Hermitage showed he will be tough to beat this season, especially among any of his Central Region counterparts as he posted the fastest 1600 time in the Ashe this season with a winning time of 4:37.05.

Bowman nearly doubled back with another win in a short span of time in the 500 meter dash (1:10.91), but Huguenot senior Matu Bundy bested him with a time of 1:10.63. Bundy won two events on the day as he also had the best mark in the triple jump with a leap of 44-1. Bundy finished second in the long jump (20-5.50) as well.

Meadowbrook senior Brandon Oliver picked up his second major invitational win this season at the Ashe Center in the shot put as his mark of 50-7.25. easily topped the field.

Atlee junior Cameron Sovick continued his outstanding indoor season with a winning clearance of 12-9 in the pole vault.

Matoaca junior Aramis Massenburg (7.90) outdid Huguenot senior Henley McArthur (7.93) in the 55 meter hurdles as he also placed well in the long jump (3rd, 20-3) and triple jump (2nd, 43-11.75).

In the 3200 meter run, Nottoway senior Skeeter Morris came away with the win in 10:29.43.

The Matoaca girls had a solid showing with two individuals picking up first place finishes in juniors Mia Aghaji in the high jump (5-4) and Shenneka Claiborne in the 55 meter dash (7.40).

Manchester\'s Jennifer Marinacci (38-6.25) won a close battle with Bruton\'s Ashley Williams (38-6) in the shot put. Second place finishes were the story for the Bruton senior as Williams finished second behind Patrick Henry\'s Brittany Smith (16-2) in the long jump as she also took runner-up honors in the triple jump with a mark of 33-10. Mills Godwin\'s Oksana Miketin took the event with a leap of 34-2.75

Anne Marie Gordon of Mills Godwin continues to work herself back into her state championship form with a winning clearance of 10 feet in the pole vault as she is coming off an off-season surgery.

Another Central Region athlete working the rust off from injury last year is Hermitage senior Queen Harrison, who broke her collarbone at her district outdoor meet last May. Harrison won the 500 meter dash at the Ashe Center on Wednesday in a time of 1:26.51.

Harrison kept James River freshmen Melanie Wright from pulling off a double win for the day as Wright took second in the 500 with a time of 1:27.05, while winning the 300 meter dash in a 45.10 clocking.

Atlee senior Rebecca McDowell had the most convincing win of the day by 19 seconds in the 1600 meter run with her time of 5:46.29.

Huguenot junior Wynetta Kirby kept herself established as one of the state\'s top hurdlers with a winning time of 8.65 in the 55 meter hurdles.