103 Years of West Virginia High School Track & Field: How The 2010’s Compare

 

Throughout the course of running history, there have been countless greats. In a sport that requires a wide variety of skills and talents depending on the event, there is no sure measure of who is "best" and how marks from the past and present can be compared. Why? Because things have changed over the years. In the past, tracks used to be dirt, grass or cinders, now they are asphalt or synthetic. We’ve seen a change in uniforms and track spikes. Track distances used to be measured in yards, then in the late 70’s they were converted to metric. Track formats have changed (single session or two-session meets). Then there was Fully Automatic Timing (FAT) vs. Handheld, which saw handheld have a conversion time. Technology has changed the face of performance. In historical terms, below are some of the finest athletes the sport has ever seen.

What is the best decade ever for West Virginia high school track & field when it comes to state records? What if we looked back to the last 103 years: 1914-2017. How would the 2010’s stack up? Or would it be the 1970’s, which was considered the first major “running boom?”

If we could only travel back in time like Marty McFly we could see what the past must offer. If we could use the DeLorean time machine, a time travel device featured in the Back to the Future franchise, to gain insights into history. We could use it to travel over 130 years of West Virginia track & field history (from 1914 to present). Instead, we must rely on Jesse Skiles’ track & field books, RunWV, newspapers, and the WVSSAC.

To the best of our knowledge these records below are the state bests all-time marks and represent all information that has been turned in to us. We have attempted to verify each mark as much as possible.

West Virginia State Bests are eligible to any West Virginia High School athlete and can be set at any meet, while State Meet Records can only be set at the state meet.

We'll see what’s the best decade ever, as we look at current state record holders:

·         100 Meters – Men - James Jett – Jefferson – 1989 - 10.34*; Derrick Johnson – Capital – 2000 -10.59

·         100 Meters – Women - McKenna Smith – Bridgeport – 2017 - 11.85                                 

·         200 Meters – Men - Dante Price – Jefferson – 2013 - 21.10

·         200 Meters – Women - McKenna Smith – Bridgeport - 2017 - 24.36

·         400 Meters – Men - Bob Rieves – Wheeling – 1969 - 47.64; James Jett – Jefferson – 1989 - 47.74

·         400 Meters – Women - McKenna Smith – Bridgeport – 2017 - 54.61

·         800 Meters – Men - Wilson Smith – Huntington – 1968 - 1:49.66

·         800 Meters – Women - Amelia Paladino – University – 2014 - 2:08.49                                              

·         1600 Meters – Men - Jacob Burcham - Cabell Midland – 2012 - 4:01.32

·         1600 Meters – Women - Amelia Paladino – University – 2014 - 4:42.19

·         3200 Meters – Men - Jeff Adkins - Woodrow Wilson – 1979 - 8:49.34       

·         3200 Meters – Women - Amelia Paladino – University – 2014 - 10:00.42

·         110/100 Meter Hurdles – Men - Clint Hayes – Huntington – 1990 - 14.10

·         110/100 Meter Hurdles – Women - Safiyyah Mitchell – Huntington – 2016 - 14.09

·         300 Meter Hurdles – Men - Clint Hayes - Huntington               - 1990 - 37.64; Clint Hayes – Huntington – 1989 - 37.70            

·         300 Meter Hurdles – Women - McKenna Smith – Bridgeport – 2017 - 43.04

·         4x100 Meter Relay – Men – Ashton Lai-Fang, Tyler Lambert, Rynal Newman, Dante Price - Jefferson – 2012 - 42.20

·         4x100 Meter Relay – Women - Ashley Holloway, Haley Holloway, Natasha Trott, Knisha Baldwin – Morgantown – 2012 - 48.42

·         4x200 Meter Relay – Men - Kenneth Steelman, Tommy Moore, Tony Lawson, Andre Gray - Woodrow Wilson – 1987 - 1:27.16         

·         4x200 Meter Relay - Women – V Nelson, J Washington, Tanda Lee, V Nelson - Jefferson – 1980 - 1:43.54; Women - M Jones, Kelly Hosby, S Terry, T Thomas - Martinsburg – 1984 - 1:43.69                               

·         4x400 Meter Relay – Men -                 B Moss, L Fulmer, F Lynch, F Reich - St. Albans – 1972 - 3:22.98; Men - Ashton Hyler, Dante Price, Brandon Doughty, Denzel Washington – Jefferson – 2011 - 3:23.00        

·         4x400 Meter Relay – Women – Crowder, Isabella Bowen, Kirstin George, McKenna Smith - Bridgeport – 2017 - 3:59.03                                                       

·         4x800 Meter Relay – Men - Jacob Burcham, Brian Lawhon, David Jobe, Mason Dino - Cabell Midland – 2012 - 7:46.29 

·         4x800 Meter Relay – Women - Isabella Robinson, Grace Cole, Rachel Englund, Mary Zulauf – Winfield – 2016 - 9:30.56

·         Shuttle Hurdle Relay – Men - M Willis, T Tyler, M Henry, S Jackson – Charleston – 1971 - 54.89; Men - Vernon Knight, William Cousins, Steve Kidd, Mike Brown - Woodrow Wilson – 1981 - 55.81

·         Shuttle Hurdle Relay –Women - Lauren London, Abby Watson, Lexi Crompton, Audrey Barber – Hurricane – 2015 - 1:00.88         

·         Pole Vault – Men - Tristan Slater - Capital – 2016 - 17'1                                          

·         Pole Vault – Women - Lauren Zaglifa – Washington – 2017 - 12'4

·         High Jump – Men - Nathan Fields – Elkins – 1998 - 7'3

·         High Jump (T) – Women - Emily Godwin - Buckhannon-Uphsur – 2011/2012 - 5'10; Women - Rhonda Rogombe – Washington – 2015 - 5'10

·         Long Jump – Men - Mike Tyson – Charleston – 1973 - 24'0 ½

·         Long Jump – Women - Gina Marshall – Glenville - 198? - 20'2*                                           

·         Discus – Men - Christian Buckley – Poca – 2015 - 186'9

·         Discus - Women - Erin Compton - Oak Hill – 1999 - 153'4

·         Shot Put – Men - Randy Barnes - St. Albans – 1985 - 66'9 1/2               

·         Shot Put – Women - Crystal Hypes -                Winfield – 1992 - 45'3

* Indicates that the record needs to be verified. (T) denotes a tie.

 

West Virginia contest 18 high school track and field events, so with the men and women combined there are a possible of 36 state records to be held. The 2010’s holds 21 out of 36 state records, which is 58%. The Women of the 2010’s holds 14 out of 18 state records, which is 77.8 %. While the Men of the 2010’s holds 7 out of 18 state records, which is 38.9%.

For the women, sprinter McKenna Smith of Bridgeport Senior High holds the most state records with five in the 100m (11.85), 200m (24.36), 400m (54.61), 300lh (43.04), 4x400m (3:59.03), which were all earned in 2017. Distance runner Amelia Paladino of University High came in second with three in the 800m (2:08.49), 1600m (4:42.19), 3200m (10:00.42), which were all earned in 2014.

For the men, sprinter Dante Price of Jefferson High holds the most state records with three in the 200m (21.10), 4x100m (42.20), 4x400m (3:23.00), which were all earned in 2011 through 2013. Three athletes tied for second with two state records held: Sprinter James Jett of Jefferson High (100m, 400m in 1989), Clint Hayes of Huntington High (110m hurdles, 300m hurdles in 1990), and Jacob Burcham of Cabell Midland High (1600m, 4x800m in 2012).

The longest standing state record for women, is the 4x200-meter relay by Jefferson High, with a time of 1:43.54 at the Laidley Field, State Meet back in 1980 (37 years).

The longest standing state record for men, is the 800-meters by Wilson Smith of Huntington High, with a time of 1:49.66 at the Golden West Invitational, California back in 1968 (49 years).

So, there you go: The 2010’s is probably the best decade in the history of West Virginia track & field.

I know you are probably sitting there wondering what has changed over the years to make the difference. Here are some things you might want to consider: There’s better coaching; better training; shared knowledge via the internet; social media; better racing opportunities; changing technology; changing genes; and a changing mindset.

What records will likely stand the test of time? And, which may fall sooner than we think? Only time will tell, but please keep this in mind, “Records are meant to be broken and they should be broken, but fairly.”

As concerning the future, “If we want to travel into the future, we just need to go fast.”

 

Note: West Virginia High School girl’s track & field began in the mid-1970’s.

 

Submitted by Mike McMillion (06/03/2017)

State Records courtesy of RunWV