The James River 4×200 meter relay team took a third place in the state Class 1&2 track meet at the Kerr-Cregger Indoor Fieldhouse at Roanoke College last Saturday. The girls took 17th place in the team standings as the Prince Edward girls and Parry McCluer boys took team championships.
River’s 4×200 team of Holly Hylton, Vanessa Lima, Ella Wright and Morgan Marshall ran a time of 1:52.21 to take third. Bruton High won the relay in 1:50.08 and runnerup Floyd County edged the River foursome by one-one hundredth of a second at 1:52.20.
Hylton, a sophomore, also ran in the 500 and took third with a time of 1:24.21. The winning time was 1:20.68 by Katie Brintle of Patrick County. Hylton ran the race on a sore foot and had to be helped off the track after crossing the finish line.
“She had a callus on the ball of her foot and it came off,” said River coach Greg Dyer. “I think she could have finished second if that hadn’t happened. She was fifth last year and third this year and the two girls who beat her are both seniors, so we’re looking for big things from Holly next year.”
Cole Miller also placed in the state with a seventh place finish in the boys’ 1,000 meter run. A senior, he had a time of 2:47.59.
River had several other competitors who qualified for the state but didn’t place in the top eight. Girls who competed included Marshall in the high jump, Lima in the 55 meters, and Hylton and Reagan Hester in the 55 hurdles.
For the boys, Isaac Worsley competed in the triple jump and was 15th.