The William Byrd boys finished 10th and the girls were 25th as Liberty
University in Lynchburg hosted the Virginia High School League Class 3 indoor
state track meet this week. The meet was held Monday and Tuesday and state
champions were the Grafton boys and the Heritage girls.
There were 36 teams that scored at least a point in the state meet among
over 50 VHSL schools participating in Class 3. Grafton dominated the boys side
with 63.5 points, followed by Lafayette with 38. Byrd finished the meet with 24,
the most by a Blue Ridge District school.
Byrd has a state champion in senior DeShawn Austin, who won the 55
meter hurdles. DeShawn had the best time in the preliminaries with a time of
7.55, then lowered that to 7.49 with a winning effort in the finals. He also scored
with a second place in the triple jump at 47’ 8.75” and just missed scoring with a
ninth place in the long jump.
Senior Ethan Haston earned all-state honors with a third place effort in the
long jump with a distance of 22’ 5.25”. Ethan was 13 th in the triple jump and 22nd
in the 55 meter dash. Byrd’s 4×200 relay was 10th with Austin, Haston, Jerrett
Shepherd and Gray Matthews.
The girls’ meet was closer in the team scores, as Heritage of Lynchburg
finished with 68 points and Western Albemarle was runner-up with 57. Byrd
finished with five points.
Junior Lily Perez had Byrd’s best placement with a fifth in the high jump,
clearing 4’10”. Lily was also 10th in the 55 hurdles and 13 th in the triple jump.
Senior Grace Onwi scored in two events, taking seventh in the 500 meters
in 1:20.38 and eighth in the 300 at 43.19.
Other state competitors included Ellie Ruble and Olivia Bustamante, who
took 10th and 12th in the high jump, and the 4×200 relay team that finished 10th .
The relay team consisted of Perez, Emma Matthews, Michal Hamlar and Ruble.
