NRHS girls lead track pack
Published 4:17 pm Wednesday, February 25, 2015
The Nansemond River High School girls’ indoor track and field team celebrates with their trophy after making school history with a team win at Monday’s regional championships in Hampton. Team members pictured include Indya Gipson, Lauryn McNeal, Asia Crocker, Dajae’ Goulet, Brandeé Johnson, Monae Bynum, Kiara Howard, Karah Foster, Candice James, Kara Lyles, Shaniyah Adams, Kiara Price, Syaira Richardson, Zakiya Rashid, Amirah Jones, Casey Williams and Courtney James. Coaches pictured include Aaron Dudley, Justin Byron and John James.
No Nansemond River High School girls’ indoor track and field team had ever won a regional championship until Monday.
Though the Virginia High School League’s realignment in 2013 changed things by limiting the field of competition to schools of similar size, NR coach Justin Byron said the Lady Warriors’ accomplishment is “still groundbreaking.”
Long hours were spent to begin peaking around this time of year.
Getting the win “helps justify all the late practices and things like that,” he said.
Nansemond River finished with 114.5 points, defeating Phoebus High School, which was not far behind with 107.5 points.
There was no greater contributor to the Lady Warriors’ cause than junior Brandeé Johnson, who accounted for 38 points by herself. She won regional championships in the girls’ 500-meter dash, long jump and triple jump, and she placed second in the 55-meter dash.
“Big day for Brandeé,” Byron said. “She was in four events, and she had four personal records.”
She finished the 500 in one minute and 16.22 seconds, leapt 18 feet, 6.25 inches in the long jump, produced a 38-foot mark in the triple jump and recorded a 7.12-second time in the 55.
Byron was not inclined to have Johnson compete in the long jump, but she pleaded with him to let her.
“If Brandeé hadn’t jumped the long jump, we would have lost,” he said, as she earned 10 points for the team with her win in the event. “So, I’m glad Brandeé begged me to jump.”
“Zakiya (Rashid) had a season-best in the shot put, which was good for her,” Byron said.
She won the regional title with a 44-foot-1.25-inch throw.
Byron said this is an excellent base for Rashid, but he hopes to see improvement from the senior.
Nansemond River gained more state qualifiers by virtue of placement and/or time in their last opportunity of the indoor season.
“They responded to the pressure,” Byron said. “It’s one of those ‘your-back-against-the-wall’ situations.”
The most surprising qualifier was the girls’ 4×800-meter relay team, which took second with a time of 10:24.23. The team included sophomore Casey Williams, junior Amirah Jones, sophomore Christina Banks and freshman Skylar Old.
The boys’ 4×400-meter relay team qualified for states via its time (3:31.21), and it also finished second. The team featured junior Donovan Gray and seniors Kadeem Middleton, Xavier Williams and Tasheim Theodore.
Qualifying for states by taking sixth place was the boys’ 4×800-meter relay team. The group, which included Gray, senior Darius Smith, sophomore Ta’von Sessoms and junior Kevin Tohak, finished with a time of 8:40.28.
The VHSL Group 4A state indoor track and field championships have been postponed due to inclement weather and are now set for March 5 and 6 at Liberty University in Lynchburg.
