Kowal wins region pole vault; New Kent boys 6th, girls 16th

Griffin Kowal cleared 15 feet, seven inches to win pole vault and help New Kent’s Trojans place sixth overall at the 3A East Region track meet held Thursday at Lakeland High School in Suffolk.

The Trojans scored 50.5 points while the Lady Trojans totaled 10.16 to place 16th. Phoebus won the boys’ meet with 99 while Tabb took the girls’ with 136.33.

Kowal and teammate Darius Jones posted a one-two finish in pole vault with Jones clearing 12 feet. Another teammate, Will Tolley, tied for sixth with a vault of 10 feet.

Kowal’s 15-7 effort is the best recorded so far this season by any high school vaulter in Virginia.

Andrew Carlin barely missed out on capturing the title at 3200 meters. Brentsville’s Jack McNally finished in 9:55.66 to edge Carlin’s 9:55.96. Carlin, meanwhile, took third at 1600 meters (4:27.28) while Jon Swartout placed seventh in 4:43.54.

R.J. Morris placed fifth in both long jump (21-5.5) and triple jump (43-0.25) while Joe Dixon won fifth in shot (44-7) and Josh Dixon took fifth in discus (126-8). Zach Ford finished eighth at 400 meters in 52.14.

For the Lady Trojans, Courtney Pickett cleared eight feet, nine inches for a second place finish in pole vault. Bri’anna Chavis placed seventh in shot (31-6.5), and Olivia Hobson tied for eighth in high jump (4-6).