Kowal claims outdoor pole vault title at 3A state championships

New Kent’s Griffin Kowal duplicated his indoor pole vault success with a clearance of 15’0” to win the Group 3A Outdoor Track & Field championships on June 3-4 at Harrisonsburg High School. Kowal’s mark set a new state record for Group 3A in its third year of existence. Teammates Darius Jones (11’0”) and Will Tolley (10’6”) finished eighth and 14th, respectively, in the event.

Trojan distance runner Andrew Carlin earned a place on the medal stand, running a personal best 9:34.90 in the boys’ 3200-meter run to place third. He also logged an eighth place finish in the 1600-meter run, clocking a time of 4:39.97.

New Kent’s 4×100 meter relay team consisting of Evan Branch, Dominique Akrie-Williams, Nick Crewe, and R.J. Morris finished 10th with a time of 44.72. Joe Dixon’s heave of 43’11½ in the shot was good enough for an 11th place finish. Morris added a seventh place finish in the triple jump (42’8”), 10th place finish in the long jump (19’8¾) and a 15th place showing in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.51.

For the Lady Trojans, Courtney Pickett finished in a three-way tie for tenth in the girls’ pole vault with a clearance of 8’3”.

New Kent’s boys had accumulated 19.33 points before the meet was postponed due to inclement weather. The meet will resume on Wednesday, June 8, at noon.