Vernon High School will be well represented at the Class 3A Region 1 Track & Field Meet next week, as 13 Lions and Lady Lions qualified in 14 events based on their finish in Thursday’s 7-3A/8-3A Area Track & Field Meet held at Newton Field in Graham. The top four finishers in each event qualify for the regional meet which will be held next Friday and Saturday at Abilene Christian University.
VHS captured four Area gold medals in individual events, with Jackson Aydelott earning two of those by winning both the 200 Meter Dash and the 400 Meter Dash. The senior won the 400 Meter Dash with a time of 48.75 seconds, and had a winning time of 21.65 in the 200 Meter Dash.
Also picking up event titles were Key’Maria McBride and Jamari Chance. McBride won the Girls Triple Jump with a leap of 35-feet, 7.5-inches, and Chance won the Boys Triple Jump with a leap of 43-9.
Vernon also had three second-place finishes. Breasha Waggoner earned a silver medal in the Girls High Jump. Waggoner cleared a personal-best 5-6. In Boys High Jump, Tevan Evans picked a silver medal after he cleared a personal-best 6-8. Evans actually tied for first, but finished second based on number of missed jumps.
Finishing third in their events and receiving bronze medal were: Adarius Williams in the Boys Long Jump with a distance of 22-0.25; Klancy Sherrill in the Girls Jump after clearing 5-4; Nadia Gaines in the Girls Shot Put with a throw of 35-10.75; and Chance in the Boys 200 Meter Dash with a time of 22.47.
The Lady Lions were also third in the Girls 800 Meter Relay, while the Lions were third in the Boys Mile Relay. Vernon’s quartet of Waggoner, McBride, Sherrill and Zayleigh Sweet had a time of 1:46.25 in the Girls 800 Meter Relay, while Kylan Jagiere, Nevan Schur, Ty Scott and Aydelott had a time of 3:24.54 in the Boys Mile Relay.
Qualifying for the regional meet by finishing fourth in their event were Tru Gipson in the Boys 100 Meter Dash with a time of 11.09, and Sherrill in the Girls 100 Meter Hurdles with a time of 16.44.
The Lions were also fourth in the Boys 800 Meter Relay with a time of 1:29.68. Making up that relay squad were Gipson, Chance, Scott and Jagiere.
Scott also competed in the Boys 200 Meter Dash where he finished fifth with a time of 22.73. The Lady Lions also finished fifth in the Girls 400 Meter Relay with a time of 50.02. Running on that relay were Lily Beam, McBride, Waggoner and Sweet.
McBride finished sixth in the Girls Long Jump with a distance of 16-4.
There were 14 schools competing in the Area Track & Field Meet and in the team standings, the Lions were third in the Boys Division, while the Lady Lions were fourth in the Girls Division.