State Title Sweep: Bridgeport Boys, Girls Teams Bring Home Class AA Track & Field Championships
By Jeff Toquinto on May 19, 2018
Bridgeport High School’s boys and girls track teams completed a sweep of the Class AA West Virginia Track and Field Championships at Charleston’s Laidley Field this afternoon. The Indian girls rolled to the win, while the boys steadily added to their advantage to take home the crown.
The Tribe girls finished with 152.5 points to get past defending Class AA champions Winfield. The Generals finished with 100.33 points in what was truly a two-team battle. Oak Glen was third with 35 points.
For the boys, the title was secured later in the day and likely felt just as good. BHS also upended the defending champs – also Winfield – by finishing with 105 points compared to 89 for the Generals.
The state championship was the third for the Tribe and Coach Emilee Yurish on the girls’ side of the slate. Coach Jon Griffith and the 
Bridgeport boys wrapped up the school’s second title.
Bridgeport boys wrapped up the school’s second title.
The girls were able to get it with a landslide of individual and relay titles led by Isabella Bowen. Bowen finished the meet with three individual titles and a relay win for 32.5 points. The boys were able to get the win by placing throughout and picking up a handful of individual and relay titles during the two-day meet in the state’s capital.
For the girls, day two started off with a title by Kristen Crowder. She won the high jump for Bridgeport by clearing 5 feet, 4 inches.
Not only was that a precursor of big things, it also was followed by the first of three individual titles by Bowen in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes. What proved better was that first event saw the Indians place two in the 400 meter dash. Bowen took first place with a time of 57.89 seconds, while Catie Wilson came in fourth place with a time of 1 minute, .47 seconds.
It was the start of a dominating day by the Indians.
In the very next event, Julia Muller won a state crown in the 1600 meter run. Muller, a solo state title winner on day one, one by more than 10 seconds with a showing of 5 minutes, 23.33 seconds.
Bridgeport’s next title in Charleston was once again courtesy of Bowen and once again was in an event where the Tribe piled up points. 
Bowen won the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.67 seconds, while teammate Anaiya Jackson was third thanks to her posting a time of 13.21 seconds.
Bowen won the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.67 seconds, while teammate Anaiya Jackson was third thanks to her posting a time of 13.21 seconds.
The relays also weren’t immune for top finishes and titles. The Tribe’s 4x200 meter relay team of Kirstin George, Wilson, Juliet Hart, and Kristen Crowder were the champs thanks to a time of 1 minute, 45.86 seconds.
For good measure, the Indians added the 4x100 meter championship to their treasure trove of titles. Jackson, Bowen and Crowder just missed breaking a state record with a time of 49.97 seconds, which was just off the ‘AA’ all-time mark of 49.66 seconds.
In the final event of the day, Bridgeport’s 4x400 team nearly added another crown. However, the team of McKenna Eddy, Wilson, George and Crowder came in second with a time of 4 minutes, 8.36 seconds.
Bowen’s last title of the day came in the 200 meter dash. She posted a time of 25.05 seconds to get the win, and she had teammates join her on the winner’s stand. Jackson finished fourth with a time of 25.94 seconds, while Wilson was fifth with a time of 26.01 seconds.
The Tribe piled up more points in the 100 meter hurdles event with a second and third place finish. Emily Meade was the runner-up in the .jpg)
event with a time of 16.26 seconds, while Ashton Miller’s third place was the result of putting up a mark of 16.94 seconds.
event with a time of 16.26 seconds, while Ashton Miller’s third place was the result of putting up a mark of 16.94 seconds.
Muller was back at it in the 800 meter event. She finished in fourth place with a time of 2 minutes, 25.71 seconds.
Bridgeport’s Claire Lohmann added points in the pole vault by tying for fifth place. Lohmann added 1.5 points to the Tribe’s total thanks to clearing 9 feet, 6 inches.
For the boys, Bridgeport’s lone individual title Saturday came courtesy of senior Chris Trent. He proved the Indians a huge boost in the shot put by going out in style with a first place finish thanks to a throw of 55 feet, 11.75 inches.
BHS wasn’t done in that event. Micah Swann finished in third place with a time of 47 feet, 6 inches that gave the Indians a huge point boost late.
The boys started off strong and got on the board in the first event this morning. Josh Osborn earned a runner-up finish in the pole vault by clearing 13 feet.
Braeden Oldaker landed points for the Indians in both hurdle events. In the 300 meter hurdles, Oldaker came in third place after hitting for a time of 40.28 seconds. However, he did even better in the 110 hurdle race with a second place time of 15.01 seconds.
Another runner-up finish came in the 1600 meter run. Mark Duez did the honors for the Tribe by finishing with a time of 4 minutes 27.07 seconds. In the 800 meter event, Duez was a fourth place finisher. He posted a time of 2 minutes, .86 seconds.
The relay teams also got into the runner-up act. Bridgeport’s 4x200 team of Maverick Eddy, Trenton Shaw, Chase Binegar and Hayden Hess earned the second spot with a time of 1 minute, 31.62 seconds.
Eddy also got points by himself in the 100 meter dash. His six points came thanks to a time of 11.53 seconds that was good for third place. The senior wasn’t done. He came back in the 200 meter dash for another third place finish. He posted a time of 22.63 seconds to give Bridgeport enough points with only one event remaining to clinch the win.
In the final event of the day, the Tribe earned another runner-up finish. This time in the 4x200 meter relay as the team of Binegar, Tristan Shaw, Trenton Shaw and Kyle McCarthy posted a time of 3 minutes, 30.31 seconds.
Editor's Note: Top photo is of the BHS track teams prior to heading to Charleston and that is followed by a photo of Isabella Bowen from the recent regional competition. In the third picture, the girls winning 4x200 team is shown. Christopher Trent is shown in regional action in the fourth photo and the photo below is of Kristen Crowder on the championship stand at the state meet.
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