While the goal may be to win every event at a track and field meet, coaches also want to see improved times, heights and distances from the previous time an athlete competed.

 

In Saturday’s annual Harry Green Invitational, the Bridgeport High School coaching staff was beyond pleased as the Indians set a combined 86 personal records (55 for the boys and 31 for the girls) in addition to 14 combined season records (six for the boys and eight for the girls).

 

And as far as winning goes? There was plenty of that too. The boys won six events on the way to winning the team championship with 162.5 points. The girls won six events and placed third behind Doddridge County and John Marshall in the team standings.

 

Doddridge County swept the high-point honors with Destiny Berryman winning on the girls side and Sage Landis on the boys side. Berryman’s efforts were led by wins in the 800 (2:23.33) and the 3,200 (11:50.79) along with a runner-up finish in the mile.

 

Landis won the pole vault at 14-01, 400 (51.82) and was part of the first-place 4x400 team (along with Jerod Trent, Talyn Snyder and Trace Berryman with a 3:36.75).

 

For Bridgeport, Gianna Cox and Cale Culicerto each won a pair of individual events and was part of a first-place relay team.

 

The Indians actually swept four events – 100/110 hurdles, 4x100, shuttles and high jump.

 

Bridgeport’s Abigale Stewart had missed the team’s previous three meets as she was recovering from injuries. She made her debut at the Harry Green and promptly won the high jump after clearing 5-00.

 

On the boys side, Ian Blount cleared 5-08 to take first place.

 

Another sweep came in the 100/110 hurdles. Culicerto took the win for the boys with a time of 17.52. For the girls, Hazel Jackson took first place with a time of 16.97.

 

“Hazel has been a little bit frustrated because in the two session meets we have been in, she has run in the prelims and come back for finals but ended up running better in the prelims,” BHS girls coach Ali Burton said. “Today, she definitely had a better day in the finals.”

 

BHS also swept two relay events – the 4x100 and shuttles.

 

The girls team of Cox, Savannah Courtney, Lee Ann Gaskins and Eliza Perine won with a time of 52.19. For the boys, Tanner Hathaway, Jon Bender, Donte Pierre and Alex Moses joined forces for a winning time of 46.07.

 

In the shuttles, Jackson was joined by Ava Hollen, Carley Lattea and Lyla Kelley to give the BHS girls the top spot with a time of 52.19.

Culicerto, who is the only returning member from last year’s school-record setting and Class AAA state champion shuttles team, was joined by Cam Martin, Gabe Martin and Parker Blount in running their best time of the season with a 1:02.81.

 

“That drop in time today shows they are starting to round that corner,” BHS boys coach Grant Burton said. “Last year’s team was a special group and it’s going to be tough to put together a team that can run a 56 but we do have somebody from that team in Cale, who is not only doing his job as a runner but as a leader as well. I think this year’s group can get sub 60, and if we can get there, who knows what could happen (at the state meet).”

 

Culicerto also picked up another win in the 300 hurdles, running a first-place time of 43.11.

 

The final win for the BHS boys came in the distance medley relay an event that features a breakdown of a 1,200 leg, a 400 leg, an 800 leg and a 1,600 leg as opposed to the 4x800 relay (which is four 800 legs).

 

In the distance medley, William Northey ran the 1,200 leg, Timmy Jeffress ran the 400 leg, Quentin Collier ran the 800 leg and Sam Dodson ran the mile leg and when it was all said and done, BHS had a winning time of 11:07.62.

 

“Sam really had a strong finish, he made a big move on his final lap,” Grant Burton said.

 

Cox continued her strong season in the sprints as she won the 100 and 200 with respective times of 12.97 and 26.80.

The girls 4x200 team of Perine, Gaskins, Cox and Delaney Dotson had a runner-up time of 2:01.18.

 

Lyza Halterman placed third in the discus with a throw of 102-02 and added a sixth-place throw in the shot put at 31-01.

Gaskins was fourth in the long jump at 15-03.24 and fourth in the 100 with a time of 13.48.

 

Courtney added a fifth-place 100 time of 13.67.

 

The distance medley relay team of Mikaela DeMoss, Alea Matthis, Ashly McBrayer and Sara Rexroad placed sixth at 14:45.95.

Also for the BHS girls, Lyla Kelley was sixth in the high jump at 4-04, Lattea was sixth in the 300 hurdles at 54.62 and Perine was sixth in the 200 at 29.10.

 

The BHs boys had five second-place finishes with Cam Martin in the 110 hurdles at 17.82, Noah Kintz in the pole vault at 10-06, Wes Brown in the shot put at 44-05.50, Pierre in the 100 at 11.80 and Jeffress in the 200 at 23.34.

 

Jeffress added a third-place distance of 20-00.75 in the long jump. Also placing third were Daniel Yearego in the 3,200 at 11:15.52, Parker Blount in the high jump at 5-06, Hathaway in the 100 at 11.06, Ethan Smell in the 1,600 at 4:46.06 and the 4x200 team of Cam Martin, Josh Love, Austin Harbert and Moses with a time of 1:42.34.

 

Dodson was fourth in the 800 at 2:06.91, while two more fourth-place finishes came in the throws for Ryan Jones in the shot at 40-07 and Aidan Sparks in the discus at 127-02.

 

Placing fifth for the BHS boys were Patrick Aucremanne in the pole vault at 8-00, Jaylen Brown in the shot put at 39-00.5, Diego Perez in the 1,600 at 5:14.94, Parker Blount in the 300 hurdles at 46.05 and Pierre in the 200 at 23.89.

 

Jared Rhodes finished sixth in the pole vault at 7-00. Gabe Martin was sixth in the long jump at 18-07.25. Brown had a sixth-place throw in the discus at 118-11. Bender placed sixth in the 100 at 12.25. Aiden Gorby was sixth in the 300 hurdles at 46.90. Sparks’ throw of 38-08 was the sixth-best in the shot put but since teams are only allowed for three individual results in the Top 6 so his throw didn’t count toward the team standings.

 

Other girls first-place finishers at the Harry Green went to: Doddridge County’s A’Kala Williams in the shot put at 35-02.50, John Marshall’s Zoe Zervos in the 400 with a time of 1:02.48, Doddridge County’s Jaycee Lipscomb in the pole vault at 9-00, Northern Garrett’s Kaylee Bowser in the long jump at 16-08.2, Grafton’s Jerra Halbritter in the discus at 108-10, Preston’s Hallie Simmons, Ella White, Autumn Myers and Delliah Myers in the distance medley relay with a time of 13:35.78, Northern Garrett’s Lydia Nelson in the 1,600 at 5:15.79, Grafton’s Hadley Horne in the 300 hurdles at 47.91, Doddridge County’s 4x200 team of Jaycee Lipscomb, Hannah Rymer, Payton Currey and Payton Trent with a time of 1:59.93, and Preston’s 4x400 team of Ella White, Taryn Veltri, Hallie Simmons and Hannah Wolfe with a time of 4:22.90.

 

On the boys side, other first-place results were: John Marshall’s DiMario White in the long jump at 20-02.25, Doddridge County’s Braden Murphy in the discus at 144-02, Doddridge County’s Carter Sias in the 3,200 with a time of 10:23.07, John Marshall’s Tanen McNeil in the shot put at 46-04.50, South Harrison’s Jaden Hatfield in the 100 at 11.26 and 200 at 22.71, Grafton’s MJ Niggemyer in the 800 at 2:03.86 and 1,600 at 4:40.82 and John Marshall’s 4x200 team of Cannon Goddard, Kaden Bungard, DiMario White and Xavier Wells with a time of 1:41.48.

 

The final girls team standings were: Doddridge County 151, John Marshall 109, Bridgeport 90, Grafton 71, Northern Garrett, Md. 58, Preston 48, South Harrison 25 and Liberty with 4.

 

Following BHS in the boys team standings were: Doddridge 150, John Marshall 75, Preston 67, Grafton 57, South Harrison 21.5, Northern Garrett, Md. 11 and Liberty with 8.

 

BHS returns to action on Tuesday in the Harrison County championship meet at Liberty High School, which is scheduled to begin by 4:30 p.m.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Jackson on the way to winning the 100 hurdles, second photo is of Cox (left) and Gaskins (right) in prelims, third photo is of Culicerto (right) and Cam Martin (left) on the way to a 1-2 finish in the 100 hurdles and bottom photo is of Northey running the first leg of the distance medley relay.