Field events are the strength of the Thomas Dale girls track team.

  When Kortney Williams produced a personal best and won the shot put Wednesday on the first day of the Central Region meet at Sports Backers Stadium, she ignited a team effort that culminated in a first region championship for the Knights girls.

  “I don’t have the words for this,” Thomas Dale coach Dick Anthony said. “I thought we had a chance if we performed well, but we performed better than well. We scored where we could score and got points from everyone.”

  Thomas Dale finished with 75 points. Patrick Henry (51.5) edged Deep Run by half a point for second.

  The Knights won just two events – Williams and freshman April Wilson in the 400 – but junior Sarah Fulgham collected points in the triple jump, long jump, high jump, 4 x 100 relay and the 100 dash. Kristen Greene scored in the shot and discus.

  Katea Jemmott scored in multiple events.

  “It surprised me when I won the shot,” said Williams, who also scored in the discus.

  Dale’s victory did not surprise Jemmott, a senior.

  “We put in the hard work and the effort. We knew we could do something this year and go out with a bang. We weren’t cocky, just confident,” she said.
  The Knights’ followed up Wilson’s victory in the 400 with a second in the next race, the 4 x 100.

  Running Wilson in the race “was huge,” Anthony said. The team consisted of a freshman, sophomore (Mariah Taliaferro), junior (Fulgham) and senior (Jemmott).

  Tori Cunningham of Meadowbrook was the voted the meet’s outstanding runner. She won the 100 and 200 and ran the third leg on the winning 4 x 100 team. Nikki Nunn of Manchester was the top field events performer. She won the long jump on Wednesday (18-103.4) and won the triple jump yesterday (36-81.2). Nunn has won one or the other (she won the long jump last year) in previous region meets.

  This was the first time she’s won both. “I couldn’t end my [region] career any better,” Nunn said. “I couldn’t get them together before.“

  The warm weather suited Nunn, who has had hamstring trouble before but not this year.

  “My hamstrings were all warmed up, and I think that contributed to my speed,” Nunn said.

  Three meet records fell yesterday.

  Kathleen Lautzenheiser of Midlothian and Courtney Dobbs dueled to the last two steps in the 1,600. Lautzenheiser won in 4:59.55. Dobbs was second in 4:59.62. Both broke the previous record held by Courtlin LeReau of Deep Run.

  Madalyn Nuckols of Deep Run (10:56.65) broke Lautzenheiser’s record with a victory in the 3,200.

  Patrick Henry’s Lizzie Powell clipped her record in the pole vault.

  She cleared 12-3, two inches better than the mark she set last year. She made three attempts at 12-9, but before doing so, she ran a leg in the 4 x 100. The Patriots finished third behind Meadowbrook and Thomas Dale, but the race affected the pole vault tries.

  “I did have a hard time with the transition from sprinting to sprinting with a pole,” Powell said. “My legs were a little worn out.”
 
Arthur Utley is a staff writer for the Richmond Times Dispatch.