West boys win CVAC

Chris Corpening will tell you that repeats are twice as nice. He would know.

West Caldwell completed a 38-point comeback when Corpening crossed the finish line first in the final leg of the day's final race to take the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference title. The Warrior boys' total of 112 points was 10 better than Newton-Conover, securing their second straight conference crown.

"Back-to-back feels good!" Corpening exclaimed afterward.

Hibriten's girls, meanwhile, joined their county compatriots in the winner's circle. Hibriten's total of 179.50 points was 55 better than second-place Hickory.

"It's just an adrenaline rush," Lady Panther Brooklyn Chandler said. "It's like 'Oh my gosh!'"

Hibriten picked up right where it left off Tuesday (when Chandler won the long jump and triple jump and Ashton Kirby won the pole vault). Quiasiah Stinson won the 100-meter dash (12.90 seconds) and Amara Isbell won the 200-meter dash (26.55 seconds), while Hibriten's 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams also came out on top. Four Hibriten runners took second places: Amanda Corder in the 100-meter hurdles (19.02 seconds), Hannah Dula in the 100-meter dash (13.13 seconds) and the 400-meter dash (1:02.42) and Stinson in the 200-meter dash (26.82 seconds).

Savannah Tester took third in the 800-meter run (2:38.10) and Devan Schreiber took third in the 3,200-meter run (13:07.33).

"It was pretty much what we expected from the girls," Hibriten coach Ray Suddreth said. With his retirement coming at the end of this year, Suddreth wrapped up his 34th conference title (between cross country and track and field) in 30 years of coaching.

The West Caldwell journey to first place, conversely, was much tighter.

It took wins from Corpening in the 400-meter dash (51.48 seconds) and the 4x400 relay team (3:37.78) plus second places from Tyler Bentley in the 110-meter hurdles (16.0 seconds) and Justin Gragg in the 1,600-meter run (4:41.13) and the 800-meter run (2:05.08) to secure the title.

Warrior coach Craig Styron was thrilled with the way things played out.

"It's a great feeling," he said. "These don't ever get old."

Corpening also turned in a third place in the 100-meter dash (11.55 seconds).

"That was the most exciting meet of my life," Gragg said. "I'm just so happy."

Hibriten's boys took fifth place with 89.25 points. West Caldwell's girls finished ninth with 19.50 points.

Spartan girls third in N-W

Britney Bartle won two events and the Spartan girls won three others Wednesday en route to a third-place finish in the Northwestern Conference Track and Field Championships at A.C. Reynolds in Asheville.

Reynolds totaled 204.5 points to win the event. Watauga was second with 150.50, followed by South with 147. Alexander Central (66), McDowell (52), Freedom (27) and East Burke (13) rounded out the team scores.

Bartle won the 100-meter dash (12.91 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (26.67). Tara Wilson won the 800 (2:29.35) and Jasmine Wilson the shot put (37-02). The South 4x800 relay team posted a first-place time of 11:11.41.

The Spartans had strong finishes in other events as well. Second place finishes went to Bartle in the 400 (59.35), Tara Wilson in the 1,600 (5:25.15) and 3,200 (12:24.01), Adrian Cooke in the 300 hurdles (48.46) and relay teams in the 4x200 (1:54.34) and 4x400 (4:26.67). Jasmine Wilson was third in the discus (104-00), Katelin Cooke third in the 1,600 (5:38.41) and Mary Thomas picked up a pair of thirds in the pole vault (8-06) and high jump (4-08).

The Spartan boys finished sixth in the team tally with 53 points. East Burke won with 150 points, followed by Watauga (139), McDowell (102), Freedom (95), Reynolds (90), South Caldwell and Alexander Central (40).

Josh Kanupp was the lone Spartan victor, winning the 100 with a time of 11.06. He was second in the 200 (23.85).

Pole vaulter Dustin Potter was second with a mark of 12-00 and the Spartan 4x800 relay team finished second with a time of 8:42.78.