The West Potomac girls 4x800-meter relay team outdistanced the rest of the field to win at the Virginia High School AAA Indoor Track and Field Championships held Feb. 25-26 in Hampton. Sophia Passacantando, Dale Lescher, Sami Miller and Sarah Jane Underwood lowered their own school record by 2 seconds (9:25:09) and recorded the fastest time in Virginia for the 2011 indoor season, ranking them 10th-fastest in the nation. West Potomac’s Underwood held off a strong challenge by third-seeded Cosby in an extremely fast anchor leg, crossing the finish line .03 ahead of Cosby’s top runner, Megan Moye.
The boys 4x800 meter relay of Mark Hanak, Marc Lotterie, Khoki Bernier and Ben Aleixo also ran strong with a season-best time of 8:06.71, placing ninth. Their time is the second-fastest in school history.
In individual events, Lescher and Underwood had strong performances, both earning all-state honors. Lescher recorded a personal-best time and beat her eighth-place seeding in the 1600-meter race, recording a time of 5:08.36 to finish sixth. Underwood was fifth with a time of 2:57.13 in a 1000-meter race that was one of the fastest in memory, according to Virginia track and field website Milestat.com. Lisa Kingston placed 12th in the shot put with a throw of 35 feet, 1.5 inches. The girls team finished 11th overall in the team scores.
Bernier set a personal best of 2:38.15 in the 1000-meter boys race. Tyron Jenkins competed in the triple jump setting a mark of 43-01 as well as running his best time of 1:07.59 in the 500 meters.
<b>WPHS’s Carriker Signs with Maine</b>
West Potomac offensive lineman Daniel Carriker signed a letter of intent to play football for the University of Maine in the fall of 2011. The three-year starter earned second-team AP All-State honors and first-team All-State Virginia Preps accolades at guard his senior year, along with being an All-Northern Region and All-Patriot District selection.
Carriker became an anchor on a Wolverine offense that averaged 35 points per game, more than 200 yards passing and 130 yards rushing. Eagle Scout, team leader and team captain, Carriker will take those qualities with him to Maine. He is also an honor roll student.
Carriker is projected to play guard for the Black Bears and could compete for playing time as a freshman.
<b>Mount Vernon Spring Sports</b>
The Mount Vernon baseball team will scrimmage at South County at 11 a.m. on March 5. The Majors will open their season at home against West Potomac on March 15.
The girls soccer team will host a pair of scrimmages in early March. The Majors will face Stafford at 7 p.m. on March 3 and Gar-Field at 7 p.m. on March 8. Mount Vernon opens its season on March 14 at West Potomac.
The Mount Vernon boys soccer team will scrimmage Langley at 6 p.m. on March 3 at West Potomac High School, and will host a scrimmage against either Jefferson or West Potomac at 8 p.m. on March 4. The Majors will open their season on March 14 at West Potomac.
The girls lacrosse team will scrimmage at Osbourn Park at 7 p.m. on March 3 and host a scrimmage against Edison on March 10.
<b>West Potomac Spring Sports</b>
The West Potomac baseball team will scrimmage at Bishop Ireton at 11 a.m. on March 5 and at Thomas Jefferson at 2 p.m. on March 12. The Wolverines will open their season on March 15 at Mount Vernon.
The softball team will scrimmage at Hayfield at 6 p.m. on March 7 and at home against Chantilly at 6:30 p.m. on March 10. The Wolverines will open their season at Mount Vernon on March 17.
The boys soccer team will host a scrimmage against Thomas Jefferson on March 3. The girls soccer team will scrimmage at Washington-Lee at 7 p.m. on March 7 and at home against Stuart Hall at 7 p.m. on March 11.
The boys lacrosse team will scrimmage against Bishop Ireton and Mount Vernon starting at noon on March 5.
<b>Fort Hunt Softball Registration</b>
Fort Hunt spring softball registration is open, though late fees are in effect.
Prior to registering a child for a Fort Hunt spring sport, review the Spring 2011 season information for the sport. See the "Softball" link at the top of the fhyaa.org website for information on the softball program. Register online at fhyaa.org.
For questions about the spring softball season, contact
fthuntsoftball@yahoo.com or call 703-660 - 6338.