Polk County's Leah Dotson won the pole vault at Saturday's 2A West Regional track and field meet

Dotson wins pole vault, leads Polk quartet of state track qualifiers

Led by regional champion Leah Dotson, Polk County’s track and field team qualified four athletes for next week’s state 2A championships during Saturday’s 2A West Regional meet at East Burke.

Dotson, a freshman, took top honors in the pole vault, clearing 8-0 in the fewest attempts to win the event. She is the first Polk County girl to win a regional pole vault title since Lauren Ketwitz took top honors at the 2018 1A West Regional.

The Wolverines had three other athletes notch top-four finishes, which earned them a spot in the state 2A championship meet on May 20 at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. That group included:

  • Mia Bradley, who cleared 4-10 in the high jump and finished tied for second with Bandys’ Lydia Fisher behond Jasmine Miller of Community School of Davidson. Fisher cleared 5-0.
  • Sophia Overholt, who took third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.97. Pine Lake Prep’s Alessia Addo win the event in 58.61, followed by R-S Central’s Cloey Jenkins in 59.73.
  • Nathaniel Rhein, who placed third in the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 41.11. Owen’s Trevae Woodyard took top honors in 39.35, with East Burke’s Kenneth Byrd second in 40.31.

The Polk County girls placed ninth in the team standings, with Bandys, Pine Lake Prep and R-S Central taking the top three spots. The Wolverines boys finished 10th, with Owen, East Burke and Bunker Hill the top three teams.

Saturday’s state meet at North Carolina A&T will begin at 10 a.m.

Polk County results

GIRLS
Shot put

  1. Akeela Cunningham, 27-2

Discus

  1. Avia Cunningham, 71-9

Long jump

  1. Sophia Overholt, 15-4 3/4

High jump

  1. Mia Bradley, 4-10

Pole vault

  1. Leah Dotson, 8-0; 9. Elizabeth Vitale, 6-6; 10. Kairo Holbert, 6-0

100-meter dash

  1. Akyla Cunningham, 13.6; 14. Bailey Staton, 14.34

1600-meter relay

  1. Cora Lawrence, 6:44.10; 13. Kayla Kitchen, 7:31.63; 14. Carly Holland, 7:53.87

4×100-meter relay

  1. Polk County (Avia Cunningham, Jeri Allen, Tali Thompson, Bianca Pitts), 1:01.66

400-meter dash

  1. Sophia Overholt, 1:00.97; 8. Bailey Staton, 1:06.00

200-meter dash

  1. Akyla Cunningham, 28.31

BOYS
Shot put

  1. Bryson Owen, 36-9 1/2

Long jump

  1. Kris Littlejohn, 19-5

Triple jump

  1. Nolan Simpson, 37-3

Pole vault

  1. Kristopher Brooks, 9-6

4×800-meter relay

  1. Polk County (Nate Martinez, Cade Bright, Jayln Thomas, Blake Anderson), 8:39.74

110-meter hurdles

  1. Lorenzo Sanchez, 18.21

4×200-meter relay

  1. Polk County (Nolan Simpson, Billy Booker, Aaron Dickey, Zalen McCraw), 1:45.97

1600-meter run

  1. Jayln Thomas, 5:01.82

4×100-meter relay

  1. Polk County (Kris Littlejohn, Lorenzo Sanchez, Wayne Carson, Antonio Simpson), 46.02

400-meter dash

  1. Nate Martinez, 52.89

300-meter hurdles

  1. Nathaniel Rhein, 41.11; 12. Lorenzo Sanchez, 46.05

800-meter run

7. Blake Anderson, 2:10.27

4×400-meter relay

7. Polk County (Nate Martinez, Antonio Simpson, Cade Bright, Nathaniel Rhein), 3:36.31

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