Eight Gloucester High School athletes qualified for the 5A South Regional Indoor Track and Field Meet with their performances in the Conference 10 Meet held last Thursday at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton. The regional will be held Friday and Saturday at Boo Williams.

In the conference meet, the top six finishers in individual events and the top three relay teams advanced to the regional. For the GHS girls, Lauren Hill was second in the 1,000-meter race in 3:22.65 and Mia Robinson cleared eight feet to win the pole vault.

For the boys, Aaron Shipe was fourth in the 1,000-meter race in 2:46.55 and Joshua Shackleford was fifth in 2:46.73. Derek Drummond was fifth in the 1,600 meter in 5:51.62 and Colton Spence was fifth in the 3,200 meter in 11:50.70.

Justin Garcia was fourth in the 500-meter dash in 1:08.96 and was named a Milestat Elite Athlete and Thomas Dickenson was second in the pole vault by clearing eight feet. 

Also competing for the Dukes, Robinson, Ruby Williams, Jessica Hogge and Elizabeth Thomas were sixth in the 200-meter relay in 1:56.39 and sixth in the 1,600 relay in 4:32.97.

Chase Holland was seventh in the 1,600 in 5:21.2, Garcia was seventh in the 300 in 37.24 and Andrew Wibble was seventh in the 3,200 in 11:54.88. Brady Barefoot was seventh in the long jump with a leap of 19’11”.

Noah Bondurant, Tariq Gregory, Nicholas McGlone and John Pryor were seventh in the 200-meter relay in 1:47.18 and Garcia, Barefoot, Martaine Morris and Bondurant were fifth in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:42.56. In the 3,200 relay, Julian Reffo, Bondurant, Gregory and McGlone were seventh in 10:10.79.

Younger athletes shine

Younger and less experienced Gloucester High School athletes turned in good performances in the second Norfolk Academy Indoor Track and Field Meet on Jan. 14 at the Boo Williams Sportsplex. These were the first competitive events for some of the Dukes.

For the girls, Rachael Ferreira was second in the 1,000-meter race in 3:52.56, eighth grader Makala White was fifth in the 1,600 in 6:19.52 and Elizabeth Thomas was fourth in the 300-meter dash in 47.88 and second in the 55 in 8.25.

Brooke Cheatham was second in the 500 meter in 1:32.6, Laura Tobin was third in 1:34.65 and Lydia Hart was fourth in 1:35.92. Emma Cirillo won the shot put with a toss of 21 feet and Celeste Barber was third with 19’4”.

Tobin, Ainsley Miller, Alyssa Lass and Hart took fourth place in the 200 relay in 2:02.32 and White, Miller, Tobin and Hart were third in the 1,600 relay in 4:56.

For the boys, Colton Spence was sixth in the 1,600 in 5:29.55 and John Pryor was sixth in the 55 dash in 7.2. Thomas Dickenson won the pole vault by clearing seven feet, James Perkins was fourth in the shot put with 24’7.5” and Justin Champ was fifth with 22’11”.