Indoor Track - 4A State Meet

SALEM — Handley junior Taylor Beard won the third indoor state high jump title of her career and Judges senior Trey Causey won his first high jump state title to highlight area performances at the Class 4 state indoor track and field meet held on Friday and Saturday at Roanoke College.

On Friday, Beard broke her own meet record set last year in Class 4 with a mark of 5 feet, 8 inches to defeat James Wood senior Rene Rosso (5-4) by four inches. Beard jumped 5-7 last year and 5-3 in 2016.

Causey — who will compete for the University of Virginia next year — recorded a mark of 6-10 to beat Woodgrove senior Sean Murphy (6-6) by four inches on Saturday. Causey broke the meet record of 6-7 set by Will Kendall of Midlothian in 2014, which was the first year of Class 4’s existence.

Causey was also third in the 55 meters (6.57) in Saturday’s finals and third in the triple jump (45-8).

Other Handley boys who scored points by placing in the top eight at the state meet were junior Jack Armel (tied for fifth in the pole vault, 12-0) and junior Max Doerwaldt (seventh in the 55 hurdles, 8.16).

Sherando junior Isaiah Allen was fourth in the shot put (49-5.5).

Loudoun Valley won the boys’ meet with 93 points, and E.C. Glass was second with 51. Handley was sixth with 27.5 points and Sherando was 27th with 5.

In the girls’ meet, Rosso also recorded all-state performances in the 55 hurdles (second in 8.51), the long jump (fifth, 16-4.25) and triple jump (fifth, 35-5.25).

In addition to Beard, Handley was led by senior Casey Nelson (third in the shot put, 38-3) and freshman Mary McKay (eighth in the pole vault, 10-0). McKay set a school record in the 55 preliminaries with a 7.42 that was the fourth-best time on Friday, but was disqualified from the Saturday finals for a false start.

Sherando senior Donzailya Berg placed seventh in the 55 hurdles (9.10).

Deep Creek won the girls’ meet with 58 points. Loudoun Valley was second with 55, James Wood was eighth with 24, Handley was 15th with 17 and Sherando was 34th with 2.