CHARLESTON – Four victories treated the Buckhannon-Upshur track and field Buccaneers to a second-place finish in a talented field of 19 teams that scored in the Capitol City Classic at Laidley Field last Saturday in another event marred by poor weather.
The Bucs amassed 72 points while Huntington won the event with 112.5 points. Parkersburg South took third with 67 points, Hurricane was fourth with 59.5 points and George Washington rounded out the top five with 33 points.
Sterlin Thropp and Shawn Blandino continue to impress in the 400-meter dash as they took first and second in that event.
The two Bucs claimed first and second with just a 0.01 second difference between them.
Thropp won the event with a time of 51.16 and Blandino was second with a time of 51.17.
Julien Larcher also scored in the 400-meter dash running sixth with a time of 54.75.
Jordan Gillum added to his solid year thus far taking first in the 800-meter run with a clocking of 2:03.55.
Reis Leonard took fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.56.
The other two B-U victories belonged to the foursome of Blandino, Larcher, Gillum and Sterlin Thropp in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:36.28 and Gillum, Larcher, Leonard and Jack Waggy in the 4×800-meter relay with a time of 8:37.06.
Runner-up honors went to the quartet of Carter Zuliani, Camden Snyder, Sterlin Thropp and Taiwo Thropp in the 4×200-meter hurdle relay (1:35.39).
The Bucs recorded a trio of fourths as Blandino took fourth in the 200-meter dash (23.99), Taiwo Thropp in the 100-meter dash (11.87) and Leonard in the 300-meter hurdles (44.34).
Waggy scored in the 1600-meter run finishing sixth (4:52.60).
“Despite the rain, wind, and sleet the boys prevailed and did not give up the entire evening,” stated Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Patty Wager. “There were 1496 athletes representing a total of 26 high schools. Many chose to scratch their individual events but our boys stayed until the end. I give our bus driver, Dion Wamsley, special recognition for keeping the boys warm all night. We ran our personal best time in the 4×4 and the 4×2. Our 400-meter runners (Sterlin Thropp and Shawn Blandino) created so much excitement with their premiere race of the night!”
The Bucs were slated to run in a home meet on Tuesday and will run again Thursday at Ritchie County.
For complete results of the meet, please click here.
