St. Marys’ Hashman sets Class A state meet record

CHARLESTON -- Despite battling the weather -- and being under the weather, for that matter -- Braden Hashman made West Virginia state track history Saturday at Laidley Field.

The St. Marys senior not only won the Class A state championship in the 110 hurdles, but set a state meet record in the event with a time of 14.63.

The previous mark was 14.90, set by South Harrison's Andy Nottingham back in 2007.

"It's unbelievable," said Hashman, who also won the state title in the 300 hurdles. "I've worked so hard for the past four years. It's like a dream come true."

Hashman wasn't bothered by the steady rain. In fact, he welcomed it.

"I was kind of hoping it would rain because we always run in the rain at practice," he said. "I was sick this week, too. I was like man, hopefully sub-15 in the rain and sick. I ended up getting the meet record. I was so pumped. It was sweet. I wasn't expecting it."

The 14.61 mark was Hashman's best performance in the event, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

"Last week at regionals, I ran a 14.8, then I ended up running a 14.6," Hashman said. "I was super excited. That's a school record, too."

In the 300, Hashman led the way with a time of 40.41. Hashman's teammate Peyton Girard was not far behind in fifth place at 42.67. In fact, the first six runners to cross the finish line in the event all were from Little Kanawha Conference schools.

Ritchie County's Bruce Moyer finished as the runner-up (40.93), Wood County Christian's Brayden Wise was third (41.16), Doddridge's Seth Richards was fourth (41.88) and Williamstown's Malachi Stewart was sixth (43.00).

"I love it," Hashman said. "Our area, Region I especially, all the top guys for hurdles come out of there. I love that. That gives me pride. Our area's known for that."

Hashman also was part of the 4×400 relay team that placed fourth with a time of 3:39.36, along with Reece Westfall, Joey Ramsey and Logan Eddy.

St. Marys finished sixth in Class A standings with 48 points. Hashman scored 23.75 of those points. Girard added a fifth-place finish in the 110 hurdles (16.10), while Westfall placed eighth in the 800 (2:06.56). Eddy, Ramsey, Sam Tagliarini and Jake Delancey combined to place eighth in the 4×100 (46.50).

Magnolia got a state championship effort from sophomore Dubale Greathouse, who won the high jump with a leap of 6-4. Teammate Landen Davis was sixth in the 1600 (4:37.53) while Lucas Zombotti finished eighth in the pole vault (10-6) as the Blue Eagles placed eighth as a team with 27 points.

The Ritchie County boys took third place with 74 points. The Rebels' 4×400 team of Heath Knight, Dylan Malolepsey, Zayden Hardbarger and Alex Owens claimed a state title with a time of 3:33.98.

Bryce Moyer had a pair of runner-up finishes for Ritchie, placing second in the long jump (20-5.75) and 300 hurdles. Hardbarger, Owens, Moyer and Ethan Haught were on the 4×2 team that placed third (1:33.69). Kody Camp came in third in pole vault, clearing 12 feet.

Owens scored in the 800 (5th; 2:03.42) and the 400 (7th; 52.44). Haught, Hardbarger, Bryce Newbrough and Bodhi Utter took seventh in the 4×100 (46.00), while Malolepsey placed fifth in the 1600 with a time of 4:37.07.

Doddridge followed in fourth place in the team standings with 58 points. The Bulldogs scored in all three relays Saturday, with the 4×100 team of Talyn Snyder, Caleb Wekseth, Elisha Galagar and Seth Richards earning the best result (4th; 45.71). The 4×2 team of Galagar, Jared Trent, Snyder and Wekseth came in sixth (1:34.82) while the 4×4 team of Wekseth, Snyder, Gunner Kimball and Trent finished seventh (3:42.96).

Trent was fourth in the 400 (51.48), Jacob Dehaven was sixth in the high jump (6-0) and Kimball placed sixth in the 800 (2:04.65). Richards and John Devinney placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the pole vault, with both clearing 11 feet.

It's the first season since 2018 that the Bulldogs did not win the single-A state title.

In fifth place as a team was Williamstown with 50 points.

A day after claiming the 3200 state title, Zach Cannon added a seventh-place finish in the 1600 with a time of 4:37.69. Colton Hesson finished third in the high jump at 6-2.

The 'Jackets scored in all three relays Saturday, led by the 4×100 team's sixth-place finish. Cooper Billingsley, Colton Sites, Will Sites and Carson Brunidge combined to produce a time of 45.99. The Siteses, Brundige and Hesson placed eighth in the 4×200 (1:36.22) while Brundige, Julian Johnson, Frank Conner and Hesson finished eighth in the 4×400 (3:43.40).

Wise claimed a runner-up finish in the 110 hurdles (15.03) for Wood County Christian, which placed 11th with 21 points. He also was eighth in the long jump at 18-8.75. Fellow Wildcat Christian Erlandson was fifth in the 100 (11.63) and seventh in the 200 (23.82).

Tyler Consolidated's Sage Landis cleared 13 feet to finish as the runner-up in the pole vault behind only Gunner Fertig of Buffalo, which won the team title with 109 points.

Wirt County's Joseph Liveo earned a third-place finish in the 400, clocking in at 51.36.

Ravenswood's Wyatt Milhoan scored in a pair of events -- he placed fifth in the 200 (23.47) and sixth in the 100 (11.72). He also anchored the Red Devils' 4×4 team with Brandon Haynes, Thomas Nickerson and Logan Moore. They placed fifth with a time of 3:39.98.