William Findley of Fairbanks leaps over a hurdle during heat two of the 110 high hurdles at North Union’s Virg Rankin Invitational on Friday.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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The Fairbanks Panthers got the upper hand on the field of eight teams at this year’s Virg Rankin Invitational at North Union High School.
FHS won the boys championship Friday evening with 134 points. The score was good enough to beat out Jonathan Alder, which tallied 121 points.
NU’s boys placed fifth with 62.
The Lady Pioneers of JA won the field of seven squads, winning with 159 points. The Lady Cats squeaked by the Lady Panthers to take fourth with 39 points, while Fairbanks tallied 35 points for fifth.
In the boys events, the Panthers clawed their way to the top by taking top honors in five of the 16 events.
Nate Timmons finished first in the 110 hurdles (16.44) and the long jump with a distance of 20-03.25.
He was also part of the 4×200 relay team that included Kaleb Bosworth, Will Cochrane and Kyle Craig. The foursome took the title with a time of 1:33.
Cochrane cleared the 5-10 mark in the high jump to leap over the competition and was a part of the 4×400 relay team that beat the field with a time of 3:37.
The remaining relay members were Bosworth, Wilson and Anderson.
Jonathan Alder put some athletes to the top of the podium by taking first place in four events.
Luke Malone passed the pack to win the 1600 in 4:38.
Clayton Boggs picked up ten points for the Pioneers in the 200 dash with a first place finish of 23.91, while Daniel Heinig won both the discus and shot put.
Heinig made a herculean throw of 141-0 in the discus and followed up with a toss of 47-11 in the shot to help his team earn second place.
The Wildcats tallied first-place points in the 4×800 relay, 4×100 relay and 800 run. The 4×800 relay team of Brennan Griffith, Daniel Burggraf, Gabe Burggraf and Adam Brown took the top spot with a time of 8:33, while the 4×100 relay team of Austin Jamison, Carson Smith, Josh Cahill and Jaxon Harrah took first with a time of 46.45. Brown also finished first in the 800 run with a time of 2:05.
The remaining local athletes took either second or third in the following events:
-4×800 relay, Jon Alder, second, Hicks, McDaniel, Gray and Malone, 8:42, Fairbanks, third, Fitzwater, Greve, Hubbs, Carstensen, 11:07,
-4×200 relay, Jon Alder, second, Herrick, Walker, Lumpkin, Boggs, 1:36,
North Union, third, Jamison, Smith, Cahill, Young, 1:41,
-4×100 relay, Jon Alder, second, Herrick, Sible, Conley, Lumpkin, 47.15, Fairbanks, third, Wilson, Fairchild, Stauffer, Craig, 47.46,
-110 hurdles, Fairbanks, third, William Findley, 16.61,
-300 hurdles, Fairbanks, second, Timmons, 41.59, Fairbanks, third, Findley, 43.38,
-100 dash, Jon Alder, third, Tanner Lumpkin, 11.96,
-800 run, Fairbanks, second, Bosworth, 2:07, Jon Alder, third, Zack Hicks, 2:08,
-200 dash, Fairbanks, second, Cochrane, 23.97, North Union, third, Cahill, 24.25,
-3200 run, Jon Alder, second, Michael Gray, 10:09, Jon Alder, third, Colyn McDaniel, 10:50,
-Long Jump, Fairbanks, second, Bosworth, 18-09, Jon Alder, third, Henry Walker, 5-06,
-Shot put, Fairbanks, second, Parker Horn, 46-05.25, North Union, third, Harrah, 44-10.5.
The Lady Pioneers also had a solid showing by taking the top spot in the seven of the 16 events.
The 4×800 relay team of Winslow, Davis, Killian and Hicks took first with a time of 10:28, while the 4×400 relay team of Winslow, Kelley, Medici and Killian finished first with a time of 4:19.
Maddie Davis won the 1600 and 3200 events. She ran the 1600 in 5:44 and the 3200 in a time of 12:12.
Madison Killian grabbed the top spot in the 800 run with a time of 2:30, while the 4×100 relay team of Labuhn, Hall, Lisska and Davis sprinted to a time of 54.05 for first.
Helena Hall leaped her way to a first-place finish with a distance of 15-05.25 in the long jump to help JA win the meet.
For the Lady Cats, Sydney Bacon found herself atop the podium in the both the shot put and discus.
The record-setting senior broke her previous school mark in the discus with a toss of 114-8.5 and managed a throw of 34-2 in the shot.
The following athletes finished either second or third in their events:
-100 dash, Jon Alder, second, Audrey Davis, 13.82,
-200 dash, Jon Alder, third, Davis, 29.05,
-4×200 relay, Jon Alder, second, Hall, Lisska, Killian and Davis, 1:53,
-1600 run, Jon Alder, second, Regan Gray, 5:52,
-800 run, North Union, second, Kamryn Rhodes, 2:35,
-3200 run, Jon Alder, second Ashlyn McDaniels, second, 12:35,
-High jump, Jon Alder, third, Donna Semenishin, 4-08,
-Shot put, Jon Alder, third, Kayla Fryman, 29-07.