Photo by Richard Force.
Vestavia Hills' Alex Leath leads Vestavia to a 1, 2, 3 finish during a race during the AHSAA Class 7A Section 3 track and field sectionals at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium on Saturday, April 29, 2023. Photo by Richard Force.
The Vestavia Hills High School boys outdoor track and field team claimed a trophy at the Class 7A state meet, held May 4-6 in Gulf Shores.
The Rebels finished second only to Hoover, racking up 89.5 points and finishing over 35 points clear of third place. Hoover dominated the meet on the boys and girls sides, winning both in landslide fashion.
Hoover’s boys scored 146.5 points to lead the way. On the girls side, Hoover scored 125 to beat Chelsea and Hewitt-Trussville. Vestavia’s girls finished sixth with 45 points in the meet.
Alex Leath put forth a strong effort for the boys team, winning a pair of individual events. He won the 800-meter run in 1 minute, 55.49 seconds. He also won the 1,600, posting a time of 4:07 in that race.
The boys 4x800-meter relay team also reached the top step of the podium, winning the race in 7:44 to give the team 10 more points.
Chase Webb reached the podium with his second-place finish in the 100. Max Armstrong gave the Rebels a 1-2 finish in the 800, as he finished second with a time of 1:56.22. Armstrong also got on the award stand in the 400, finishing third.
Michael Kolen was second in javelin throw, reaching 190 feet. Several other Rebels also scored points for the team in their events. Webb finished fifth in the 200 and Jack Lockhart was fifth in the 300-meter hurdles. Henry Strand put forth a pair of fourth-place finishes in the 800 and 1,600. Mitchell Schaaf was also fifth in the 1,600. The 4x100 relay team finished fourth.
In the field, Tanner McInnis was sixth in high jump.
Kennedy Moreland was the standout for the Vestavia girls team, as she won the pole vault competition. She cleared 11 feet, 3 inches to secure 10 points for the team. The Rebels also scored points with two other competitors in the event, with Krislyn Thomas finishing fourth and Claire Owens finishing fifth, as both cleared 10 feet.
The 4x800 relay posted a runner-up finish to reach the podium, with Gabby Walls finishing third in high jump as well.
Riley Zeanah scored points in the 800, finishing fourth, and the 1,600, finishing sixth. Kaitlyn Wende was seventh in the 3,200.
Robert Gwaltney, Wilson Holt, Will Jordan, Walker Gardner, Gabe Adams, Tyler Dressback, Emory Carver, Alex Cassimus, Henry Drew, Chase Kaiser, Ben Wade, Reese Beckner, Lyla Lochamy, Abby Allen, Claire Spooner, Kendall Feild, Layne Turner, Barclay Brown, Maddie Crawford, Sarah Kate Misner and Addison Armstrong were among the athletes also competing at state for Vestavia Hills.