Bailey Estep

Magnolia Blue Eagles track star Bailey Estep won a pair of gold medals at the 2017 WVSSAC Track meet May 19 when she cleared 5-4 high to set a new Class-A high-jump record while jumping 17-2.25 to help the Magnolia girls race out to a large lead on the opening day.

However, the Region I champs didn’t do as well in the second day, and finished tied with Ritchie County for fourth place with 52 points, with fellow Region I foes Wheeling Central taking home the state title with 69 points and Doddridge second with 67 points. Hundred was 21st.

The Paden City Wildcats’ Jacob Pierce continued his dominance in the 300 meter hurdles on a hot a very humid second day winning going away with a time of 40.61 to capture the Wildcats’ only gold medal of the games.

Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles’ foursome of Brooks Parsons, Riley Nice, Hunter Partridge and Chase Street took home the Eagles third gold medal, outdistancing the field with a time of 1:32.28 in the 4×200 meter relay event.

“This is crazy and exciting,” stated Bailey Estep after picking up her medals on Saturday. “I’ve been working really hard and I’m seeing it finally pay of my senior year.”

Jake Pierce

Estep also added, “The high jump has been my thing, and I’m always supposed to do this and do that and to finally to be able to finish out my senior year and win that I’ve been pushing for four years.”

Blue Eagle teammate Jordan Delaney slipped a bit in the 3,200 (11:50.36) and 1,600 (5:27.21) meter runs, finishing second in both, after winning them both last season. Delaney had a remarkable season, breaking numerous records, and placing second place was a nice way to finish out what has been a story-book career in track and cross country.

Kristen Massey took home a ribbon after claiming sixth in the 300 meter hurdles with a solid time of (48.86) less than three seconds off the winning time.

Also, Kyndra Pilant brought home a pair of medals, placing third in the shot put with a heave of 35.25, and twirled the discus 105-03 good enough for sixth place. Anna Zills also won a medal for the Lady Eagles, took sixth in the shot-put at 32-03.

Magnolia also scored fourth in the 4×400 meter relay with the team of Massey, Delaney, Kelsi Chapman and Kennedy Parsons with a time of 4:18.45.

Those competed, but failed to medal were Estep in the 100 meter dash, finished in ninth with a time of 13.46, while Kennedy Parsons who was in the lead in the 400 meter down the stretch got a cramp and dropped to 13th place at a time of 1:06.91. Delaney placed 14th in the 800 meter run, with a time of 2:41.63, while Bre Barbera placed 13th with a solid time of 13:58.78.

Alayna Cline of Magnolia finished fourth in the high-jump at 5-0, while Sophie Palmer of Valley High School was one place from placing in the high jump with a leap of 4-8. Palmer also finished ninth in the long jump at 14-03. She also finished 10th in the 100 meter hurdles at 17.68, while Valley teammate Rachel Baker tied with Palmer in the high jump.

Katherine Henderson was the lone Hundred female participant, placing sixth in the long-jump at 15-6.

The Magnolia girls placed 16th in the 4×800 and ninth in both the 4×100 and 4×200 meter relay events. Estep finished fifth with 20 points in the high-point total.

On the boys’ side, the Eagles 4×400 meter relay team of Riley Nice, Spencer Shephard, Jacob Myers and Brooks Parsons finished runner-up to St Marys, 3:32.40 to 3:31.61, in a close finish to end the meet in the last race of the meet. Caleb Nice took home a sixth place medal in the shot-put at (43-09.25), while MHS teammate Jared Barrows was one place from getting a medal, finished seventh in the discus at (130-04). Brooks Parsons ended up ninth in the high jump at 5-6. The Eagles 4×800 (8:50.79) meter team of Spencer Shephard, Trenton Robinson, Jacob Myers and Ethan Herrick finished ninth. The Paden City shuttle team of Cade Myers, Wesley Smith, Landon Smith and Jacob Pierce placed fifth at (1″03.71). Cade Myers also finished 14th in the 300 meter hurdles at (44.47), and Wesley Smith 10th in the 110 meter hurdles (17.53).

Danny Stewart was the lone Hundred boys participant, placing fifth in the high jump with a leap of 5-10.

St Marys won the WVSSAC Class-A Title, while the Magnolia boys slipped to seventh, Paden City 13th and Hundred 24th.