Annandale boys, South County’s Majors shine at Virginia AAA track and field meet

RICHMOND — People who are scared of flames don’t become firefighters. Those who get freaked out by insects don’t start bug collections.

So how did an acrophobic Felecia Majors win the pole vault title on Saturday at the Virginia AAA track and field championships? The South County junior’s fear of heights keeps her off roller coasters and out of airplanes, but it never seemed to kick in when she turned her body upside down a gold medal-winning 11 feet 6 inches in the air.

“It’s just scary,” Majors said of the event. “But my coach believed in me when I first started. Now I just love it.”

Majors also won the 400-meter dash (55.21 seconds) and 200 (24.14) at Sports Backers Stadium and scored in the 100, triple jump and long jump. She accounted for all 44 points for South County, which finished third in the team standings behind Cosby and Western Branch.

Annandale tied Grassfield for the boys’ team title and became the first Northern Virginia school to capture at least a share of the AAA championship since Westfield won in 2004. The Bulldogs were third on Saturday.

The Atoms would have won outright if they didn’t get disqualified in the 4x400. The meet was tied headed into the final event of the two-day meet and Annandale appeared to have won its section and the points necessary to take sole possession of first place. But meet referee Dale Gouldman ruled that the Atoms anchor threw his baton to the ground after crossing, a violation of the rules.

“They won it on the track,” Annandale Coach Sean Miller said. “It was a judgment call. It’s just terrible for our sport that it came down to that.”

Majors won the pole vault by a good six inches, but was really shooting to break the state meet record of 12-6. The All-Met Athlete of the Year indoors set a personal best of 12-7 last month, but on Saturday, while shuttling between so many overlapping events, became a victim of her own strength and versatility to a degree.

“Half the girls probably can’t do what I can,” the 5-foot-5, 105-pound Majors said without a hint of arrogance. “I think I’m reaching my limit.”

Sophie Chase and Hannah Christen gave all they had and handed Lake Braddock a 1-2 finish in the 3,200. Chase won in 10 minutes 27.13 seconds; Christen followed in 10:30.14.

Chantilly’s Sean McGorty won the boys’ 3,200 in 9:05.51. The junior had earned all-American honors in cross-country and track, but hadn’t captured a state title before.

“Finally,” he said.

Senior Ahmed Bile helped spark Annandale to a share of the team title, winning the 1,600 (4:13.12) before taking a very quick 800 from Westfield’s Tyrone Walker in 1:51.52.

Senior Jonathan Russell, who set the state meet record last year in the 300 hurdles when Broad Run was a AA school, surged late to win the AAA version of the event on Saturday in 37.95.

Forest Park sophomore Mustaqeem Williams won the boys’ 100 with a slightly stronger-than-legal tailwind over Mount Vernon junior Mike Brown in a personal-best 10.48.

Crystal Jones delivered the girls’ high jump title to Colonial Forge after clearing a personal-best 5-8.

“It’s weird,” the 5-foot-7 freshman said. “I never thought I could jump over myself.”