McLean High School’s Xavier Jemison capped an accomplished school year in cross country and track and field with his finest performances in his final meet.
The junior won the 800 and 1,600-meter races at the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 outdoor track and field meet in Newport News. Jemison won the 800 in 1:52.97 and was first in the 1,600 in 4:17.26.
Jemison was a winner or top finisher in many other district, region and state races during the outdoor and indoor track and field seasons in 2020-21, as well as the cross country campaign.
During the indoor track and field season, Jemison finished second in the 1,600 and fourth in the 1,000 at the state meet.
His two victories at the outdoor state meet accounted for all of McLean’s 20 points and a 13th-place finish in the team competition.
Langley High School senior Dike Iloh was a state champion in the boys discus with a winning throw of 161-feet, 2-inches. Madison High’s Nicholas Cloud was sixth in that event (147-9).
Iloh placed 11th in the state shot put and Cloud was fourth.
At the 6D North Region meet a few days earlier, Iloh’s winning throw was 144-10, so his improvement at the state meet was significant.
In the boys state meet for the seventh-place Oakton High team, Zach Morse was second in the 1,600 (4:20.03), Garrett Woodhouse was the runner-up in the 3,200 (9:11.27), Arnav Tikhe was third in the 1,600 (4:21.95) and fifth in the 3,200 (9:22.18), and Elham Huq was sixth in the 1,600 (4:28.48). Oakton’s 4×800 relay placed sixth.
Marshall High’s 4×800 boys relay finished second (8:04.70).
Madison’s Jake Reiman was fourth in the boys pole vault (14-feet).
Langley’s Jack Pino was eighth in the boys 400 (50.56) and Langley’s 4×800 relay placed third (805.01).
In March, Morse had won the state indoor 1,600 race, just ahead of second-place Jemison.
A top local finisher in the Class 6 girls state meet was McLean sophomore Thais Rolly. She finished second in the 3,200 (10:52.53) and third in the 1,600 (5:10.83).
Earlier in the school year, Rolly was the district, region and state cross country champion.
Marshall’s Sarah Pounder finished fourth in the girls shot put (35-8) at the state meet. Madison’s Sierra Shields was seventh in the 300 hurdles (47.65) and eighth in the 100 hurdles (16.19).