B-U’s 4×400-meter relay team wins state title

CHARLESTON – There is nobody better in the 4×400-meter relay in the state of West Virginia than the four Buckhannon-Upshur runners that compete in that event.

That foursome of Shawn Blandino, Sterlin Thropp, Julien Larcher and Jordan Gillum can make that claim after they won the state championship in that event with a time of 3:25.26 on day two of the West Virginia Track and Field Championships Friday at Laidley Field.

The quartet was a full four seconds faster than the foursome from Jefferson who took runner-up honors.

Gillum continued to impress in the 800-meter run as he took runner-up honors with a time of 1:56.76.

Josh Edwards of University, who claimed first place in high point honors along with Huntington’s Noah Waynick, won the 800-meter rush just ahead of Gillum with a time of 1:56.12.

The Bucs scored in three other relay events on Friday.

The 4×200-meter relay team of Camden Snyder, Blandino, Sterlin Thropp and Taiwo Thropp finished third with a time of 1:29.95 while the 4×800-meter relay unit of Jack Waggy, Reis Leonard, Gillum and Larcher placed fourth with a time of 8:15.18 and the 4×100-meter team of Blandino, Sterlin Thropp, Taiwo Thropp and Snyder took fifth with a clocking of 43.96.

Taiwo Thropp was the other Buc to score in an individual event on Friday as he finished sixth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.73.

As reported earlier, on Thurdsday, Blandino and Sterlin Thropp both scored for the Bucs taking second and third respectively in the 400-meter dash.

The Bucs finished fifth as a team with 45 points.

University won the championship with 93 points while Jefferson was second with 88, Huntington was third with 53 and Musselman was right in front of the Bucs with 51 points.