BREAKING NEWS: Austin Hayes Wins State Championship in 1600 Meter Run

Just moments ago (11:21 a.m., May 21, 2016), Webster County Highlander senior Austin Hayes won the 1600 meter run at the State Championship Track meet at Laidley Field in Charleston with a winning time of 4:20.11.

Austin is Webster County's first ever individual running champion.  In 2013, Luther Stoots won a field event (high jump) and several years back a 4 x 100 meter relay team won a track event. Austin's winning time of 4:20.11 was just 2.17 seconds off the State meet record of 4:17.54 set back in 1993.  What is even more amazing about Austin's winning time is that it was better than the winning times in both the Class A and Class AAA 1600 meter races also held today.

The website "runwv.com" predicted that Austin would win the 1600.  Here is their previous prediction:

1600 M 

        1.  Austin Hayes Webster
 2.  Jackson Reed Nicholas
 3.  Jimmy Lacaria Bridgeport
 4.  Ian Frailey  Bridgeport
 5.  Steven Shetler Berkeley Springs
 6.  Matt Chapman Berkeley Springs
Hayes has the top time in the group.  Reed has the only other run under 4:30 and the best
series in the field.  Lacaria has the next best series.  Frailey has a better top time
than Lacaria.  Shetler has a better series than Frailey.  Chapman has more runs under 4:40
than Frailey.  This leaves out Hunter Deem who also has a better series than Frailey and
has three runs under 4:40.  This one should be hotly contesed.  The top 7 are separated by 
just 5.37 seconds.  The top 5 are separated by just 2.36 seconds.  The top 7 have been under
4:35.  9 have been under 4:40.  5 have been under 4:35 twice.  6 have been under 4:40 three
times.

Here are the full results of today's race:

Event 47  Boys 1600 Meter Run AA
================================================================================
  State Meet: @ 4:17.54  1993        Mikey Cox, Athens                          
    Name                    Year School                  Seed     Finals  Points
================================================================================
Finals                                                                          
  1 Hayes, Austin             12 Webster County HS    4:44.45    4:20.11   10   
  2 Reed, Jackson             11 Nicholas County HS   4:36.32    4:23.90    8   
  3 Frailey, Ian              12 Bridgeport HS        4:30.65    4:25.92    6   
  4 Chapman, Matt             10 Berkeley Springs HS  4:41.76    4:29.85    4   
  5 Deem, Hunter              12 Ritchie County HS    4:40.39    4:30.35    2   
  6 Shetler, Steven           10 Berkeley Springs HS  4:38.83    4:32.59    1   
  7 Lacaria, Jimmy            11 Bridgeport HS        4:31.03    4:35.72        
  8 Price, Brady              11 Berkeley Springs HS  4:44.73    4:39.74        
  9 Ellis, Mark               10 East Fairmont HS     4:45.24    4:41.64        
 10 Gorby, Tanner             12 Oak Glen HS          4:40.91    4:43.23        
 11 Saymansky, Aaron          11 Fairmont Senior HS   4:46.18    4:45.66        
 12 Cochran, Justin           11 Westside HS          5:00.36    4:50.01        
 13 Adkins, Mason             12 Wayne HS             5:01.82    4:54.29        
 14 Baldwin, Daniel           10 PikeView HS          5:11.25    5:07.47        
 15 Tanner, David             10 Clay County HS       5:15.84    5:13.88        
 16 Wilson, Adam              10 Independence HS      5:20.88    5:21.80