RC Indoor Track Begins 20th Year Under Coach Showalter
Led by six returning athletes, the Rockbridge County High School indoor track and field team will get the season underway this weekend.
The Wildcats’ first meet will be an outdoor/polar bear meet at Fort Defiance High School on Saturday at 10 a.m.
RC has 15 team members this year, up from seven last winter, with 14 girls and one boy. The Wildcats had no seniors last winter.
The most accomplished athlete returning is sophomore Ariana Mitchell, who was a state qualifier in the girls’ high jump in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. As a freshman, Mitchell placed second at the Valley District indoor meet winter and tied for sixth place at the Region 3C meet. During the outdoor season, she tied for fourth place at the district meet and tied for second place at the regional meet. She was unable to clear the starting height at either state meet, but her personal record is 5 feet, 2 inches. Mitchell is also a sprinter.
The RC girls’ captain is junior Celia Jones, who competes in sprints and hurdles. Jones was a regional qualifier in the 55meter hurdles last winter. “She is a great mentor and leader to the younger team members,” said RC co-head coach Jennifer Showalter.
Also returning to the girls’ team are sophomore sprinter Harper Bruno and junior shot put throwers Cate Wilson and Julieanne Woodward.
Showalter is excited about one of the team’s new members, junior Maria Calomeris, who is a sprinter. “She has a great work ethic, doesn’t miss practice, and is driven to succeed,” said Showalter.
Sprinters who are new to the girls’ team are sophomore Audra Roney and six freshmen: Katherine Finn, Kiley Fountain, Keziah Howard, Sarah Lewis, Haiden Nicely and Azalea Whitehead. Also joining the team is freshman thrower Kaitlyn Higgins.
For the second winter in a row, the lone boy competing for the Wildcats is junior Finbar Looney, a shot put thrower. Looney, who will serve as a captain, is “a dedicated team member and leader,” Showalter said.
Showalter said the Wildcats are strongest in their sprints, hurdles and jumps. The areas that need the most work are middle- distance and distance races.
The team’s goals are to “get as many to region and state” as possible, Showalter said.
Guiding the Wildcats are Showalter and co-head coach Tyler Staton and throwing coach Zavery Wallace. Showalter, who is starting her 20th year of coaching the Wildcats in both indoor and outdoor track and field, said, “I’ve been lucky to coach a lot of incredible athletes, and that’s what makes this job special. At the end of the day, it’s about more than results, it’s about growth, confidence and helping kids realize their potential. I’m thankful to be able to do that again this season.”
Staton started working with Showalter during last spring’s outdoor season and will be organizing a majority of practices due to Showalter’s schedule conflicts.
Wallace is a 2021 Parry Mc-Cluer High School graduate who won state indoor and outdoor shot put titles as a PM senior. He also threw and played football for Emory & Henry College.
This year, the Wildcats have switched from the Valley District to the Shenandoah District, with shorter distances between opponents. “It’s gonna be totally different than the Valley,” said Showalter. The RC coach said the Wildcats’ toughest district rivals will likely be Fort Defiance and Wilson Memorial.
After this Saturday’s meet, the Wildcats will compete at the Estes Athletic Center at Fork Union Military Academy next Wednesday, Dec. 10, starting at 4 p.m.
Although the Wildcats have no meets scheduled at Virginia Military Institute this winter, they will get to compete at the new Rockingham County’s new indoor recreation center facility in Rockingham Park at the Crossroads. The first meet there, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 9, will showcase a lot of the Shenandoah District teams.
