Tigers’ Richardson wins Group AAA triple jump title

HAMPTON -- The bounce is back in Jasia Richardson's step.

Last night she bounce, bounce, bounced her way to her second Group AAA triple jump title at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton.

Leading all the way, the J.R. Tucker High senior's 40-2¼ leap on her first attempt in the finals bested Grassfield's Karimah Shepherd by 5 inches.

Richardson's best friend, Henrico's Elaine Derricott, was fourth. Richardson and Derricott have signed track grants with Radford.

"Jasia went 40-2¼, 40-2, 39-9 in the finals -- three of the best jumps of her career," Tigers coach Keith Witherspoon said. "She's healthy, and she was going against great competition. That's what did it."

Coincidentally, Witherspoon won the Group AAA triple jump for Huntington High of Newport News in 1971.

Richardson's performance completed a spirited recovery from a broken right ankle suffered last June in the Southern Track Classic. She was in cast for three weeks; then came crutches; then a limp; then some starting-over jumps well beneath her high standards.

"I wasn't getting anywhere until Virginia Tech, where I did a 39-2," she said.

Richardson won the Group AAA indoors title last year at George Mason's Patriot Center.

Last night, her 39-8 in preliminaries made her the leader going into finals.

"I didn't want to let up; I said to myself that now it's time to get serious."

Her next jump was the 40-2¼.

Close call: Deep Run's Matt Armentrout finished second, again, to Allen Kelly of King Fork. Armentrout cleared 15-0 on his first attempt in the pole vault, but faltered -- barely at 15-3, Kelly's winning height.

Kelly scored a narrow win over Armentrout last spring at the outdoor state meet.

On Armentrout's second try at 15-3, he narrowly brushed the crossbar with his chest.

"I didn't hollow out my chest enough," he said. "My goal was 15-6. I didn't get it. But I've got nationals [in New York City] next, then lots of meets after that. I'll get there."

Armentrout, the 2007 state outdoor champ, wore a skin-tight, blue skin suit for the first time. "Not a lot of extra material to get in the way," he said.

Deep Run also got a fourth place in the high jump from University of North Carolina bound senior Briana Hudson, and a third in the 3,200-meter relay.

The Wildcats' relay runners were sisters Courtney and Erica Dobbs, Madalyn Nuckols and Caroline Turner.

Thomas Dale's Kristen Greene was sixth in the shot put (37-¾), and Matoaca's Wes Benitez was eighth in the triple jump (44-1¼).

Cosby's Mitchell Shifflett, who qualified for today's 55 finals with a 6.46, said he will attend the University of Virginia on a baseball scholarship.

RESULTS BOYS

Pole vault: 1. Kelly Allen (Kings Fork) 15-3; 2. Matthew Armentrout (Deep Run) 15-0; 3. Wesley Sun (Chantilly) 14-9; 4. John Brennan (Forest Park) 14-6; 5. Kevin Webb (Great Bridge) 14-0; 6. Matthew Hazelgren (Stafford) 14-0; 7. Chris Pillow (Atlee) 13-6; 8. Eric Zwarycz (Mills Godwin) 13-6

Triple jump: 1. David Wilson (GW-Danville) 50-1; 2. Jordan Hill (Albemarle) 48-3¾; 3. Jeffrey Artis (Western Branch) 48-¾; 4. Ricky Blake (Nansemond River) 45-3½; 5. Marcus Dean (Western Branch) 45-1½; 6. Kendrich Smith (Western Branch) 45-¼; 7. Ryan Beaver (Princess Anne) 44-11¾; 8. Wesley Benitez (Matoaca) 44-1¼

3,200 relay: 1, Albemarle (Garrett Bradley, Zach Vrhovac, Luke Noble, Anthony Kostelac) 7:44.70; 2. Western Branch 8:01.31; 3. Ocean Lakes 8:03.05; 4. Mountain View 8:05.37; 5. Centreville 8:05.54; 6. Maggie Walker Governor's School 8:07.41; 7. Douglas Freeman 8:08.28; 8. West Potomac 8:09.20

Triple jump: 1. Jasia Richardson (J.R. Tucker) 40-2¼; 2. Karimah Shepherd (Grassfield) 40-0; 3. Shakeela Saunders (Great Bridge) 39-2½; 4. Elaine Derricott (Henrico), 39-1; 5. Chaneka Perry (Menchville) 38-2¾; 6. Siobhan Ford-Holland (Thomas Dale) 37-10; 7. Jazmine Brown (Varina) 37-6½; 8. Tiffany Harris (Churchland) 37-4

High jump: 1. Tynita Butts (T.C. Williams) 5-9; 2. Pearl Bickersteth (Potomac) 5-9; 3, Erika Morgan (Western Branch) 5-5. 4. Briana Hudson (Deep Run) 5-4; 5. Keisha Myrick (Western Branch) 5-2; 6. Marlena Daly (Deep Run) 5-2; 7. Marian Dougherty (James Robinson) 5-2; 8. Keilah Tyson (Oscar Smith) 5-2. 8. Sharhae Holloway (Highland Springs) 5-2

Shot put: 1. Jaleesa Williams (First Colonial) 40-6; 2. Kayla Lewis (William Fleming) 39-5½; 3. Emily Koppelman (Annandale) 38-11½; 4. Sydni Cobb (Western Branch) 38-4¾; 5. Jessica Williams (Landstown) 37-3; 6. Kristen Greene (Thomas Dale) 37-¾; 7. Latona Jackson (T.C. Williams) 35-9½; 8. Melanie Nation (First Colonial) 35-6½

3,200 relay: 1, Ocean Lakes (Anne Reiner, Peri Bowman, Stacey Nobles, Natalia Kuhn) 9:21.00; 2, Lake Braddock 9:21.92; 3, Deep Run 9:31.78. 4. Maggie Walker Governor's School 9:37.10. 5. West Springfield 9:37.72. 6. Langley 9:38.45. 7. Western Branch 9:39.50. 8, Lee-Davis 9:39.73