Distance duo leads Lafayette boys to 3A region track title; LCA sweeps A regional

Lafayette already had the boys team title locked up at the Class 3A Region 6 track-and-field championships on Friday night. That didn’t sap motivation out of the event’s final race.

Oliver Fisher anchored the Generals’ 4-by-400 relay squad that ran 3:25.12, edging Tates Creek by a little more than 2 seconds, to secure their best time of the season and a spot in the Class 3A KHSAA State Track & Field Championships at the University of Kentucky on May 23. The Commodores’ 3:27.85 was also their best this spring and earned them a state berth.

Fisher’s burst in the back half of the final lap made the difference.

“It’s a team effort, but this guy’s a tank at the end,” Sublime Sakumunu, a junior who ran the second leg, said of Fisher, who was more humble in self-appraisal.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without my team and without them cheering me on,” said Fisher, a senior.”

The Class 3A Region 6 meet featuring large schools from Lexington and Central Kentucky took place Friday at George Rogers Clark High School. The Class A Region 5 meet for small schools from roughly the same area took place in Danville on Saturday. The Class 2A meet that includes Lexington Catholic is set for Saturday, May 16, at Bishop Brossart in Alexandria.

In Class 3A’s regional, Lafayette won its first boys team title since 2021, dethroning Woodford County after a three-year reign. The Yellow Jackets finished second with Frederick Douglass on their heels.

Distance was the Generals’ preferred dagger: senior Xavier Richardson and junior Van Weimer delivered nearly half of the team’s points by going 1-2 in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Their longest race of the day was also their last, but you’d have never known it from their casual stroll: the pair burst out to a sizable lead from the gun and spent most of the first few laps casually chatting with one another and singing along with songs playing over the P.A. system.

They both especially enjoyed The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” a popular 2004 song about paranoia. None of that was in play for the duo Friday night.

“Our main goal was just to close out the night and focus on state,” said Richardson, who’s signed with Syracuse. “We just wanted to get the times to get us there and have fun doing it.”

Richardson had not yet competed in the 3,200 this season. His winning time (9:47.86) was just a touch quicker than Weimer, who entered with the region’s top seed time (9:18.76). Neither of those match the season-best Class 3A time put forth by Marshall County’s Kobey Yates — 9:09.00 at the Eastern Relays in mid-April — but, if they’ve got enough energy in the tank, both could help deliver another medal-heavy day for Lafayette in a couple weeks.

Henry Clay sophomore Wesley Buck was a distant third to the Lafayette duo in the 1,600 and 3,200. Great Crossing’s Dylan Russell ran third in the 800 not long after anchoring the Warhawks’ winning 4-by-800 relay team, securing the school’s first region title in that event. (Buck in the same event anchored for Henry Clay, the runner-up.)

“You got to see my finish that stood out, but I’d really like to point out our third leg, Logan Dant,” Russell said. “He’s got a little bit of a sickness right now, he’s feeling terrible, and he gutted out a 2:04 split. That’s his PR. It was a Michael Jordan flu game.”

Lexington sprint standouts

Douglass’s Kaden John and O’Naya Harris won the boys and girls 100- and 200-meter dashes, respectively, and anchored two victorious 4-by-200 squads fielded by the Broncos. The Douglass boys’ winning relay time, 1:27.60, was the fastest in the state this season.

Harris’ performance in the 100 was particularly satisfying for the sophomore: she not only ran it in a personal-best time (12.31), but also edged — by .08 seconds — defending champion Hannah McColl, a Woodford County freshman who got the better of her last season.

“I feel amazing,” Harris said. “I’ve put in a lot of work and I’m just really excited. That was my goal, to PR, go to state and then, hopefully, first in state.”

Harris also ran fourth in the 400 with a time (58.84) that could be state qualifying. Scott County’s Claire Inabinet gave the Cardinals their only win of the day in that race, running it in 57.59.

John’s season-best times in the 100 (10.48) and 200 (21.42) are also the top marks by any runner in Kentucky this season. His 10.70 was 0.29 seconds quicker than fellow junior Laquereon Green, out of Henry Clay, in the 100 on Friday, and is a significantly better seed time than the 11.23 he had as a region runner-up last year.

That mark put him in the second heat at state (along with the region champ, Henry Clay’s Jayden Channer), but he ultimately finished third overall (Channer won). John later finished runner-up in the 2025 state 200-meter dash after a 1/1000 timebreaker.

Brooks Egli of Paul Laurence Dunbar secured the 400-meter boys win. Egli’s final time in the boys 400, 48.85, was the third best by any runner in the state this spring. Male rival Nehemiah Kiser, a fellow sophomore with whom Egli will likely share a track at state, owns the best mark (48.14, set in late April).

“It was just a good day,” said Egli, who ran about five seconds faster than his seventh-place time last season. “ … I’m ready to run at UK, man. I didn’t get to do it last year.”

John went 4-for-4 on the day; in addition to his sprints, he repeated as high-jump champ with a mark of 6-2 on a busy evening that started warm and cooled quickly as the sun set. By meet’s end, the temperature dipped into the 40s.

“It’s great to see them come out here and perform well, even with it being a little bit chillier than what we’re used to,” Douglass coach Crystal Washington said. “A few weeks ago it was 80-plus degrees outside. So it’s just awesome.”

Three-peat for Woodford girls

It somewhat came down to the wire, but Woodford County’s girls secured a third straight team 3A region championship.

Heading into the girls 4-by-400 relay, the Yellow Jackets led Lafayette 94.5 to 88 in the final standings. As the projected favorite in the event, Woodford would have had to drastically underperform (or, say, drop a baton) to allow the Generals enough space to move ahead in the standings.

As the race wound down it was clear Lafayette wouldn’t be able to leapfrog the Yellow Jackets, but the event’s result remained in doubt: on the final lap, Generals senior Callie Tyson led going into the penultimate turn.

But Addison Moore was Woodford County’s anchor, and the senior did what she’s done for half a decade: turned on the jets.

The Yellow Jackets’ accomplished distance star pulled ahead of Tyson and didn’t waver down the stretch, sporting a determined, strained smile on her face as she crossed a regional finish line for the final time.

“Honestly I felt really good that last 100 and I thought, ‘Go after it, she’s right here,’” said Moore, who’s signed with Lipscomb University in Nashville.“She put up an amazing fight. I’m just proud of my team, for real. They killed it, they gave me the baton in a great position.”

Moore won the girls 1,600 and 3,200 with ease; her times set during the Eastern Relays (4:49.07 and 10:28.31, respectively) are the best marks statewide this season.

Tyson also ran as part of Lafayette’s 4-by-800 relay team that got the better of their Woodford counterparts in the meet’s first race. Freshman Kaitlyn Hall fended off a burst by Moore to secure the Generals’ narrow victory.

“We went into knowing it was possible if we gave her enough of a lead,” said Tyson. “So the three of us just wanted to get out as far as possible and give her a good start. She really pulled through.”

Other Lexington winners in Class 3A, Region 6

• Tates Creek’s girls 4-by-100 relay squad had the Commodores’ only win on the track, running in 49.11 to best Woodford County by nearly a second. The girls’ team at Creek got a lift this season from two newcomers who comprised the first two legs of the winning relay team: Amiya Brooks and Laura Arbones Romero, both seniors.

“They brought a lot of energy to our team, helping us get better each and every day after practice,” said Romie Smith, a junior who ran the third leg.

Brooks was a track star in middle school but gave up the sport until this season. Arbones Romero’s family moved to Lexington from Spain, where she also previously ran track. She also qualified for state in the 200, where she nipped at Harris’ heels and edged Woodford’s McColl by 0.03 seconds.

“I’m happy to be here,” said Arbones Romero, who plans to return to Spain for college. Asked what her teammates have shared about America with her, Smith chimed in.

“We’ve taught her a lot about food.”

Arbones Romero quipped with a grin. “Yea, fast food.”

• Tates Creek’s boys were close to matching the girls’ 4-by-100 effort. They ran it in 42.83 seconds, the second best time all season in Class 3A. The problem: Woodford County ran it in 42.29.

• Aleigha Sullivan, a Lafayette senior, swept the girls discus and shot put. Her mark in the former, 142-7, is the best in the state this season. She was the only Lexington girl who won a 3A state title last year after throwing a 129-11 in the 2025 discus event.

• Douglass had one other athlete leave with multiple wins: junior Malcolm Crow defended his titles in the long and triple jumps in addition to running second as part of the Broncos’ winning 4-by-200 relay team. He’ll seek to defend his Class 3A state title in the triple jump next week while looking to add the long jump to his mantle.

• Susanne Estepp gave Dunbar’s girls their lone win on the night. She bested Lafayette’s Tyson by more than five seconds in the 800. “I felt good,” said Estepp, who noted that she recently ran a 5:01 at the Dream Mile. “That was a couple-second PR for me, and came racing against some girls who sometimes I don’t race as fondly against.” Estepp also qualified for state in the 3,200 and 1,600, in which she only trailed Woodford’s Moore.

• Tates Creek senior Miles Hayward took the discus and shot put, setting PRs in both. He owns the top 3A marks in both events this season after Friday night. “It was just a really tense situation and high-level competition,” Hayward said. “ … Once you break down barriers, you don’t look back.”

• Lafayette’s boys earned 10 additional points through the pole vault, where junior Oliver Swank won his first title after finishing runner-up last season.

Lexington Christian sweeps Class A, Region 5 meet

Lexington Christian Academy’s boys and girls teams won their respective team championships at the Class A, Region 5 meet held Saturday at Danville’s Admiral Stadium.

The girls, who earned their first Class A state title last spring in crushing fashion, swept all four relays. Sophomores Anna Reese Hopper (100, long jump) and Kennedy Moughamian (1,600 and 3,200) each won two events as individuals while sophomore Harper Cole and freshman Hadley Raisor added wins in the pole vault and 800, respectively.

Paxton Gray defended titles in the 100 and 200 for LCA. He also won the long jump as a freshman last season but did not compete in the event this year. The boys won two relays (The 4-by-400 and 4-by-800) and got two more individual wins from Robert Black (3,200) and Thomas Sylvester (pole vault).

Danville Christian junior Amauri Blackford doubled up in the girls discus throw and shot put. Danville senior Sasha Wade did the same on the boys’ side; Wade is the defending state champ in Class A discus.

Paris junior Bruce Hayden, who ran second at state in the 800 last year, will again enter as a favorite in the event this season after winning in the regional. He also took home a win in the 1,600.

Owen County’s Talon Wilson, a sophomore, won the 400 and long jump. He also ran second to Gray in the 200.

Bracken County’s Cayden Williams and Gallatin County’s Kayden Ball were the only participants in the 110 hurdles. Williams, a senior, bested Ball, a freshman, by just 0.13 seconds.

CLASS 3A, REGION 6 RESULTS

The top two finishers in each event automatically qualify for the state meet. Ten more will qualify based on statewide results. Additional state qualifiers will become available at KHSAA.org ahead of the state championships on May 23. Complete results from the meet are available via MileSplit.

BOYS

Teams — 1. Lafayette 126.5, 2. Woodford County 90, 3. Frederick Douglass 79, 4. Tates Creek 57, 5. Henry Clay 55, 6. Bryan Station 49, 7. Great Crossing 30, 8. Scott County 29.5, 9. Paul Laurence Dunbar 22, 10. George Rogers Clark 11, 11. Montgomery County 8, 12. Anderson County 1

Individuals — 4-by-800 relay: 1. Great Crossing (Andrew Feeback, Koen Johnson, Logan Dant, Dylan Russell) 8:17.49; 2. Henry Clay (Solomon Corkran, Rhett Boelscher, Owen Donegan, Wesley Buck) 8:19.11. 110 hurdles: 1. Christopher Reed, Woodford County, 15.27; 2. Jalen Johnson, Woodford County, 15.39. 100: 1. Kaden John, Frederick Douglass, 10.70; 2. Laquereon Green, Henry Clay, 10.99. 4-by-200 relay: 1. Frederick Douglass (Ziyier George, Malcolm Crow, Olisaemeka Ibekwe, Kaden John) 1:27.60; 2. Tates Creek (Stephen Franklin, DaiVion Dudley, Luke Cooper, Camden Jackson) 1:28.60. 1,600: 1. Xavier Richardson, Lafayette, 4:14.10; 2. Van Weimer, Lafayette, 4:14.46. 4-by-100 relay: 1. Woodford County (Christopher Reed, Jordan Diallo, Jeremiah Clark, Elijah Ward) 42.29; 2. Tates Creek (Camden Jackson, Jonathan Cooper, Luke Cooper, Stephen Franklin) 42.83. 400: 1. Brooks Egli, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 48.84; 2. Jamel Gibson, Bryan Station, 49.93. 300 hurdles: 1. Jalen Johnson, Woodford County, 39.42; 2. Ryan Barrett, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 39.58. 800: 1. Xavier Richardson, Lafayette, 1:55.10; 2. Van Weimer, Lafayette, 1:55.72. 200: 1. Kaden John, Frederick Douglass, 21.54; 2. Laquereon Green, Henry Clay, 22.13. 3,200: 1. Xavier Richardson, Lafayette, 9:47.86; 2. Van Weimer, Lafayette, 9:48.89. 4-by-400 relay: 1. Lafayette (Elijah Ellis, Sublime Sakumunu, Dannel Amankwah, Oliver Fisher) 3:25.12; 2. Tates Creek (Stephen Franklin, DaiVion Dudley, Jonathan Cooper, Marquis Hale) 3:27.85. Shot put: 1. Miles Hayward, Tates Creek, 62-11.5; 2. Caden Taylor, Scott County, 50-11. Discus throw: 1. Miles Hayward, Tates Creek, 167-6; 2. Aiden Stark, Lafayette, 163-8. Long jump: 1. Malcolm Crow, Frederick Douglass, 21-10.5; 2. JaOndre Shearer, Bryan Station, 21-2. Triple jump: 1. Malcolm Crow, Frederick Douglass, 47-11.5; 2. Jeremiah Clark, Woodford County, 43-2.5. High jump: 1. Kaden John, Frederick Douglass, 6-2; 2. Haddon Cecil, George Rogers Clark, 6-0. Pole vault: 1. Oliver Swank, Lafayette, 14-0; 2. Sammy Weese, Woodford County, 12-0

GIRLS

Teams — 1. Woodford County 104.5; 2. Lafayette 96; 3. Frederick Douglass 81.5; 4. Bryan Station 57; 5. Henry Clay 49; 6. George Rogers Clark 46; t7. Paul Laurence Dunbar 34; t7. Tates Creek 34; 9. Great Crossing 23; 10. Scott County 22; 11. Montgomery County 10; 12. Anderson County 1

Individuals — 4-by-800 relay: 1. Lafayette (Callie Tyson, Macyn Heenan-Menges, Dylan Kerr, Kaitlyn Hall) 10:02.62; 2. Woodford County (Gabby Gampper, Avery Gill, Lucy Danks, Addison Moore) 10:03.80. 100 hurdles: 1. Charla Gormley, Woodford County, 15.62; 2. Ainsley Waterbury, Henry Clay, 16.40; 100: 1. O’Naya Harris, Frederick Douglass, 12.31; 2. Hannah McColl, Woodford County, 12.39. 4-by-200 relay: 1. Frederick Douglass (Chloe Lewis, Jordan Conner-McCord, Fern Frost, O’Naya Harris) 1:43.24; 2. Tates Creek (Amiya Brooks, Laura Arbones Romero, Joelle Tshimbimbo, Romie Smith) 1:44.59. 1,600: 1. Addison Moore, Woodford County, 5:06.40; 2. Susanne Estepp, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 5:15.35. 4-by-100 relay: 1. Tates Creek (Amiya Brooks, Laura Arbones Romero, Romie Smith, Journey Jackson) 49.11; 2. Woodford County (Charla Gormley, I’Yana Leath, Tarajnia Sanford, Hannah McColl) 50.06. 400: 1. Claire Inabinet, Scott County, 57.59; 2. Isabella Spillman, Bryan Station, 58.33. 300 hurdles: 1. Charla Gormley, Woodford County, 46.81; 2. Zamara Cowan, Lafayette, 46.91. 800: 1. Susanne Estepp, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 2:18.42; 2. Callie Tyson, Lafayette, 2:23.67. 200: 1. O’Naya Harris, Frederick Douglass, 24.99; 2. Laura Arbones Romero, Tates Creek, 25.30. 3,200: 1. Addison Moore, Woodford County, 11:11.66; 2. Susanne Estepp, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 11:19.72. 4-by-400 relay: 1. Woodford County (Charla Gormley, Hannah McColl, Erin Myers, Addison Moore) 4:08.38; 2. Lafayette (Zamara Cowan, Charleigh Foster, Kaitlyn Hall, Callie Tyson) 4:10.20. Shot put: 1. Aleigha Sullivan, Lafayette, 36-1.75; 2. Cathrynn Hager, Great Crossing, 35-11.75. Discus throw: 1. Aleigha Sullivan, Lafayette, 142-7; 2. Kaliyah Broadnax, Lafayette, 116-11. Long jump: 1. Teigh Yeast, George Rogers Clark, 18-6; 2. Benisha Pennie, Bryan Station, 17-1.5; 2. Triple jump: 1. Teigh Yeast, George Rogers Clark, 38-4.5; 2. Cintaesia George, Bryan Station, 36-1.5. High jump: 1. Teigh Yeast, George Rogers Clark, 5-0; 2. Katherine Haynes, Henry Clay, 4-10. Pole vault: 1. Bailey Howard, George Rogers Clark, 11-0; 2. Lacy Willoughby, Montgomery County, 10-0.

CLASS A, REGION 5 RESULTS

The top two finishers in each event automatically qualify for the state meet. Ten more will qualify based on statewide results. Additional state qualifiers will become available at KHSAA.org ahead of the state championships on May 23. Complete results from the meet are available via MileSplit. (Relay participants were not accessible at time of story submission.)

BOYS

Teams — 1. Lexington Christian Academy 116, 2. Danville 102, 3. Frankfort 58, 4. Bracken County 48, 5. Owen County 47, 6. Paris 33, t7. Danville Christian Academy 22, t7. Model 22, 9. Gallatin County 21, 10. Nicholas County 13, 11. Burgin 12, 11. Carroll County 12, t13. Trimble County 10, t13. Frankfort Christian Academy 10, 15. Trinity Christian Academy 6, 16. Sayre 5, 17. Augusta 4

Individuals — 4-by-800 relay: 1. Lexington Christian 8:51.14, 2. Danville 8:51.91. 110 hurdles: 1. Cayden Williams (Bracken County) 20.87, 2. Kayden Ball (Gallatin County) 21.00. 100 dash: 1. Paxton Gray (LCA) 11.15, 2. Stephan Bebe (Frankfort) 11.30. 4-by-200 relay: 1. Danville 1:31.24, 2. Frankfort 1:34.97. 1,600: 1. Bruce Hayden (Paris) 4:44.32, 2. Robert Black (LCA) 4:46.90. 4-by-100 relay: 1. Danville 43.67, 2. Lexington Christian 44.58. 400: 1. Talon Wilson (Owen County) 50.58, 2. Shaden Brown (Danville) 51.79. 300 hurdles: 1. Riley Ammon (FCA) 46.98, 2. Cayden Williams (Bracken County) 48.18. 800: 1. Bruce Hayden (Paris) 2:06.57, 2. Kyle Stickel (LCA) 2:08.32. 200: 1. Paxton Gray (LCA) 22.36, 2. Talon Wilson (Owen County) 22.69. 3,200: 1. Robert Black (LCA) 10:35.00, 2. Lucas Hanks (Bracken County) 10:39.22. 4-by-400 relay: 1. Lexington Christian 3:36.60, 2. Paris 3:36.65. Shot put: 1. Sasha Wade (Danville) 52-5.75, 2. Kyler Burton (Bracken County) 46-1.25. Discus throw: 1. Sasha Wade (Danville) 150-11, 2. Jacob Austin (Model) 126-3. Long jump: 1. Talon Wilson (Owen County) 20-1.50, 2. Josiah Bradshaw (DCA) 20-0. Triple jump: 1. Braylen Wells (Frankfort) 41-10.25, 2. Braiden Ford (Danville) 38-3.75. High jump: 1. Josiah Bradshaw (DCA) 5-6, 2. Holden Lidowski (Danville) 5-4. Pole vault: 1. Thomas Sylvester (LCA) 12-3, 2. Carter Myrhe (Burgin) 11-0

GIRLS

Teams — 1. Lexington Christian Academy 167, 2. Danville 64, 3. Trinity Christian Academy 54, 4. Danville Christian Academy 49, 5. Burgin 45, 6. Sayre 40, 7. Paris 34, 8. Frankfort 32, 9. Frankfort Christian Academy 24, 10. Nicholas County 21, 11. Bracken County 7, 12. Owen County 5, 13. Gallatin County 4, 14. Carroll County 3, t15. Berea 2, t15. Trimble County 2

Individuals — 4-by-800 relay: 1. Lexington Christian 10:43.00; 2. Frankfort 11:24.88.100 hurdles: 1. Xyahne Wilkinson (Danville) 15.32; 2. Laynie Hopper (LCA) 15.76. 100: 1. Anna Reese Hopper (LCA) 12.61; 2. Abby Moore (FCA) 12.83. 4-by-200 relay: 1. Lexington Christian 1:48.25; 2. Danville 1:50.59. 1,600: 1. Kennedy Moughamian (LCA) 5:09.15; 2. Annie Sewell (LCA) 5:19.10. 4-by-100 relay: 1. Lexington Christian 49.91; 2. Danville 52.06. 400: 1. Amelia Stanton (TCA) 1:00.22; 2. Jentry Bertram (LCA) 1:00.96. 300 hurdles: 1. Raegan Taylor (Burgin) 46.63; 2. Laynie Hopper (LCA) 47.15. 800: 1. Hadley Raisor (LCA) 2:19.69; 2. Annie Sewell (LCA) 2:21.19. 200: 1. Abby Moore (FCA) 26.19; 2. Lilly Meyer (LCA) 26.45. 3,200: 1. Kennedy Moughamian (LCA) 11:16.96; 2. Molly Chambers (Sayre) 11:23.45. 4-by-400 relay: 1. Lexington Christian 4:18.98; 2. Trinity Christian 4:24.31. Shot put: 1. Amauri Blackford (DCA) 35-0; 2. Adrian Smith (Sayre) 32-5.75. Discus throw: 1. Amauri Blackford (DCA) 112-9; 2. Maddie Peavler (Burgin) 100-9. Long jump: 1. Anna Reese Hopper (LCA) 17-3.5; 2. Amelia Stanton (TCA) 15-7.5. Triple jump: 1. Ella Guarnieri (TCA) 32-7.25; 2. Ella Bottom (Danville) 32-6.75. High jump: 1. Kate Hatfield (Burgin) 5-2; 2. Bri Imfeld (DCA) 5-0. Pole vault: 1. Harper Cole (LCA) 10-0; 2. Ella Bottom (Danville) 8-0

This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 6:32 PM.