Northampton Lady Track wins Region 1A Championship, boys take 2nd; Coates & Tankard named Athletes of Year

The Northampton High School indoor track and field teams turned in a dominant performance at the Region 1A Championships, with the girls capturing the regional title and the boys finishing as runner-up.

The Lady Yellow Jackets claimed the Region 1A Championship with a first-place finish and 123 total points.

Leading the charge was Rylee Coates, who was named Region 1A Girls Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year after scoring an impressive 56.5 points. Coates delivered first-place finishes in the pole vault, long jump, high jump, 55-meter hurdles and 55-meter dash. She also placed third in the 4×400-meter relay and fourth in the shot put, showcasing versatility across sprinting, jumping and field events.

Additional top performances for the girls included:

• Amelie Rutschow — 4th, 500 meters
• Ashby Hernandez — 7th, 500 meters
• Renniah Rono — 4th, 1,000 meters
• Scarlette Gallimore — 3rd, 1,600 meters; 1st, 3,200 meters
• Brelyn Coates — 3rd, 55-meter hurdles; 2nd, pole vault; 7th, long jump
• Chloe Fisher — 7th, shot put

Relay results included:

• 4×200-meter relay — 3rd (Chloe Fisher, ZyNajah Beckett, Crystal Boles, Brelyn Coates)
• 4×400-meter relay — 3rd (Crystal Boles, Rylee Coates, Amelie Rutschow, Renniah Rono)
• 4×800-meter relay — 1st (Izabella CuevasRodriguez, Renniah Rono, Ashby Hernandez, Amelie Rutschow)

On the boys side, the Yellow Jackets finished second overall with 89 points to earn Region 1A Runner-Up honors.

Mark Tankard was named Region 1A Boys Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year after contributing 31.5 points. Tankard captured first-place finishes in the long jump, high jump and triple jump, and also placed third as part of the 4×200-meter relay team.

Other strong performances for the boys included:

• Charles Hope — 7th, 300-meter dash
• Hudson Taylor — 3rd, 500 meters
• Tourean Sunskins — 4th, 500 meters
• Camron Hall Wimber — 2nd, high jump
• Kingston Thomas — 6th, long jump
• Fernando Palacio — 3rd, pole vault
• Daniel Brown — 4th, shot put

Relay results included:

• 4×200-meter relay — 3rd (Charles Hope, Amir Gholson, Camron Hall Wimber, Mark Tankard)
• 4×400-meter relay — 1st (Amin, Kingston Thomas, Kendrick Collins, Hudson Taylor)
• 4×800-meter relay — 2nd (Camron Hall Wimber, Amir Gholson, Kendrick Collins, Hudson Taylor)

Head Coach Oliver Bennett was named Region 1A Girls Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year for the 2025–26 season, recognized for leading the girls team to the regional championship.