Northampton Track takes 3rd at VHSL Class 1 Indoor Track & Field State Championships

Northampton High School delivered an impressive performance at the VHSL Class 1 Indoor Track & Field State Championships, held March 5-6 at Liberty University’s indoor track in Lynchburg, Virginia. Under the leadership of Coach Oliver Bennett, the girls’ team secured third place overall out of 31 competing teams with 58 points, while the boys’ team earned a top-10 finish, placing ninth with 21 points.

Leading the charge was Rylee Coates, who dominated the meet with a remarkable 58 individual points, earning her the title of Overall MVP. Coates captured four individual state championships in the High Jump (5-0), Long Jump (17-9), 55m Hurdles (8.42), and 55m Dash (7.42). She also set a personal record in the Pole Vault (11-6), adding another gold medal to her collection and contributing significantly to the team’s success.

According to Coach Oliver Bennett, Coates is getting interest from Division 1 schools such as Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Northampton athletes excelled across multiple events, including a state title win for the boys’ 4x200m relay team. The quartet of Jace Logan, Jeremiah White, Mark Tankard, and Elijah Hope clocked a winning time of 1:37.57, setting a new personal record. Other notable performances included Elijah Hope’s seventh-place finish in the Boys 55m Hurdles Finals (8.95), Jace Logan’s seventh-place finish in the Boys 55m Dash Finals (7.06), and Mark Tankard’s seventh-place finish in the Boys Long Jump (19-1.25). In distance events, Renniah Rono and Sophie Tayloe finished ninth and tenth, respectively, in the Girls 1000m Run. In sprint events, Coates secured second place in the Girls 300m Dash (44.05), while Kendrick Collins placed seventh in the Boys 300m Dash (38.82). The Boys 4x400m Relay team—featuring Collins, Taylor, Palacio, and Philpot—finished sixth with a time of 3:49.33, setting a new personal record.