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Rockbridge County High School senior Evan Roney placed second in the boys’ 1000-meter run at the Class 3 state indoor track and field meet on Tuesday of last week at Liberty University. He even qualified by time for the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship, though the field for that event is full and he won’t actually be able to take part.
Also at the Class 3 state indoor meet, RC junior Deena Ludtke placed fifth in the girls’ 3200-meter run and 12th in the 1600-meter run.
“It was a very exciting day for Evan and Deena,” said RC head coach Jennifer Showalter.
Roney finished in 2:35.99, a personal record (PR) by about 2.6 seconds. The only runner ahead of Roney was Davin Tietz of Yorktown, who won in 2:35.21. Caroline’s Anton Jones-Wilson placed third of 20 runners in 2:36.37. Going into the meet, Roney, who was the Valley District champion in the 1000-meter run last month, was ranked fifth in the state. Last year, Roney competed in the 1600meter run and placed eighth in the state.
Ludtke, making her indoor state meet debut, finished the 3200-meter run in 11:53.13, a PR by about 13 seconds, to place fifth of 16 runners She completed the 1600-meter run in 5:32.34, a PR by more than four seconds, to finish 12th of 17 racers.
Going over her experience, Ludtke said, “The meet went pretty well for me. It was fun and a good experience to race against all the first girls in our class. It always feels good to me when I PR at state meets because I have high hopes for next season that I’ll break even more PRs.”
“I’m very grateful for my amazing coaches and teammates that I had this season,” added Ludtke.
Showalter looks forward to having Ludtke back for the outdoor track and field season.
Roney and Ludtke were the only two Wildcats competing at the state meet and earned all-state honors by placing in the top eight.
Roney scored eight points to put the RC boys in 25th place of 35 scoring teams, and Lutdke tallied four points to put the RC girls in 28th place of 36 scoring teams. Heritage won the boys’ meet with 60 points, Tabb (46) placed second, and Caroline (44.5) finished third. Heritage (59.5) also won the girls’ title, Abingdon (56.5) placed second and Maggie Walker (47) came in third.
The National Balances Nationals Indoor Championships are scheduled to take place this Thursday through Sunday in Boston, Mass., but the entry limits are full, so Roney will not be competing there. However, Roney plans to attempt to qualify during the outdoor season.
Reviewing his experience at the state meet, Roney said, “The race was absolute chaos, and I loved it!”
Although he came up just short of the victory, Roney said, “Upon finishing the race, I was filled with joy. I had never been anywhere near a podium finish at states before, so it was almost hard to believe.” Roney said he was also thrilled to see he’d run a time that qualified for nationals.
Reflecting more on the experience, Roney said, “The race was incredibly fun and very tactical. I found that not once did I look at the clock. … I was so focused on the competition at hand. I was very happy with the result and look forward to an even greater performance in the outdoor season, hopefully getting that state title.”
“I am thankful for all the guidance and support I have received from my coaches, teammates, and especially my father,” added Roney.
Roney is still deciding where he wants to go next year, but said he intends to continue his running career at the collegiate level.
The RC outdoor track and field teams have already started practicing and will have their first meet on Friday, March 24, at 5 p.m. at Harrisonburg. The Wildcats have a home meet scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, at 5 p.m.
