Orange’s Watson wins national championship

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Just when you thought Orange graduate and soon-to-be Indiana University freshman Anna Watson was done raising the bar in what has been a stellar high school career, she raises the bar … again.

Watson was as good as she has ever been during Saturday’s New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro (NC) — the last meet before she heads off to college — taking top honors in the girls pole vault with an effort of 13-09. The mark, a new meet record, was a personal best for the former state champ, state runner-up and current outdoor state record holder.

Williamsport’s (PA) Katie Jones and Bolingbroke’s (GA) Carson Dingler — the former meet record holder — cleared 13-05.25 to finish tied for second.

Olentangy’s Siobhan Szerencsits and Madeline Barnes also competed in the event, finishing 19th and 30th among the 40 girls who competed with respective marks of 12-06 and 11-06.25.

Orange grad Hunter Moore, fresh off his Division I state championship in the 3,200, also stacked up quite well against the nation’s best. He finished fourth in the 5,000-meter run, nabbing All-American honors with a time of 14:44.46. Only Arlington’s (MA) Ryan Oosting, Kingsport’s (TN) Ben Varghese and Marion’s (IA) Ryan Murphy were faster, taking the top three spots with respective efforts of 14:36.13, 14:37.21 and 14:42.87.

Other top finishes belonged to Orange’s Allison Guagenti, who finished seventh in the girls 2,000-meter steeplechase (6:58.06) and the Pioneers’ distance medley relay team, which finished fourth in Sunday morning’s Emerging Elite race (12:17.83).

In Friday’s opening-day action, Orange’s Jaeschel Acheampong won the freshmen boys long jump and the Pioneers’ girls 4×800 relay team finished 11th in the Emerging Elite race. Acheampong won his signature event with a leap of 22-0.25 while Lindsay Ott, Grace Frye, Elizabeth Schneider and Guagenti combined to cross the line in 9:28.17 in the relay event.

Clears 13-09 to take top honors in pole vault

By Ben Stroup

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Follow Ben Stroup on Twitter @aimmedianetwork.com

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