Discus

LOUISVILLE — B.J. Hogue accomplished her final goal on Thursday. The Casey County junior had already won a regional championship and thrown 100 feet in the discus. But she threw her best Thursday, finishing third with a throw of 104 feet, 1 inch at the Class AA State Track and Field Championships at the University of Louisville. “It was crazy, I didn’t really think about it much,” said Hogue, who also competed in the shot put. “I just told myself I was going to get up there and do what I knew I could.

LEXINGTON - Special Graves wound up her high school career near the top of the awards podium Friday. The Danville senior threw 108 feet, 2 inches in the discus today, beating her personal best by nearly 14 feet and taking second place at the Class A state track meet at Dunbar High School. "I never thought I would throw 108. My coach is going to be so excited. She didn't think I could throw 108, either," Graves said. "When she threw 94 last week, I was like, 'Say what?

LEXINGTON -- It took only one attempt for Christina Dunford to realize she was going to enjoy the Class A State Track & Field Championships here today a lot more than she expected. The Burgin senior threw 88 feet, 1 inch on her first attempt in the discus -- almost four feet farther than her previous best throw -- and finished fifth in the event. "I am very surprised," said Dunford, who set her previous best mark of 84-8 in last week's regional competition. "I was hoping for maybe eighth place, but I wasn't even sure I could do that.

LEXINGTON -- Three area discus throwers reached the podium Friday. But only one of the was happy about where they were standing. Mercer County's Loran Crowell led area finishers at the Class AA state track and field meet with a third pace finish after her throw of 99 feet, 10 inches. Mercy's Jessica Paulin got Crowell by five inches for second place. "I don't know what happened. I just sucked it up today," the Mercer junior said. "I'm just ticked off right now. I know I wasn't going to win, but I should have gotten second.

Alex Beckerson won all four of his events Thursday and the Burgin boys and girls won team titles at the Bluegrass Conference meet at Eastern Kentucky. Alex Beckerson won the 800-meter run (2:13.85), 1,600 (4:56.29), 3,200 (10:50.17), and triple jump (37 feet, 1 inch). Liz Marcinek and Summer Burke each posted multiple wins for the Burgin girls. Marcinek won the 200 (28.36) and triple jump (31-5) and finished second in the 100 and long jump. Burke won the 100 hurdles (18.2) and 300 hurdles (55.33)

Erica Mills, Boyle County, track. She was named to the Class AA all-state first team by Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association in the pole vault. Jay Linton, Mercer County, track. He was named o the Class AA all-state second team by Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association in the discus.

The George Rogers Clark boys' track team took a small squad of five athletes and participated in the Dunbar Bulldog-Bearcat Invitational Saturday. In the 41-team field, Clark placed 17th. "Our goal was not to focus on the team score," Clark coach Dodd Dixon said. "Instead we wanted to use this as organized practice. We lacked a full flight of hurdles, pole vault and a quality discus cage. Saturday gave us an opportunity to practice each of these events. " The Cardinals handled the practice meet well with Tristan Jones placing first in the shot put and discus events.

Casey County's Chaz Grider and Chrys Jones of Mercer County each earned a pair of wins Wednesday during the first day of the Class AA, Region 4 Championships at West Jessamine. Grider won the discus and shot put, while Jones won the long and high jumps. The Boyle County team of Derek Kirk, John Anderson, Daniel Bastin and Sam Morgan also had a win in the 3,200-meter relay. On the girls side, Mercer's Kalee Phelps won the shot put and Loran Crowell took first in the discus.

The George Rogers Clark High School boys' track team traveled to Owensboro on Saturday to participate in the Daviess County Invitational. The team was dealt its first setback of the season to its throws squad.Tristan Jones placed second in the shot put and seventh in the discus. Saturday was Jones' first loss of the season. Top honors were claimed by Apollo High School's Brad Wright. Wright threw 48 feet in the shot and 154-06 in the discus. Alexander Fenwick was second in the discus and Harris Bivens, Wright's first cousin, placed third.

Morgan Gagle doesn't even report to Lindsey Wilson College until the middle of next month, and already she's planning on making an impact early. "My goal is to get their discus record this year," said Gagle, a recent Boyle County graduate who signed with the school's track and field team Tuesday. Gagle's best throw is 97 feet, 2 inches, while the Lindsey Wilson record is 108-9. However, Gagle said she improved 13 feet from her junior to senior year in the discus without much coaching.

Alex Beckerson won all four of his events Thursday and the Burgin boys and girls won team titles at the Bluegrass Conference meet at Eastern Kentucky. Alex Beckerson won the 800-meter run (2:13.85), 1,600 (4:56.29), 3,200 (10:50.17), and triple jump (37 feet, 1 inch). Liz Marcinek and Summer Burke each posted multiple wins for the Burgin girls. Marcinek won the 200 (28.36) and triple jump (31-5) and finished second in the 100 and long jump. Burke won the 100 hurdles (18.2) and 300 hurdles (55.33)

LEXINGTON - Nick Beckerson is looking down at the competition, and that's just the way he wants it. The Burgin junior came into Saturday's Heart of the Bluegrass Track Classic ranked No. 1 in the discus in Class A, and he was seeded second in Saturday's meet, which the first on the new track at Kentucky. And Beckerson unleashed his best throw ever at 145 feet, 6 inches to place second in the event behind Jake Grosechen of Scott High (153-8). It's been that kind of year for Beckerson, who also helped the Bulldogs finished third in the 1,600-meter relay and participated in the 800. “I kind of thought last year going to state meet there were only two juniors ahead of me, so I thought if I keep progressing the way I had been that year, I definitely would be first in the state,” said Beckerson, who previously had a personal-best throw of 144 feet, 6 inches in the first meet of this season at Eastern Kentucky.

HARRODSBURG — She had every right to be bitter and give up her Olympic dream. However, Lexington native Dana Pounds never thought that way. Instead, the Air Force captain is back in training for the 2012 Olympics and hopes to compete in the javelin. She was U.S. Olympic Trials runner-up in 2008, but missed the Olympic qualifying mark by two inches and was not allowed to compete. Now she’s married, stationed in Colorado and once again training with the Air Force’s blessing in hopes of making the 2012 Olympic team.

LOUISVILLE — B.J. Hogue accomplished her final goal on Thursday. The Casey County junior had already won a regional championship and thrown 100 feet in the discus. But she threw her best Thursday, finishing third with a throw of 104 feet, 1 inch at the Class AA State Track and Field Championships at the University of Louisville. “It was crazy, I didn’t really think about it much,” said Hogue, who also competed in the shot put. “I just told myself I was going to get up there and do what I knew I could.

Erica Mills, Boyle County, track. She was named to the Class AA all-state first team by Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association in the pole vault. Jay Linton, Mercer County, track. He was named o the Class AA all-state second team by Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association in the discus.

Loran Crowell had never picked up a regulation javelin before she came to Centre College. But the freshman from Mercer County has taken to it like a veteran, ranking first in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference with a throw of 103 feet, 11 inches. Consider Crowell just as surprised as anyone. "I did turbo jav (a smaller version of a javelin used in high school meets) in high school, so I had kind of an idea about what I'm doing. I'm doing all the throwing events (javelin, discus, hammer throw)

HARRODSBURG - If a large percentage of success really is about simply showing up, Jay Linton is way ahead of the game. Linton has shown up time after time in the offseason, for individual workouts with his Mercer County coaches, for hour after hour of weightlifting when no one else was around, for practices in good weather and bad, indoors and out. He is going the distance in hopes of gaining a little extra distance when he throws the discus...

Morgan Gagle doesn't even report to Lindsey Wilson College until the middle of next month, and already she's planning on making an impact early. "My goal is to get their discus record this year," said Gagle, a recent Boyle County graduate who signed with the school's track and field team Tuesday. Gagle's best throw is 97 feet, 2 inches, while the Lindsey Wilson record is 108-9. However, Gagle said she improved 13 feet from her junior to senior year in the discus without much coaching.

As soon as she heard her distance, Loran Crowell let out a huge smile. Mostly, it was one of relief. The Mercer County senior defended her regional discus title Tuesday, getting a throw of 98 feet, 11 inches on her final attempt to edge West Jessamine's Michelle Sutherland by an inch at the Class AA, Region 4 Championships at Boyle County. "Oh my gosh. That was one of the most intense competitions I've ever been at," Crowell said. "I'm usually ahead by a few feet. But when Sutherland threw it 98-10, that really put the pressure on me. " The pressure was on every athlete Tuesday, with automatic state meet berths on the line for the top two finishers in each event.

LEXINGTON - It may have been a cold night at the Central Kentucky Conference Championships here, but Danville coach Sadie Gambrel wasn't telling her girls to hold back. "It's just another meet for them, so I'm just letting them go at it," Gambrel said. And they did, as the Admirals won eight events and took the team title at Henry Clay with 134 points. They easily beat runner-up Rockcastle County (93). Casey was third, followed by Mercer County and Boyle County. Kaitlin Snapp had a pair of wins Friday, taking the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs for Danville.