All American Relays Return in Record Setting Fashion at Radford

RADFORD, Va. — The return of the All American Relays on Saturday, April 25, delivered everything the region’s track and field community had been waiting for: new energy, a resurfaced rubberized track, standout performances, and a wave of record breaking marks that reshaped the meet’s history books.

After a three year hiatus, the relays returned with a statement, as athletes combined for 12 new meet and facility records across both boys and girls competition.

“This felt like the relays were back where they belong,” one meet official said. “Fast track, big crowds, and performances that raised the standard across the board.”

The boys competition featured balance across sprints, distance, and field events, but it was Radford’s Trenton Carter who stood above the rest, earning boys MVP honors after a dominant day that included wins in both the 200m (22.57) and long jump (21-3).

Patrick Henry (Roanoke) opened relay action with a win in the 1600m SMR (3:52.51), while Heritage (Lynchburg) took the 4×100 (42.83), Blacksburg won the 4×400 (3:30.08), and Radford closed relay events with a victory in the 4×800 (8:33.03).

On the track, Essiq Williams (Radford) won the 100m (10.73), Jackson Squires (Pulaski County) claimed the 400m (51.20), Evan Harris (Glenvar) took the 800m (2:01.70), Blake Brown (Auburn) won the 1600m (4:41.67), and Grayson Welcher (Eastern Montgomery) captured the 3200m (9:48.39).

Glenvar’s Joey Loder swept both hurdles events, winning the 110m hurdles (14.41) and 300m hurdles (39.49).

Field winners included Raleigh Brown (Auburn) in discus (143-10), Kobi Bonds (Auburn) in shot put (60-10.5), Gideon Miear (Auburn) in high jump (6-9), Marshall Tate (Eastern Montgomery) in triple jump (42-1), and Counaj McCarty (Heritage) in pole vault (15-0).

The girls side was equally electric, with Blacksburg controlling multiple relays and Heritage’s Eliana Bradner delivering a standout all around performance to earn girls MVP honors.

Bradner swept both hurdle events, the 100m hurdles (14.46) and 300m hurdles (44.06) and added a win in the long jump (18-4.5), anchoring one of the meet’s most complete individual performances.

Blacksburg set the tone in relays, winning both the 4×100 (49.93) and 4×400 (3:59.32), while Christiansburg took the 1600m SMR (4:35.02) and Patrick Henry (Roanoke) closed with a win in the 4×800 (10:33.47).

On the track, Daniya Hairston (Patrick Henry) won the 100m (12.70), Tamoy Douglas (Blacksburg) the 200m (24.70), Caelyn Buracker (Narrows) the 400m (1:01.16), Reilly Thomas (Blacksburg) the 800m (2:18.18), Harper Olsen (Blacksburg) the 1600m (5:16.53), and Niav Murphy (Patrick Henry) the 3200m (11:24.02).

In the field, Lilly Ballowe (Blacksburg) won the high jump (5-0), Briyonna Tune (Heritage) captured the triple jump (35-7), and Kensington Jones (Blacksburg) dominated the throws with wins in both the discus (116-0) and shot put (38-8.5).

With 12 meet and facility records falling and standout performances across every event group, the relays reestablished themselves as one of the region’s premier  showcases.

 “This felt like the relays were back where they belong,” one meet official said. “Fast track, big crowds, and performances that raised the standard across the board.”