No hurdle too high for Agee
May 8—Isaac Agee keeps outdoing himself, and at just the right time.
With a week before the state track and field meet, he has put himself in prime position for a weekend to remember. But he chooses to look at it from a different perspective.
"It's all glory to God, really," Agee, the Greenbrier West junior, offered during another big day for him at the Class A Region 3 Championships in Beckley. "I mean, that's everything for me and that's Who I run for."
Agee came away with victories in the 110 meter hurdles and the long jump, and was the anchor on the winning shuttle hurdles relay team. His long jump was a distance of 20 feet, 5 1/2 inches.
The shuttle hurdle team of Randy Keener, Colton Dunbar, Ben McDaniel and Agee won in the last event of the night with a time of 1:01.84, a full three seconds better than second place Webster County.
Agee set a personal record of 14.87 in the 110 hurdles, less than a week after a PR of 14.92 in Friday's Beckley Last Chance Invitational.
"Yeah, I'm having a great season," Agee said. "I'm PRing almost every meet. Getting into the 14s now. Last year I was barely 15.5, so I'm feeling great right now."
Agee's 14.87 is the state's fastest time in the 110, pending other regional results.
According to runwv.com before Wednesday's meets, he also had the state's fastest 300 hurdles time at 42.58 and second-best long jump (20-8), and shuttle hurdle relay team the fastest time at 1:03.31.
That 300 time will change. Webster County's Isaac Cutlip was able to get the best of Agee Wednesday night, winning with a time of 41.74. Agee was second at 41.91.
"I didn't really start running hurdles until my eighth grade year, and to be honest I already had pretty good form," he said. "It was just natural. And definitely my dad (Mark) helped me get better because he ran hurdles in high school. And Steve Dunbar, one of my teammates' (Colton) dad, is pretty much our hurdles coach and he's helped me a lot."
Agee also credited injured teammate Brandon Poticher for helping further his love for hurdles when they were freshmen.
The shuttle hurdle relay just might be his favorite event.
"I love shuttle hurdles," he said. "You just feel like you're flying, especially when you can perfect that form. You don't even have to get low to the hurdle on those; you can just run. And you feel so free. It's amazing."
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James Monroe won the girls championship with a score of 181. Charleston Catholic was the boys champion with 117 points.
Event winners were:
Girls
100: Maija Kubes, James Monroe; 200: Jessica Armstrong, Pocahontas County; 400: Abby Dixon, James Monroe; 800: Abby Dixon, James Monroe; 1600: Bella Boggs, Charleston Catholic; 3200: Bella Boggs, Charleston Catholic; 100 hurdles: Hannah Sullivan, Charleston Catholic; 300 hurdles: Hannah Fisher, Charleston Catholic; 4x100: James Monroe; 4x200: James Monroe; 4x400: James Monroe; 4x800: Charleston Catholic; Shuttle hurdles: James Monroe; Shot put: Ava Pitzer, James Monroe; Discus: Chloe Cox, Richwood; High jump: Carlee Dillard, Richwood; Long jump: Baylee Jarrett, Richwood.
Boys
100: Kyle McMillion, Webster County; 200: William Jackson, James Monroe; 400: William Jackson, James Monroe; 800: Mateo Lao, Charleston Catholic; 1600: Will Barton, Charleston Catholic; 3200: Dakota Pettry, Summers County; 110 hurdles: Isaac Agee, Greenbrier West; 300 hurdles: Isaac Cutlip, Webster County; 4x100: Pocahontas County; 4x200: James Monroe; 4x400: James Monroe; 4x800: Charleston Catholic; Shuttle hurdles: Greenbrier West; Shot put: Gage Bender, Webster County; Discus: Randy Keener, Greenbrier West; High jump: Dillon Dunz, Pocahontas County; Long jump: Isaac Agee, Greenbrier West.
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