At the end of Saturday’s Group 3A track and field championships, the official results of the meet indicated that Fluvanna County’s girls 4×100 relay squad had finished fourth in the state with a time of 51.21.
It was an admirable finish and time. But it wasn’t what the Flucos had actually run.
Fluvanna had actually finished second set a new school record at 50.00 seconds, the Flucos’ relay team was placed in the wrong lane, and because of that, their time came in decidedly different. The squad’s coaches tried to appeal the incorrect ruling but couldn’t get it changed Saturday.
With four seniors in the quartet, it was particularly cruel not to get credit for an incredible performance that was the culmination of years of work by Chaniyah Brown, Matashsa Martin, Cyan Coates and Alexandria Daniels.
According to a report from Fluvanna assistant Erika Tucker, Monday, after a second appeal to the state meet director and a review of official race footage, the official record now shows the Flucos finished with a time of 50.00 seconds and the runner-up slot in the state meet, as well as the school record.
That rights the record and officially gives the Flucos’ senior quartet a well-deserved runner-up finish.
