Tuscarora Winter Sports Recap: A Successful Season

Tuscarora had an incredible season for winter sports, with athletes from wrestling, swim team, and track qualifying for and competing at VHSL State Championships. 

Wrestling

This wrestling season, Ibrahim Barokah and Tony Philpot competed in the VHSL Class 4 Wrestling State Championships at Virginia Beach. Barokah placed 4th in the 113 lbs weight class and Philpot placed 6th in the 106 lbs weight class. 

Barokah has been a wrestler for four years, and this was his first year competing at a state championship. “I felt like a man, I felt like a monster, I felt like a demon, I felt like I could take on the world with my bare hands,” Barokah said in regards to his feelings after wrestling at the tournament. 

Philpot, a junior who has been wrestling for approximately eight years, said when he found out that he qualified for states, he “felt amazing” because he didn’t qualify last year. He wasn’t nervous beforehand, and placed an impressive 6th after losing the 5th/6th match. He was “salty” right after the loss, but “after like thirty minutes, then I was really proud of what I did because then I was realizing I actually did a lot.”

Swimming

Tuscarora’s Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay team, consisting of swimmers Kylie Hudson (senior), Cadence Malarkey (senior), Lily Patel (sophomore), and Madison Collins (freshman), placed 10th overall at the VHSL Class 4 State Swim Championships in Richmond, and finished 2nd in their finals heat. 

Hudson, a senior and the team’s breaststroke swimmer, felt that the season was a great resolution to her time on Tuscarora’s swim team. 

“It feels very complete and whole,” she said. She hopes to continue swimming in college on a club team. “I love the sport so much and I love how I feel when I’m swimming,” Hudson stated. 

Patel, a sophomore and the backstroke swimmer of the relay team, also plans to swim after high school, specifically at the D1 or D2 level. Patel swims on a year-round club team as well as the Tuscarora team, and said, “I don’t really get too nervous before my events because it’s something that I’ve really done my whole life.”

Collins, a freshman, was nervous because she didn’t know how high school swim would work. After swimming, she felt “tired and accomplished” because going to states was one of her goals. Collins loves to swim because she enjoys the hard work, and she wants to continue swimming after high school. 

Track and Field 

Indoor track had a season full of accomplishments, with runners competing at the VHSL Class ¾ Indoor Track Meet and the New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston. At the national meet, Michaela Workman placed 13th in the Girls 3200m, Chelsea Boykins placed 18th in the 60 Meter Hurdles and 15th in the 55 Meter Hurdles, and Alysa Carrigan placed 1st in the Girls High Jump.  At the VHSL Class ¾ Indoor Track Meet, Michaela Workman placed 2nd with a time of 10:45.23 in the 3200m, Chelsea Boykins placed 13th in the Girls 55 Meter Hurdles, and David Seekford placed 3rd in the 500m Dash with a time of 1:05.72. The Boys 4X400 Relay also placed at the VHSL state meet, winning 4th in the 4X400 relay. 

Workman has an impressive history in regards to track; she qualified for the state championships every year she competed. 

“I was really happy because I had been hoping to get personal best for like a year… and I finally did,” Workman said. She wasn’t nervous, and said, “I kind of wish that I was [nervous] because it’s a lot easier to run fast when there’s adrenaline.”

Workman will continue to run in college, and plans to attend either the Naval Academy or the Air Force Academy. 

Seekford, a senior who has been doing track for two years, enjoys track because “it keeps me in shape. I enjoy the people that do it with me and it helps me stay competitive.” 

After not qualifying for states last year, Seekford felt good about having the opportunity. “It’s a big milestone for me,” Seekford said. 

Tuscarora’s winter athletes will continue to challenge themselves and crush their goals for the rest of their careers.