Lewis, LeMaster, Roark tabbed as top athletes

By ROCKY STANLEY — The Independent

June 04, 2009 10:24 pm

— A double-state champion sprinter and two premier hurdlers headline the 2009 All-Area Track and Field teams.
Johnson Central senior Andy Lewis blazed his way to state titles in the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the Class 2A State Meet.
Lewis ran a Kentucky state-best time of 21.78 seconds in winning the 200. Earlier, he captured the 100 meters in 10.97 seconds, just off his season best of 10.94.
As a result, Lewis received the 2009 Outdoor Sprinter of the Year Award from the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association. He will continue his track career at Morehead State University.
Lewis shares the Boys All-Area Athlete of the Year with Tyler LeMaster of neighboring Paintsville High.
LeMaster scored all 25 of Paintsville’s points in state competition, good enough for eighth place in the Class A team standings.
He finished runner-up in both hurdle races, turning in times of 15.08 seconds in the 110s and 40.5 seconds in the 300s at the University of Louisville. LeMaster also placed fourth in the long jump (20 feet, 6 inches) and fifth in the triple jump (42-5.5). His best long jump of the season was 21-2.
Russell junior Maddie Roark is the Girls All-Area Athlete of the Year. She dominated both hurdle races throughout the season and scored in three events at the Class 2A State Meet. Roark had season bests of 16.24 seconds in the 100 hurdles, 47.73 in the 300 hurdles, and 16 feet in the long jump.
Roy Wright is the Boys All-Area Coach of the Year. Wright guided Rowan County to a Class 2A regional championship and the Vikings finished 11th at the State Meet.
Fairview’s Becca Stacey and Russell’s Angie Fultz share coaching honors in the girls division after both teams enjoyed strong seasons. Fultz directed Russell to several meet titles and Stacey has built young Fairview into a program to watch.