Virginia
Virginia high school track star struck in head with baton cleared to run in Nationals — days after opponent rallies supporters
The Virginia high school track star concussed by a baton-wielding opponent will look for redemption when she returns to the starting line to race for a national title as her attacker faces assault charges.
Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker secured her spot at the Adidas Track Nationals in Virginia Beach after she received clearance from her doctors to return to competition, her father told TMZ.
The 16-year-old will race in the preliminary heats of the girls’ 60-meter and the 200-meter dashes at the Virginia Beach Sports Complex, according to race lineups for the meet.
Tucker will also join her schoolmates under the name Brookville TC in the 4×200 meter relay, the same race in which she was attacked.
The sprinter’s season had been in the dark since she suffered the head injury at the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships at Liberty University on March 4.
Tucker, the second leg in the relay race, was battling IC Norcom High School senior Alaila Everett for second place when she was allegedly attacked.
Everett was captured on video bringing her right arm backward before launching it forward and striking Tucker with the metal baton.
Tucker detoured off the track, grabbing her head and falling to the ground.
The ailing runner immediately pulled herself and her team out of the race, while officials disqualified Everett and her school.
Tucker’s initial prognosis was grim when she was told that she suffered a concussion and “possible skull fracture.”
Everett has maintained her innocence, saying she “would never hit someone on purpose.”
She argued that her baton got “stuck” on Tucker’s back and rolled up and hit her opponent’s head.
“I lost my balance when I pumped my arms again,” Everett said, according to TMZ.
The Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Office deemed otherwise, charging the 17-year-old with one count of assault and battery stemming from the incident.
Everett and her family were also the subject of a protective order, filed against them by the Tucker family.
A rally was held at a local park in support of the teen after she was charged.
Tens of people turned out to the event Everett thanked her supporters.
“There’s no one else that wanted to hear my story, except the people that know me and people that know I would never do anything like that, I would never harm anybody. I’m not a fighter, I’m not even confrontational, I wouldn’t even do that on purpose, and I thank y’all for believing in me. I love y’all,” she said according to WAVY.com.
Everett’s speech was met with loud applause and a chant of “We stand with you.”
The president of the Portsmouth, Virginia NAACP said the Everett family had been targets of racial slurs and other threats since the viral attack.
“The Everett family has experienced racial slurs, they’ve experienced death threats, and we think unequivocally that those things are unacceptable,” James Boyd said at the gathering.
Former President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia was found dead inside a home in Alexandria, Virginia, authorities announced Saturday, March 22. Jessica Aber, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene when police responded at 9:18 a.m. EST.
CBS News reports that it is unclear if the home belongs to Aber, or who had contacted the police. The Alexandria Police Department said in a statement posted to X that “an investigation is underway surrounding the circumstances of her death,” adding, “The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia will determine the cause and manner of death.”
Aber became U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2021, following her nomination by President Biden and unanimous confirmation by the Senate. She resigned in January, at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
Attorney general for the Trump administration, Pam Bondi, said in a statement released Saturday, “The loss of Jessica Aber, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is deeply tragic. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends during this profoundly difficult time.”
Similarly, in another statement released Saturday, Erik Siebert, who replaced Aber, called her an “unmatched leader, mentor, and prosecutor,” saying she is “simply irreplaceable as a human being.”
Aber’s tenure with the Eastern District of Virginia began in 2009 and included stints as the assistant U.S. attorney and deputy chief of the department’s criminal division. She grew up in Virginia, received an undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond, and a law degree from William & Mary Law School.
In 2022, Aber helped launch Ceasefire Virginia, targeting violent crime across the state. That initiative and Aber’s work on it, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said, “saved more lives than we may ever realize.”
After winning convincingly in the first round of the WBIT against NC A&T, Virginia Tech is back on the court tonight and hoping to make it to the quarterfinals. This afternoon, they will host Texas Tech, the fifth meeting between the two programs in their history.
Virginia Tech is 2-2 all-time against
Texas Tech in women’s basketball with
the most recent meeting taking place
on Dec. 20, 2005, in Cancun, Mexico.
All four meetings have come in a
multi-team event, including the
Caribbean Classic in Cancun, the Duel
in the Desert in Las Vegas, the NCAA
tournament in 2001 and the San Juan
Shootout in Puerto Rico.
This season the two clubs had two
common opponents in Florida State
and SMU. The Red Raiders lost both
games, while the Hokies went 1-1 with
a victory over SMU.
The last Big 12 opponent VT faced
was Baylor in the NCAA tournament
in 2024.
The 61-45 victory over the NC A&T
Aggies was the second this season
with the Hokies scoring 61 points.
It is the fewest points scored in a
Hokie victory since Tech beat Miami
while scoring 55 points at the ACC
tournament in 2024.
The win was the second this season
when shooting below 40% from the
field.
VT is now 14-1 this season when
holding opponents to 69 or fewer
points. Texas Tech averages 63.6
points per game.
Kayl Petersen registered five blocks,
it was the first time that a Hokie
recorded five since Elizabeth Kitley did
so vs. Kansas in the Cayman Islands
(Nov. 24, 2023).
Mackenzie Nelson recorded her third
double figure scoring game in the last
four outings. In those games she is
averaging 9 ppg, shooting 53% and
has a 16-3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The only two games this season in
which the Hokies have had two or
fewer athletes score in doube figures
have been the last two (1-1).
The Hokies held NC A&T to single
digits in the second quarter. It was the
first time that the Hokies’ defense had
accomplished the feat since the Wake
Forest game on Jan. 12. Tech then did
it again in the third quarter.
Here is how you can watch today’s game.
TV: ESPN+
Bailey Angle and Mack McCarthy
RADIO: Virginia Tech Sports Network, Evan Hughes PxP
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Jessica Aber, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia has died. She was 43.
Jessica Aber, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead on Saturday. She was 43.
A statement from Alexandria Police said Aber was confirmed dead after officers responded to the 900 block of Beverly Drive in Alexandria, Virginia at approximately 9:18 a.m.
Officers were initially called to the scene in response to an unresponsive woman.
A cause of death has not yet been released by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia. An investigation is underway.
Local leaders are remembering her work as a public servant.
Erik Siebert, who serves as the current U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, remembered Aber as an “unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor.”
“She is simply irreplaceable as a human being. We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world,” he said in a statement. “Jess was a proud Virginian from high school through college and throughout her career.”
Aber was nominated to serve as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia during former President Joe Biden’s term in office. She had been unanimously confirmed to serve in the posting.
During her time in that role, Aber led a staff of 300 prosecutors, civil litigators and support personnel across the state. Aber resigned from the position in January, when President Donald Trump came into office.
WTOP’s Gaby Arancibia contributed to this report.
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