Nick Gray carries Pickerington North to title

 

State Meet Highlights

 
The OHSAA Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium is one of the biggest state meets in the country – producing more than 1,300 DyeStat Elite marks. There are three divisions based on school size. And the big population in the state ensures depth throughout.

Top Performances:

 
- Chad Zallow from Warren JFK lit up the Division 3 meet with his 110 meter hurdles victory in 13.91. He ran a meet record 13.61 in the prelims. He also ran US#39 10.55 to win the 100 meters and tied the 20-year-old Div 3 record in the event. He also won the 300 hurdles in 39.06 after blasting 37.12 in the prelims.

 

- The Centerville quartet of Kelsey Kohls, Melissa Rintoul, Alexa Jennings and Lainey Studebaker ran a new all-time state best time of US#6 9:00.82 to win the D1 4x800 relay. The race produced three of the fastest times in state history, with Geneva and Granville also under 9:02.

 

- Nick Gray from Pickerington North nearly scored enough points by himself to carry his team to the Division 1 championship. Gray won the 400 meters in 46.91 and also placed second in the 100 meters (10.70) and the 200 (21.76). The Ohio State commit ran the fastest time overall in the prelims of both the 100 and 200. He finished the year ranked US#20 in the 400 and anchored his team to victory in the 4x400 relay (3:16.39). Andy Isabella of Mayfield won the 100 meters in 10.66. Denzel Ward of Nordonia ran 21.65 for the win in the 200.

 

- Kristen Denk from North Royalton jumped US#9 13-6 to break an all-time state record in the pole vault.

 

- Ayanna O’Neal from Withrow won the Division I girls 100-meter hurdles in 14.00 after going US#36 13.91 in the prelims. She was also on the winning 4x100 relay team (47.20) and was fourth in the 300 hurdles.

 

- Dairius Ragland of Pickerington North edged Richard Floyd of Strongsville in the Division I boys 110-meter hurdles, 13.89 to 13.92.

 

- Ashton Dulin of Reynoldsburg won the D1 300 meters in a US#2 time of 36.32. He also ran 14.18 for fourth in the 110 hurdles.

 

- In a big-time shot put competition, Clayton Glasco from Pickerington Central threw US#10 63-7.25 to beat junior Ben Peterson of Solon (US#14 62-9).

 

- Karrington Winters of New Albany ran US#13 53.39 to win the Division I girls 400 meters. She was also third in the 100 meters with 11.98.

 

- In a tremendous 800 meters final, Rachel Banks of Chardon ran US#15 2:07.27 to beat Brittany Aveni of Geneva, who ran US#19 2:07.48, in the Division 1 final. Both are juniors. It was a hot race that saw 13 girls go under 2:15.

 

- Annie Heffernan of St. Ursula Academy doubled in the Division I girls distance races, taking the 1,600 meters in US#35 4:48.39 and the 3,200 in US#85 10:38.04.

 

- Oyesade Olatoye of Dublin Coffman won the D1 girls shot put with US#8 48-8.25. She was also second in the discus with 154-4.

 

- The two schools that tied for the D1 girls team title were separated by almost nothing in a very fast duel in the 4x200 relay. Gahanna Lincoln won it with US#20 1:38.64 and Withrow was second with US#22 1:38.88. The same two schools had a similar result in the final event of the meet, the 4x400 relay. Gahanna Lincoln took it with US#24 3:46.19 and Withrow was second with US#37 3:47.70.

 

- Abby Steiner, a sensational freshman from Dublin Coffman, won the Division 1 girls 200 meters in 23.96 but lost a close race to Justice Richardson of Warren G. Harding in the 100 meters, 11.85 to 11.89.

 

- Junior Gavin Gaynor of Hudson won the D1 boys 1,600 meters in 4:12.16 as nine guys broke 4:20. Teammate Kyle Mau ran an exceptional time in the 3,200, winning in 9:00.60.

 

- Frank Hayes, a junior from Sylvania Southview, won the D1 boys 800 meters in 1:51.16.

 

- Kaylee Antill of Tri-Valley threw 157-7 to win the D1 girls discus.

 
- Cayla Carey of Ursuline Academy won a very tight competition in the D1 girls long jump. Her winning mark of 18-7.25 was a quarter inch farther than runner-up Korrin Taylor of Canton McKinley.

 
- Emanuel Durden of Springfield made a bar at 6-10 to win the D1 boys high jump.

 
- Cassie Martin of Strongsville, a junior, jumped 5-9 in the high jump to retain her D1 title.

 

- Jacob Ross from Hilliard Davidson jumped 6-10 to win the D1 boys high jump. 

 

- T.J. Lawson from Stow-Munroe pulled out a narrow victory over Davion Fisher of Sandusky in the D1 boys long jump. Lawson jumped 23-11.25 and Fisher jumped 23-9.50.

 

- Sophomore Matt Peare of Hoover jumped 16-4 to win the D1 boys pole vault.

- Dublin Coffman’s boys ran 7:44.97 for US#25 and the victory in the Div 1 boys 4x800 relay.

- Edith Svonavec, a senior from Garfield, defended her D2 shot put title with 44-1.25.

- Ryan Adams, a senior at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy won the D2 boys 1,600 meters in US#8 4:07.12 for a new state meet record.

 

- Brian Bell of Dunbar, the indoor national champion, was sick during the Ohio state meet but managed to pull it together to win the D2 800 meters in 1:54.53. He was also fourth in the 1,600 and ran on Dunbar’s third place 4x400 relay team and fifth place 4x800 relay team. He was later admitted to the hospital with pneumonia.

 

- Tyler Johnson, a junior at Stivers, won the D2 boys 400 meter dash in 47.64.

 

- Sophomore Regan Clay of Rossford ran 55.29 to win the D2 girls 400 meters.

- Senior Samantha Murray of Defiance won the D2 girls 800 in US#33 2:09.25.

- Junior Jasmine Harris from Orange ran US#45 42.55 to break the D2 meet record in the 300-meter hurdles.

 

- Dominique Clairmonte from Lexington had a fierce battle from fellow junior Abby Nichols of Alter but won the D2 girls 1,600 meters in US#67 4:53.08 to US#71 4:53.29. Clairmonte also won the 3,200 in 10:50.09.

 

- Junior Michaela Butler led Liberty-Benton to the Division 2 team title. She won the 100 meters in 11.68 (US#26 11.67 prelim) and the 200 in US#88 24.27.

 

- Dakari Carter from Streetsboro, a sophomore, won the D2 boys 100 meters in 10.66 after running a windy 10.55 in the prelims.

 

- Kyle Galyk of Pleasant ran 21.55 to win the D2 boys 200.

 

- Trevor Detillion of Unioto won the D2 discus title with 187-9.

 

- Junior Jeffrey Floyd of Linden McKinney jumped over 6-10 to win the D2 boys high jump for the second year in a row.

 

- Mitchell Soviak of North Union won the D2 boys shot put title with US#29 61-6.50. Walt Petzel of Zane Trace threw US#41 60-8.75 for second.

 

- Dunbar, which broke the national record in the sprint medley relay indoors, won the D2 boys 4x200 relay in 1:28.24.

 

- Caleb Wilt of Miami Trace edged Juan Scott of Dunbar in a very fast Div 2 boys 110 hurdles final, US#17 13.80 to 14.07. Scott had run US#27 13.92 for the fastest time in the prelims.

 

- Matt Ludwig of Lake Catholic won a tight race against Juan Scott of Dunbar in the D3 300 hurdles. Ludwig ran US#24 37.18 for the win while Scott settled for another second place finish with US#42 37.48 seconds.

- Cheyanne Carter from Eastmoor Academy won the D2 girls 100 hurdles in 14.09 after running 14.04 seconds in the prelims.

- Akron SVSM led seven teams under eight minutes in the Div 2 boys 4x800 relay, clocking 7:49.71.

 

- Allison Plybon from Orrville won the D2 girls pole vault with a clearance at US#46 12-8.

 

- Coty Cobb from Middletown Madison broke the D2 meet record with US#18 16-6.25 in the boys pole vault.

 

- Christian Smith of McDonald hurled the discus 191-2 to win the D3 title. He finished the season at US#3.

 

- In the D3 girls discus, Holly Averesch of Leipsic threw US#35 148-11 for the win and beat second place Lyne’a Diller of Columbus Grove by 11 inches. Averesch also won the shot put with 43-4.

 

- Kyle Storm from Berkshire won the D3 boys 400 meters in 48.97 seconds.

 

- Sophomore Brooke Mangas of Ottoville jumped US#43 5-8 to win the D3 girls high jump.

 

- Micah Johnston, a junior from Toledo Christian, won the D3 400 meters in 56.85.

 

- Maddy McDermott from Rittman, a junior, swept the D3 hurdles races with 14.85 and 44.55 seconds.

 

- Junior Athena Welsh of St. Thomas Aquinas won the D3 1,600 meters in 4:58.87.

- Junior Taylor Middleton from Miami Valley won the D3 title in the girls 100 meters with 12.20 and she also won the 200 meters in 24.87. She added a third victory in the long jump, going 18-4.50.

 

- Brittany Atkinson from Liberty Central ran 10:45.20 for a big win the girls D3 3,200 meters final.

 

- In the D3 boys 3,200 meters, Tristan Dahmen of Maplewood outlasted Logan Smith of Mineral Ridge 9:16.99 to 9:18.16.

- Maplewood’s boys ran within a second of the D3 meet record in the 4x800 relay with US#57 7:49.02.

 

- Roxy Dunn of Garaway won the D3 pole vault with a clearance at 12-4.

 

- Sophomore Logan Konst from Anna went over US#70 15-8 to win the D3 boys pole vault.

Top Teams:

There was lots of parity in Ohio this year and the D1 girls team standings ended in a tie between Gahanna Lincoln and Withrow, both with 50 points. Pickerington North won the boys title with 52 points as no other team scored more than 30.

Dunbar of Dayton repeated as the Div 2 boys champions with 64 points. Liberty-Benton won the girls championship with 45 points.

In Division 3, the St. Thomas Aquinas won the title with 69 points after missing it a year earlier by a single point. Warren JFK won the boys championship with 48 points.

Top Competition:

The Vine that had everybody buzzing after the Ohio meet came at the end of the end of a crazy 4x400 relay in the Division 2 boys race. Matt Ludwig of Lake Catholic, the 300-meter hurdles champion was in third place with a couple strides to go. Ahead of him, Dunbar’s JaVonta Brown was two strides from the win when Eastmoor Academy’s Jalon Lewis caught up and dove for the line, sending both of them crashing to the track. But Ludwig’s momentum carried him past both falling runners and he won it for Lake Catholic in 3:19.41. Eastmoor was second in 3:19.45 and Dunbar was third in 3:19.49. It was, possibly, the most dramatic 4x400 finish of the year.