Rootstown senior Aiden Rodstrom 'put it all on the line,' earns first state berth
CRESTON — Friday was Aiden Rodstrom's last chance at going to state.
So naturally the Rootstown senior hurdler was going to give it everything he had.
Including, as it turned out, diving over the finish line to edge Black River senior Braylon O'Neal by three hundredths of a second, 15.27 to 15.30, for the fourth and final automatic qualifying spot for the state meet in the 110 hurdles.
"I'm a little cut up," Rodstrom said. "But I would take all the cuts and bruises in the world to be where I'm at now."
It turned out Rodstrom didn't need to dive, as O'Neal ended up earning the first of two statewide at-large berths, but the Rovers senior couldn't have possibly known that. And he couldn't leave his last shot at state to chance.
"I knew it would get me up there fighting for it," Rodstrom said of his dramatic dive. "So just, all right, go for it. It hurts, it stings, but it doesn't sting as much as getting out here."
Rodstrom had experienced the opposite sensation.
A year ago, Rodstrom battled his way back from a torn labrum to make it to the Norwayne Regional, but that's where his season came to an end. The then-junior came one place shy of making the regional finals in the 110, taking ninth (16.46).
While Rodstrom is fully healthy now, and has been running at an entirely different level this year, he still knew Friday wouldn't come easily. Rodstrom had the fifth-fastest time in Wednesday's preliminary run, meaning he was right on the brink of going or not going to Dayton.
"I knew it'd be close coming in," Rodstrom said. "[O'Neal] is an unbelievable hurdler and, being as big as I am, it's hard to compete with some of these guys. But just I heard my dad — my dad's by the finish line — he's, like, 'Oh, go for it,' and I just laid out, put it all on the line, because that could have been it for me right there."
To be clear, Kyle Rodstrom didn't mean for his son to dive across the line. A state runner-up at Riverside and an all-American at Mount Union, Kyle Rodstrom simply meant for his son to push hard across the line.
Aiden Rodstrom decided on his own to fly across the line, like Boston Bruins great Bobby Orr once did.
The result was worth it.
"It means so much to me," Rodstrom said. "Last year was really difficult, and being able to come out here and prove other people wrong, prove myself wrong and just to get here, it's just an incredible feeling."
Brooklynn McIntyre earns first state discus berth
It's been a groundbreaking few days for Rovers senior thrower Brooklynn McIntyre.
On Wednesday, McIntyre, who earned the fourth and final automatic bid to state in the shot put a year ago, left all suspense behind by capturing the regional title in that same event. She did so with an impressive mark of 42 feet, 11 inches.
"I feel very comfortable, and coming in that day I knew I'd be good, consistent," McIntyre said. "I was happy I was consistent."
On Friday, McIntyre tackled what has historically been a harder event for her — the discus. And she tackled it with aplomb.
Her second throw Friday sailed 122-8, easily qualifying her for finals. Entering her final three throws in second place, McIntyre unleashed a solid penultimate throw of 125-7 to finish third.
A year ago, McIntyre was nervous going into Norwayne and nervous going into Columbus.
Now, McIntyre has that first state experience under her belt. She also has a regional championship under her belt.
She is a far more confident thrower entering the 2024 state meet with dreams of hitting the podium at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.
"My goal last year was just to make it to state," McIntyre said. "This year, I want to place."
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Rootstown seniors Brooklynn McIntyre, Aiden Rodstrom earn state berths
