Two relays, one pole vaulter advance out of Division III track regionals
HEATH — Two boys relay teams and a pole vaulter have already earned bids to next week's state track and field championships at Ohio State.
Competing at the Division III regional meet in Heath, Mount Gilead's 4x800-meter squad of Aaron Gannon, Owen Hershner, Parker Bartlett and Will Baker won the finals held on Wednesday with an 8:17.24.
In the same race, the Elgin all-senior group of Ethan Marshall, Isaac Dillon, Sage Brewer and Kolby Wasserbeck clocked an 8:21.71 to claim the fourth and final advancing spot.
The Elgin foursome recently broke the school record of 8:28.6 set in 1990. At North Union, they missed the mark by 0.28 seconds, but at Mount Gilead, they won in 8:21.88 setting the record by seven seconds. At last weekend's district meet, they further shattered it with an 8:14.32.
Also advancing to state was Northmor's Connor Radojcsics who was fourth with a finish of 13 feet in the boys pole vault.
The only other finals held Wednesday with local competitors were the boys long jump, girls shot put and the girls 4x800 relay. The top four earned state berths, while the top eight scored team points.
In the long jump, Northmor's Cowin Becker was sixth at 21-0, while Pleasant's Hudson Warner was 14th in 19-7.5 and Matthew Bland did not make a successful jump. Northmor's boys 4x800 team of Ryan Lehman, Lucas Weaver, David Blunk and Griffin Healea was fifth in 8:26.82. Pleasant's girls 4x800 relay of Whitney Waddell, Kalyn Kimball, Olivia Pratt and Casey Kimball was 10th in 10:25.16. Pleasant's Lily Wright was ninth in the girls shot put at 33-5.5.
Advancing to Friday's track finals in Heath by finishing in the top eight in boys sprint and hurdles events were Warner (seventh, 16.25) in the 110 hurdles, Ridgedale's Gage Gleespen (eighth, 16.28) in the 110 hurdles, Mount Gilead's 4x200 relay of Abram Shonk, Quade Harris, Jonathan Miller and Bland (first, 1:32.48) and Northmor's 4x400 relay of Becker, Weaver, Radojcsics and Bo Landin (second, 3:30.75).
The Mount Gilead 4x200 team of Grace Shipman, Claudia Hernado Montes, Faith White and Danielle Pohlkotte were the lone girls to make it to Friday's finals by finishing seventh in 1:52.22.
Failing to make it to Friday's finals for the area's boys were Dillon in the 400 (ninth, 52.56), Miller in the 400 (14th, 55.94), Gleespen in the 300 hurdles (ninth, 43.09), Harris in the 200 (19th, 23.14), Landin in the 200 (14th, 23.53), Northmor's 4x200 relay of Landin, Ethen Amens, Radojcsics and Becker (11th, 1:35.14) and Elgin's 4x400 squad of Marshall, Dillon, Brewer and Wasserbeck (15th, 3:43.31).
On the girls side, Mount Gilead's Rebeka Clark was ninth in the 100 hurdles in 17.19, Pleasant's Taydon Obenour 14th in the 100 hurdles in 17.66 and 15th in the 300 hurdles in 52.62, Mount Gilead's Madilyn Elson 10th in the 100 in 13.07 and 11th in the 400 in 1:03.03, Waddell ninth in the 400 in 1:02.78, Cardington's Sage Whetnall 14th in the 300 hurdles in 52.6 and Mount Gilead's 4x100 relay of Shipman, Natalie Waugh, White and Pohlkotte ninth in 53.44.
At the Division I regional at Pickerington North, Marion Harding's Trinity Keith qualified for Friday's finals in the boys 100 by finishing fourth in 10.69. The Harding girls 4x100 team of Gabby Neault, Bre Card, Autumn Fitzgerald and Abrianna Smith was 13th in 49.96 and failed to advance.
Thursday's Division II regional at Lexington was not finished before press time.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Two relays, one pole vaulter advance out of D-III track regionals
