Area high school track and field teams opened competition Tuesday at the Central Buckeye Conference Championships, with early points scored in relays, distance races, and field events while numerous local athletes secured spots in Friday’s finals.
So far, boys’ teams have completed 5 of 17 events: 4×800 relay, 3200-meter run, discus, long jump, and pole vault.
For the girls, 4 of 17 events have been scored: 4×800 relay, 1600-meter run, shot put, and high jump.
That leaves 12 boys’ events and 13 girls’ events still to be decided on Friday, May 15, giving several area teams strong opportunities to climb in the standings.
GIRLS
Benjamin Logan Girls – 1st Place, Mad River (31 points)
Benjamin Logan leads the Mad River Division standings after four completed events at the CBC Conference prelims Tuesday night at Jonathan Alder High School.
The Lady Raiders used a balanced effort in relays, field events, distance races, and sprint qualifying to put themselves in position for a run at the division title heading into Friday’s finals.
Benjamin Logan earned a runner-up finish in the 4×800 relay as the team of Elliott Butler, Lucy Wenger, Peyton Smith, and Lottie Bodin crossed in 10:51.70.
In the field events, Autumn Cline placed second in shot put with a throw of 32-4.5, while Kaylee Hays added a seventh-place finish. The Raiders also scored key points in high jump, where Madi Oakes finished second after clearing 4-8, and Joplin Schneider tied for fourth at 4-6.
Benjamin Logan added distance points in the 1600 run, with Lucy Wenger finishing fifth in 6:08.59 and Peyton Smith taking sixth in 6:18.16.
On the track, the Raiders advanced several athletes into Friday’s finals. Abby Vance posted the top qualifying time in the 100 dash at 12.93 and also qualified second in the 200 dash with a time of 26.50. Scarlett Elliott also advanced in the 200 with a time of 29.17.
Aleah France qualified third in the 400 dash in 1:05.13, while Lauren Kennedy also moved on to finals with a sixth-place qualifying time of 1:07.73.
In the hurdles, Storm LeVan advanced in both events after running 19.47 in the 100 hurdles and 52.25 in the 300 hurdles. Sarah Miller also qualified in both hurdle events with times of 19.71 and 54.34.
Indian Lake Girls – 2nd Place, Mad River (28 points)
Indian Lake sits in a strong position after day one, currently 2nd in the Mad River girls standings with 28 points.
Highlighting the night was senior Addison Beck, who captured the high jump conference championship with a personal-record clearance of 5-3. Beck also qualified for Friday finals in both sprint events, advancing to the 100-meter dash after posting a 13.06 and also moving on in the 200-meter dash.
Freshman Laura Metzger delivered a strong distance performance, placing third in the 1600-meter run while breaking six minutes with a personal record of 5:59.26.
In the throws, Terra Beltz added another podium finish by placing third in shot put with a throw of 31-4.5.
The Lakers also picked up key relay points from the 4×800 relay team of Laura Metzger, Haley Metzger, Karsyn Newkirk, and Alicia Brielmaier, which placed third in 11:28.57.
Indian Lake qualified several athletes for Friday’s finals across multiple events.
Along with Beck, Piper Warnecke advanced in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.
Mary Archer qualified for the finals in the 400-meter dash after running 1:08.00, while Hailey Prater advanced in the 300-meter hurdles with a qualifying time of 1:02.60.
Bellefontaine Girls – 2nd Place, Kenton Trail (27 points)
Bellefontaine sits second in the Kenton Trail girls standings after four scored events and is positioned well heading into finals.
Senior standout Kelsie Snapp delivered one of the top performances of the day, winning the shot put title with a throw of 40-5.25.
The Chieftains also earned major relay points with a second-place finish in the 4×800 relay, finishing in 10:30.41.
Ava Layman chipped in points in high jump with a sixth-place finish after clearing 4-6.
Bellefontaine qualified several athletes across sprint and hurdle events. Jillian Ullum and freshman Layla Davis both advanced in the 100-meter dash after running 13.56 and 13.61.
The duo also qualified for the 400 final, with Davis posting the second-fastest prelim time at 1:02.21 and Ullum advancing in 1:02.66.
In hurdles, Callie Shumaker looks poised for a big Friday after earning top qualifying times in both races, running 15.65 in the 100 hurdles and 46.55 in the 300 hurdles.
Sloan Stolly also qualified in both hurdle finals.
Urbana Girls – 4th Place, Kenton Trail (9 points)
Urbana is fourth in the Kenton Trail girls standings after four completed events.
The Hillclimbers scored early with a third-place finish in the 4×800 relay in 10:42.46.
Urbana also has strong finals potential in the 400, where Avari Jenkins posted the fastest prelim time at 1:02.01, narrowly ahead of Bellefontaine’s Layla Davis.
Bella Moxley also advanced after running 1:02.75.
Additional qualifiers include Addison Bass in the 100-meter dash and Brylee Spriggs in both hurdle finals.
With most running finals still ahead, Friday’s championship session should dramatically reshape the standings, as several local teams remain in contention for league titles and top-three finishes.
Graham Girls – 5th Place, Mad River (12 points)
Graham’s girls are fifth after four events, led by a conference champion.
Freshman Harriet Uhl captured the 1600-meter title in 5:45.53, earning the Falcons their biggest point total of the day.
Graham also scored in the 4×800 relay, placing fifth in 12:18.19.
On the track, freshman Avonle Niece advanced in both hurdle finals, including the top qualifying time in the 300 hurdles at 49.81 and second-fastest in the 100 hurdles at 17.23.
Maleah Erter also qualified second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:04.50.
BOYS
Benjamin Logan Boys – 2nd Place, Mad River (37 points)
Benjamin Logan turned in an impressive opening day and sits 2nd in the Mad River division with 37 points.
The Raiders were led by a huge performance from the 4×800 relay team of Gavin Jordan, Brock Henry, Luke Vesely, and Tyler Shoopman, which captured the conference title in 8:33.23 while setting a new Mad River Division record.
Senior standout Carter Daniels delivered another historic performance in the pole vault, winning the event with a clearance of 15-6, setting both a new Benjamin Logan school record and a new overall CBC record.
Benjamin Logan also scored key points in multiple field and distance events. Roman Maxwell placed third in the long jump with a leap of 20-3.5, while Kyle Kibler finished third in pole vault after clearing a personal-best 11-0.
Distance runner Greyson Butler added points with a fourth-place finish in the 1600-meter run, breaking five minutes with a personal record of 4:59.50.
Senior Gus Bibart also scored in discus, placing sixth with a throw of 131-0.
Benjamin Logan qualified multiple athletes for Friday’s finals in sprint and hurdle events.
In the hurdles, Cooper Buck advanced in both races, posting a personal record 17.38 in the 110 hurdles and another PR of 42.61 in the 300 hurdles.
In sprints, Wyatt Predmore and Carter Buck both qualified in the 100-meter dash after times of 11.92 and 12.00.
Both also advanced in the 200-meter dash, with Predmore clocking 24.03 and Buck running 24.18.
In the 400, Davis Matthews qualified in 53.10, a personal best, while Tyler Shoopman also advanced in 53.65.
Urbana Boys – 3rd Place, Kenton Trail (25 points)
Urbana sits third in the Kenton Trail boys standings after five scored events.
The Hillclimbers were led by a second-place finish in the 4×800 relay, crossing in 8:18.61.
In discus, Urbana scored twice with Crew Forson finishing second at 139-1 and Lucas Flora placing sixth at 112-9.
Urbana advanced a pair of 400 runners to finals, with Pryce Bass qualifying in 54.44 and Brian Chamberlain advancing in 54.79.
Indian Lake Boys – 4th Place, Mad River (22 points)
Indian Lake sits fourth in the Mad River standings after five boys events.
The Lakers picked up early points with a third-place finish in the 4×800 relay in 8:42.99.
In field events, Carter Barnett placed second in long jump with a mark of 20-9, while Will Faler tied for third in pole vault after clearing 11-0.
Christopher Timms added a fifth-place finish in discus at 133-1.
Indian Lake qualified several athletes for Friday finals. Silas Holbrook advanced in both the 100-meter dash (11.92) and 400-meter dash (52.70).
Teammate Aidan Stinebaugh posted the fastest Mad River 400 prelim time at 52.16.
In hurdles, Gavin Henry was dominant, posting top qualifying marks in both hurdle races at 15.33 (110 hurdles) and 41.74 (300 hurdles).
Noah Shirk also qualified in both hurdle finals, including second in the 300 hurdles (42.48).
Bellefontaine Boys – 4th Place, Kenton Trail (19 points)
Bellefontaine is fourth in the Kenton Trail standings and remains within striking distance entering finals.
The Chieftains opened scoring with a third-place finish in the 4×800 relay, running 8:21.94.
In field events, Oliver Grandstaff added points with a fourth-place discus finish at 118-9, while Curtis Butler III scored sixth in long jump at 18-0.
Bellefontaine loaded up several finals events. Freshman Kyrus Cobb had a strong day, qualifying seventh in the 100-meter dash (11.78) while also advancing to the 400 final after running 51.83, the second-fastest prelim time.
Teammate Kaiden Foulk posted the fastest Bellefontaine 400 prelim mark at 51.69, qualifying second overall.
Bellefontaine’s biggest strength Friday may come in hurdles. Caleb Sechrest was the top qualifier in both hurdle races, clocking 16.01 in the 110 hurdles and 41.72 in the 300 hurdles.
Terrence Hayes also advanced in both hurdle finals after times of 18.14 and 43.29, giving Bellefontaine multiple scoring threats.
Graham Boys – 6th Place, Mad River (2 points)
Graham has minimal team points so far but remains alive thanks to several finals qualifiers.
The Falcons got field-event scoring from Logan Pitsinger, who placed eighth in discus at 126-4, and Fynn Putnam, who was fifth in long jump at 18-4.25.
On the track, Kale Gilbert qualified for the 100 final after running 11.71.
In hurdles, Graham advanced multiple athletes, led by Sullivan Uhl, who qualified second in the 110 hurdles (17.03) and fourth in the 300 hurdles (43.28).
Putnam also advanced in both hurdle events.
