Area athletes opened competition Thursday at the OHSAA Jesse Owens Track and Field State Championships with a pair of state runner-up finishes, four additional All-Ohio performances, and several West Liberty-Salem athletes earning spots in Friday’s championship finals. West Liberty-Salem’s boys 4×800 relay and Mechanicsburg distance standout Beckett Negley both finished second in the state to headline the area’s opening-day results in Columbus.
OHSAA Division IV State Championships
West Liberty-Salem Tigers
Boys
West Liberty-Salem’s biggest highlight of Day 1 came from the boys 4×800-meter relay team, which captured Division IV state runner-up honors.
The quartet of Zeke Longshore, Brayan Gullett, Caleb Larson, and Asher Cole delivered a school record time of 7:54.26 to finish second in the state and earn All-Ohio honors.
Larson later returned to compete in the 3200-meter run, placing 13th overall in 9:53.54.
The Tigers also enjoyed a strong showing in the sprint and hurdle preliminaries, advancing four events to Friday’s finals.
Sam Kidd qualified for the 200-meter final after placing eighth overall in 22.38. Kidd was unable to compete in the 100-meter dash after being listed as a DNS.
Taryn Bradley secured a spot in the 110-meter hurdle final with a fourth-place preliminary finish of 15.47. Bradley was unable to compete in the 300-meter hurdles after being listed as a DNS.
West Liberty-Salem’s 4×100 relay team of Jackson Henry, Sam Kidd, Tanner Myers, and Taryn Bradley advanced to the finals after finishing eighth in the preliminary round.
The Tigers also moved on in the 4×200 relay, where Sam Kidd, Brevin Louden, Jake Lauck, and Taryn Bradley combined for a season-best 1:30.04 to place seventh and qualify for Friday’s championship race.
West Liberty-Salem added another finals qualifier in the 4×400 relay. Sam Kidd, Brevin Louden, Jake Lauck, and Taryn Bradley ran 3:25.35 to place fourth overall and advance to Friday’s final.
Girls
West Liberty-Salem’s girls squad advanced multiple entries to Friday’s finals and added a podium finish in the field events.
Chloe Griffith earned a spot in the Division IV 100-meter dash final after running 12.67 in the preliminaries to place eighth overall.
The Tigers’ 4×100 relay team of Tori Douthwaite, Lea Brickerson, Gwen McCullough, and Chloe Griffith delivered one of the fastest performances of the day, finishing second overall in a season-best 49.29 to qualify for Friday’s final.
West Liberty-Salem’s 4×200 relay team narrowly missed advancing, finishing 15th overall in 1:46.57.
In the field events, Tori Douthwaite secured All-Ohio honors in the pole vault. Douthwaite cleared 11 feet even to place eighth and earn a podium finish.
OHSAA Division V State Championships
Mechanicsburg Indians
Boys
Mechanicsburg’s top performance of Day 1 came from senior distance standout Beckett Negley, who delivered one of the most exciting races of the state meet.
Negley led the Division V 3200-meter run by 0.17 seconds entering the final lap before being overtaken down the stretch. He crossed the finish line second in 9:29.21, earning state runner-up honors and All-Ohio recognition.
Austin Haynes competed in both hurdle preliminaries for Mechanicsburg. Haynes placed 16th in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.03 and finished 15th in the 300-meter hurdles in 41.39.
In the field events, Mark Clyburn finished 15th in the long jump with a leap of 19-6.75.
Oliver Smith concluded his season in the pole vault, placing 13th overall while clearing a personal-best 13 feet even.
Girls
Mechanicsburg reached the podium in the girls 4×800 relay.
The team of Isabelle Rodgers, Evelyn Shultz, Ayla Picklesimon, and Clair Rodgers battled through a talented Division V field to finish eighth overall in 9:52.79, earning All-Ohio honors and a podium finish for the Indians.
Calvary Christian Spartans
Boys
Calvary Christian’s boys 4×800 relay team represented the Spartans well on the state stage.
Aydan Knox, Benaiah Soma, Brett Gilldow, and John Gaertner combined to finish 11th overall in Division V with a time of 8:14.03.
Triad Cardinals
Girls
Triad’s Avery Eaton competed in the Division V 100-meter hurdle preliminaries.
Eaton finished 14th overall in 16.65 and missed advancing to the finals.
