The Ohio Heritage Conference Track and Field Championships brought together some of the area’s top athletes Thursday, May 14, as teams from across the OHC North Division competed for conference titles and postseason momentum.
West Liberty-Salem highlighted the meet with another dominant showing on the boys’ side, capturing an OHC North championship behind record-breaking performances from Sam Kidd and a sweep of the relay events. The Tigers also turned in a strong runner-up finish in the girls standings with standout performances from Chloe Griffith and several championship relay teams.
Mechanicsburg relied on its distance strength throughout the meet, with Beckett Negley leading the boys team and both Isabelle and Clair Rodgers powering the girls squad to a third-place finish. Triad also produced several standout performances, including conference titles from Avery Eaton in the girls hurdles and strong all-around efforts from De’Von Minor on the boys side.
With conference championships decided, athletes now shift their focus toward next week’s Division IV district tournaments.
OHC NORTH – BOYS
West Liberty-Salem – OHC North Champions (178 points)
The Tigers separated themselves from the field early and never looked back, finishing with 178 points ahead of Fairbanks (108) and West Jefferson (98) in a deep and competitive conference meet.
West Liberty-Salem was powered by a historic night from Sam Kidd, who delivered two record-breaking sprint performances while leading the Tigers to multiple relay titles.
Kidd won the 100 meters in 10.99, setting a new school record and tying the OHC record, before winning the 200 meters in 22.19, breaking both the school and OHC records.
The Tigers also set a conference record in the 4×800 relay, as Zeke Longshore, Caleb Larson, Brayan Gullett, and Asher Cole combined to win in 8:01.19. West Liberty-Salem added relay championships in the 4×100 (44.15), 4×200 (1:34.05), and 4×400 (3:27.91), showcasing its depth across all sprint groups.
In individual events, Jake Lauck won the 400 meters in 52.76, while Taryn Bradley captured the 300 hurdles in 40.11.
West Liberty-Salem also piled up runner-up finishes from Asher Cole in the 1600 (4:23.51), Zeke Longshore in the 800 (2:04.21), Caleb Larson in the 3200 (9:32.73), Casey Boyer in high jump (6-0), and Lucas Merriman in pole vault (12-6).
Additional scoring came from Carson Poppe, who placed third in shot put (40-10.25), along with Brayan Gullett (third, 1600), Brevin Louden (third, 400), Dylan King (third, 800), Jackson Henry (third, 200), Sullivan Foster (third, discus), Garrett Wallen (fourth, 3200), James Brehm (fifth, 300 hurdles), and Jackson Henry (fifth, 100).
Mechanicsburg Indians – 4th Place (81.5 points)
Mechanicsburg turned in a strong performance to finish fourth overall and was led by senior distance standout Beckett Negley, who swept the distance races in dominant fashion.
Negley opened the evening by winning the 1600 meters in 4:18.04, one of the top times in the state this season. He later returned to claim the 3200-meter championship in 9:24.81, giving the Indians two individual conference titles.
Mechanicsburg also received a huge all-around effort from Austin Haynes. Haynes finished second in the 110 hurdles in a personal-best 15.72 and later took third in the 300 hurdles with another personal-best performance of 41.06. He also tied for third in the high jump after clearing 6-0.
Junior Mark Clyburn added another conference championship for Mechanicsburg by winning the long jump with a leap of 19-7.25.
Connor Shultz added valuable team points with a third-place finish in the 400 meters in 54.52 and later helped the Indians place fourth in the 4×400 relay. Oliver Smith finished third in pole vault after clearing 12-0, while Josh Titus tied for fourth in high jump at 6-0.
Tevin Mitchell contributed in multiple events for Mechanicsburg. Mitchell placed fourth in long jump with a mark of 18-9, fifth in the 200 meters, seventh in the 400 meters, and also ran on the Indians’ fifth-place 4×100 relay team.
Mechanicsburg also got scoring performances from Adrian Miller, who placed sixth in the 800 meters with a personal-best 2:12.88, along with relay teams in the 4×100, 4×200, and 4×400 events.
Triad Cardinals – 5th Place (39 points)
Triad finished fifth overall and was led by standout junior De’Von Minor along with several strong relay and distance performances.
Minor had an outstanding night for the Cardinals, placing second in the long jump with a leap of 19-3 and finishing third in the 110 hurdles with a personal-best time of 15.79. He also helped Triad’s 4×200 relay team place third overall.
The Cardinals’ 4×800 relay team of Henry Beaverson, Cohen Millice, Colton Mullin, and Daniel Ishida-Garwood turned in one of Triad’s top performances of the night, earning runner-up honors in 8:57.46.
Triad also placed third in the 4×200 relay as Max Zaitsev, Makye Gaston, Zayden Williams, and De’Von Minor combined to run 1:39.44.
Freshman Daniel Ishida-Garwood added an impressive fourth-place finish in the 800 meters with a personal-best time of 2:09.46, while Henry Beaverson also scored in the event by placing fifth in 2:11.40. Beaverson later added another scoring performance in the 1600 meters.
Cohen Millice contributed points in multiple events for the Cardinals, placing sixth in high jump with a personal-best clearance of 5-8 and seventh in the 1600 meters.
In the field events, Noah Campbell placed seventh in shot put with a personal-best throw of 38-0, while Christopher Vallette added points in shot put with a 10th-place finish. Max Zaitsev also scored in the 300 hurdles, finishing eighth in a personal-best 48.25.
Makye Gaston contributed points in both the 100 meters and relay competition, while Zayden Williams and Noah Campbell also helped Triad score in relay events throughout the evening.
OHC NORTH – GIRLS
West Liberty-Salem Tigers – 2nd Place (128 points)
West Liberty-Salem was powered by a dominant sprint and relay performance led by senior standout Chloe Griffith.
Griffith swept the sprint titles, winning the 100 meters in 12.65 and the 200 meters in 26.36. She also played a major role in two winning relay teams as the Tigers controlled the sprint relays throughout the evening.
West Liberty-Salem captured the 4×100 relay championship in 50.37 behind the team of Tori Douthwaite, Lea Brickerson, Gwen McCullough, and Griffith. The Tigers followed with another relay title in the 4×200 relay as Douthwaite, Ella Albers, McCullough, and Griffith combined for a winning time of 1:48.02.
The Tigers later added another relay victory in the 4×400 relay. Lea Brickerson, Gwen McCullough, Ella Albers, and Arianna Weaver crossed the line first in 4:20.92. West Liberty-Salem also earned runner-up honors in the 4×800 relay as Malia Miller, Isla Leichty, Gwen McCullough, and Arianna Weaver combined to run 10:03.35.
In individual events, Tori Douthwaite captured the pole vault championship after clearing 10-0 and also placed third in the 100 meters. Freshman Lea Brickerson had a strong night, finishing fourth in the 200 meters with a personal-best 27.24 and fifth in the 400 meters in 1:05.12 while also contributing on two relay championship teams.
West Liberty-Salem scored heavily in the distance events as Malia Miller placed third in the 1600 meters with a personal-best 5:23.85 and later finished third in the 3200 meters in 12:07.51. Arianna Weaver added a fourth-place finish in the 800 meters in 2:25.14 and later tied for fourth in high jump after clearing 4-8. Isla Leichty also placed sixth in the 3200 meters with a personal-best 12:24.68.
The Tigers added valuable points in the field events. Ava Poppe won the shot put title with a throw of 38-3 and later placed seventh in high jump with a personal-best clearance of 4-2. Lyndee Harrison finished fourth in shot put and fourth in discus, while Addison Hutton placed fifth in discus. Elise Longshore also contributed points with a fourth-place finish in pole vault.
Mechanicsburg Indians – 3rd Place (95 points)
Mechanicsburg relied on its distance runners and middle-distance depth to secure a third-place team finish.
The Rodgers sisters led the way for the Indians with standout performances throughout the meet. Clair Rodgers captured conference championships in both the 400 meters and 1600 meters. Rodgers won the 400 in 1:00.53 and later claimed the 1600 title in a personal-best 5:17.44. She also added a runner-up finish in the 800 meters in 2:23.22 and anchored the winning 4×800 relay team.
Isabelle Rodgers added another conference championship for Mechanicsburg by winning the 800 meters in 2:22.57. She later placed second in the 1600 meters with a personal-best 5:18.38 and finished second in the 3200 meters in 12:05.68.
Mechanicsburg’s 4×800 relay team of Isabelle Rodgers, Evelyn Shultz, Ayla Picklesimon, and Clair Rodgers earned a conference championship with a winning time of 9:56.70.
Evelyn Shultz added major points by finishing third in the 400 meters in a personal-best 1:04.41 and fourth in the 3200 meters in a season-best 12:09.90.
The Indians also received scoring performances in the hurdles and field events. Grace Shultz placed third in the 300 hurdles and helped Mechanicsburg finish fourth in the 4×100 relay. Eleanor Rutan added a fourth-place finish in the 100 hurdles with a personal-best 18.49.
In the throwing events, Lilly Mason placed seventh in shot put and sixth in discus with a personal-best throw of 66-10. Ava Sexton added an eighth-place finish in discus.
Triad Cardinals – 5th Place (39 points)
Triad was led by freshman standout Avery Eaton, who captured a conference championship in the 100 hurdles with a personal-best time of 16.53. Eaton later added a runner-up finish in the 200 meters with another personal-best effort of 26.90.
The Cardinals also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 hurdles from Kimber Instine, who crossed in 17.45 before later adding a seventh-place finish in the 200 meters. Instine also tied for fifth in high jump after clearing 4-8.
Brooklynn Melidor turned in one of Triad’s top field-event performances by placing second in long jump with a leap of 14-1.5. She also scored in the 100 meters with an eighth-place finish.
Melissa Graham added points for the Cardinals by placing sixth in long jump, while Elliana Zimmerman finished fifth in pole vault after clearing 7-6.
In the distance races, Aubrey Johnson placed seventh in the 1600 meters and ninth in the 800 meters, while Avry Hamilton finished 10th in the 800.
West Liberty-Salem, Mechanicsburg, and Triad now prepare for next week’s district championships.
Full results from the OHC Championships can be found HERE.
