OHSAA Regional Track and Field Championships

Area athletes delivered outstanding performances at the OHSAA Regional Championships on May 27 and 29, with West Liberty-Salem claiming the Division IV Regional title in Chillicothe and sending a large contingent to the state meet. Under the OHSAA format, the top five finishers in each event automatically qualify for state, while the next three competitors are eligible for at-large state berths based on their performances statewide.

D4 Regional – Chillicothe

West Liberty-Salem Tigers Boys – Regional Champions (66 points)

West Liberty-Salem captured the Division IV Region 13 championship with 66 points and qualified athletes in nearly every phase of the meet, advancing a program-record 11 events to the OHSAA State Championships with 12 athletes competing. The Tigers also made school history by qualifying all four relay teams to state for the second consecutive year.

Sam Kidd earned automatic state qualifications in both sprint events, placing fifth in the 100-meter dash in 11.05 and fourth in the 200-meter dash with a personal-record time of 22.09. Kidd was also a key contributor on the Tigers’ state-qualifying 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams.

In the distance races, Caleb Larson secured an automatic state berth in the 800 meters by placing fifth in 1:59.29. Larson also delivered one of the top performances of the meet in the 3200 meters, finishing sixth in a personal-best and school-record time of 9:23.55. His effort earned the first at-large state bid from the regional.

Sophomore Asher Cole earned an automatic state berth in the 1600 meters, placing fourth in 4:20.74. Cole also ran to a 10th-place finish in the 800 meters in 2:03.30 and anchored the regional champion 4×800 relay team. Teammate Brayan Gullett turned in a personal-best 4:22.73 to place sixth in the 1600 meters, securing the region’s first at-large state bid in the event.

Taryn Bradley qualified automatically in both hurdle events, finishing fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.21 and third in the 300-meter hurdles with a personal-best 39.73.

The Tigers dominated relay competition, claiming two regional championships and qualifying all four relay teams for state. The 4×800 relay team of Zeke Longshore, Brayan Gullett, Dylan King, and Asher Cole captured a regional title in 8:01.73. The 4×100 relay team of Jackson Henry, Sam Kidd, Tanner Myers, and Kamden Yang also won a regional championship, posting a personal-record time of 43.12.

West Liberty-Salem added automatic state qualifiers in the 4×200 relay as Jackson Henry, Brevin Louden, Jake Lauck, and Taryn Bradley placed fourth in a personal-record 1:30.62. The 4×400 relay team of Brevin Louden, Sam Kidd, Jake Lauck, and Taryn Bradley also qualified automatically with a fourth-place finish and personal-record time of 3:24.28.

In the field events, Casey Boyer finished eighth in the high jump, clearing 5-8 to place himself in contention for an at-large state berth. Carson Poppe added a 12th-place finish in shot put with a personal-best throw of 45-8.

West Liberty-Salem head coach Aaron Lauck praised his team’s performance following the regional title.

“We had a tremendous team effort against top-notch programs. Our guys were calm under pressure and represented the school well. We’re looking forward to next week’s state meet.”

West Liberty-Salem Tigers Girls – 4th Place (49 points)

West Liberty-Salem finished fourth in the girls team standings and produced several state qualifiers.

Chloe Griffith claimed a regional championship in the 100-meter dash, winning in 12.44 to automatically qualify for state. Teammate Tori Douthwaite added a sixth-place finish in the event in 12.90, placing herself in consideration for an at-large berth.

Lea Brickerson competed in the 200-meter dash and finished 11th in the preliminaries with a time of 27.21.

In the middle-distance events, Arianna Weaver finished sixth in the 800 meters with a personal-best 2:22.47, making her eligible for an at-large state qualification. Malia Miller also placed sixth in the 3200 meters in 11:55.49, earning at-large consideration.

The Tigers’ 4×100 relay team of Tori Douthwaite, Lea Brickerson, Ava Poppe, and Chloe Griffith automatically qualified for state with a runner-up finish in 49.50.

The 4×200 relay team of Douthwaite, Brickerson, Gwen McCullough, and Griffith also earned an automatic state berth after placing fourth in 1:45.20.

West Liberty-Salem’s 4×800 relay team of Malia Miller, Gwen McCullough, Isla Leichty, and Arianna Weaver secured an automatic state qualification with a fourth-place finish in 9:53.76.

In the field events, Ava Poppe automatically qualified for state by placing fifth in shot put with a mark of 39-4.75. Douthwaite also earned an automatic state berth with a runner-up finish in pole vault after clearing 10-8.

With regional competition complete, West Liberty-Salem will send a large contingent of athletes to the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships, highlighted by regional titles from both the boys and girls programs and a Division IV boys regional team championship.

Triad Cardinals Boys

Triad’s De’Von Minor represented the Cardinals in the long jump and finished seventh with a leap of 19-3.5. The performance places Minor among the athletes eligible for an at-large state berth.

D2 Regional – Troy

Bellefontaine Chieftains Boys

Bellefontaine competed in the Division II Region 7 Championships and was led by its distance runners and relay teams.

Kaiden Foulk finished 11th in the 400-meter preliminaries with a time of 51.49.

Hayden Maus placed 14th in the 1600 meters in 4:31.40 and later turned in a strong effort in the 3200 meters, finishing eighth in 9:37.59. His eighth-place finish leaves him eligible for an at-large state berth.

Terrence Hayes placed 13th in the 300-meter hurdle preliminaries with a time of 42.16.

The 4×200 relay team of Kaiden Foulk, Dillon Jones, Kyrus Cobb, and Curtis Butler III finished 12th in the preliminaries in 1:32.57.

Bellefontaine’s 4×400 relay team of Kyrus Cobb, Kaiden Foulk, Dillon Jones, and Curtis Butler III placed 11th in the preliminaries with a time of 3:29.80.

In the 4×800 relay, Jake Moreland, Oliver Grandstaff, Jack Wilson, and Landon Gerwels finished 11th overall in 8:30.99.

Several area athletes who finished sixth through eighth in their events now await the release of statewide at-large qualifiers as the final field for the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships is determined.