Area middle school track and field teams wrapped up their seasons Monday night at the Central Buckeye Conference Championships at North Union, with several local athletes earning conference titles, podium finishes, and strong team placements.
Benjamin Logan Boys – 2nd Place (93.4 points)
Benjamin Logan capped off an impressive season with a runner-up finish, narrowly edging Bellefontaine by just four-tenths of a point. The Raiders finished the year with a 79-6 overall record, three new school records, and numerous personal bests.
Leading the way was Charlie Buffkin, who won the pole vault with a clearance of 10-0. The 4×200 relay team of Santiago Solano, Carter Crumm, Nevada Coleman, and Stone Angles also captured a conference championship in 1:43.06, while Hayes Boysel won the 200-meter dash in 24.90.
Benjamin Logan added several runner-up finishes, including the 4×800 relay team of Quinn Kuba, Marshall Elliott, Cayde Buck, and Bentley Harrat, which also set a new school record in 9:45.66. Boysel was second in the 100, Kellen Woodruff took second in the 200 hurdles, and the Raiders’ 4×400 relay team also placed second.
Additional scoring came from Nevada Coleman (3rd, 400), Carter Crumm (5th, 400 and 200), Quinn Kuba (5th, 800 and 6th, long jump), and Bentley Hatmaker (6th, discus), among others.
Benjamin Logan Girls – 3rd Place (89.5 points)
The Lady Raiders finished third overall behind a dominant effort from standout seventh grader Pippa Zvansky, who won three conference championships.
Zvansky captured first in the 400-meter dash (1:01.61), 200 hurdles (30.38), and 200-meter dash (26.58) to account for a major portion of Benjamin Logan’s scoring.
Other top finishes included Isabella Wohlgamuth, who was runner-up in the 100 and fourth in the 200, while the 4×200 relay team of Jazmine McGue, Della Baker, Katie Shafer, and Adelia Leonard placed third.
The Raiders added key points from Kali Shirk (4th, pole vault), Juliana Chapman (5th, shot put), Della Baker (5th, 100), and multiple relay teams finishing inside the top five.
Bellefontaine Boys – 3rd Place (93 points)
Bellefontaine turned in one of its strongest performances of the season, finishing third out of 12 teams and missing second place by just 0.4 points.
Sennett Stolly led the Chieftains with a conference title in the 110 hurdles while also placing sixth in the 200 hurdles. Jackson Maus had a standout distance performance, finishing second in the 1600 and third in the 800.
In the throws, Bellefontaine picked up major points from Ean Fultz (3rd, discus; 5th, shot put) and Beau Gibson (3rd, shot put; 4th, discus).
Bellefontaine’s relay teams also played a major role. The 4×200 team of Jax Fleming, Nolan Parmer, Eivahn Echipare, and Caleb Hudson placed second, while the 4×100 and 4×800 teams each finished fourth.
Additional scorers included William Robb (4th, 200 hurdles), Bennett Lang (4th, pole vault), Broxtyn Emrick (5th, long jump), and Nolan Parmer (6th, 400).
Bellefontaine Girls – 6th Place (62.5 points)
The Bellefontaine girls placed sixth and were led by a conference championship from Kennedy Hairston, who won the shot put.
Gianna Davis scored in three sprint events, placing third in both the 100 and 200 while finishing fourth in the 400.
Kylie Lowe added points in three events as well, finishing fourth in the 1600, fifth in pole vault, and eighth in the 800.
Other top performers included Annie Gallaway (2nd, shot put; 6th, discus), Nya McGinnis (4th, discus), and relay teams scoring in the 4×200, 4×400, and 4×800.
Indian Lake Girls – 7th Place (34.5 points)
Indian Lake’s girls squad finished seventh, highlighted by a runner-up finish from the 4×800 relay team of Abby Bihn, Nikki Bihn, Reese Imm, and Caroline Jones.
Abby Bihn also placed third in the 800 and fifth in the 1600, while Carsyn Warnecke scored in both sprints, placing fourth in the 100 and sixth in the 200.
The 4×100 relay team of Warnecke, Reese Imm, Nikki Bihn, and Samantha Smith also finished fourth.
Additional scoring came from Samantha Altstaetter (7th, shot put), Mia Martin (8th, 100 hurdles), and Abby Arnett (8th, pole vault).
Indian Lake Boys – 10th Place (27 points)
Indian Lake’s boys were led by standout adaptive athlete Oliver Wilson, who won all three seated events — the 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and shot put — while qualifying for the OHSAA Middle School Championships.
Bentley Grube added a conference championship in the high jump with a personal-best leap of 5-2.
Other scoring performances included Hayden Kuhlke (4th, long jump), Zeke McVety (4th, pole vault), and the 4×400 relay team of Hayden Kuhlke, Chase Whitsett, Brier Wilson, and Bentley Grube, which finished fourth.
Monday’s CBC Championships capped off a strong season for area middle school programs, with multiple conference champions, school records, and postseason qualifiers highlighting the final meet of the year.
