Area middle school track and field teams turned in strong performances Thursday night at the annual Larry Young Invitational hosted by Bellefontaine City Schools, with several local squads earning top finishes against a deep field of competition.
Benjamin Logan highlighted the night by capturing the girls team title, while Bellefontaine’s girls finished runner-up and the Benjamin Logan boys placed fourth overall.
Benjamin Logan Girls – 1st Place (79 points)
The Benjamin Logan girls track team claimed first place overall in one of its biggest meets of the season, edging out Bellefontaine and Jonathan Alder to secure the team championship.
Pippa Zvansky led the Raiders with a pair of victories, winning the 400-meter dash in 1:00.57 and the 200-meter hurdles in 30.41.
The Raiders also got runner-up finishes from Isabella Wohlgamuth in the 100-meter dash (13.67) and Kali Shirk in the pole vault (6-6).
Additional podium finishes included Juliana Chapman taking third in the shot put (31-11.5) and Wohlgamuth placing third in the long jump (14-10.5).
Strong scoring depth helped seal the title, with fourth-place finishes from Wohlgamuth in the 200 (28.96), Della Baker in the 100 (14.16), and Alexa Fry in pole vault (6-0).
Benjamin Logan also earned points in multiple relays, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the 4×200 relay from Jazmine McGue, Katie Shafer, Adelia Leonard, and Kaleigha Alig.
The Raiders added sixth-place finishes from Makinnly Allen in the 800, Carolyn Wickline in the 110 hurdles, and both the 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams.
Bellefontaine Girls – 2nd Place (75 points)
Bellefontaine’s girls team finished second overall, placing ahead of 13 other teams with 75 points.
Gianna Davis paced the Chiefs with a standout night, scoring 23 of the team’s 75 points after winning the 100-meter dash, finishing second in the 200, and placing fourth in the 400.
Kylie Lowe added key points with fifth-place finishes in both the 800 and pole vault, while also placing fourth in the 1600.
Kennedy Harrison won the shot put for Bellefontaine, while teammate Annie Gallaway finished second in shot put and fifth in discus. Nya McGinnis added a runner-up finish in the discus.
Additional scoring came from Skylar Rutherford in both hurdle events, while the 4×200 relay team of Kiser Jones, Taraji Johnson, Alejandra Meregote, and Natalee Kuhns also contributed points.
Benjamin Logan Boys – 4th Place (67.16 points)
The Benjamin Logan boys earned a hard-fought fourth-place finish while using the meet as preparation for next week’s conference championship.
Charlie Buffkin led the Raiders with a first-place finish in pole vault, clearing 10 feet.
Benjamin Logan also claimed gold in the 4×200 relay as Santiago Solano, Carter Crumm, Nevada Coleman, and Stone Angles won in 1:42.05.
The 4×100 relay team of Brayden Sims, Anson Nichols, Solano, and Hayes Boysel placed third.
Boysel added fourth-place finishes in both the 100 (12.13) and 200 (25.60), while Kellen Woodruff placed fourth in the 110 hurdles and fifth in the 200 hurdles.
Additional scoring came from Nevada Coleman in long jump, multiple relay teams, and field event points from Bentley Hatmaker in discus and Zayden Wilson in high jump.
Bellefontaine Boys – 6th Place (49 points)
Bellefontaine Middle School finished sixth overall with 49 team points.
Jackson Maus led the Chiefs with a third-place finish in the 1600 and fifth in the 800.
Beau Gibson placed third in shot put, while Ean Fultz scored in both throwing events with a fourth-place finish in shot put and fifth in discus.
Nolan Parmer added a seventh-place finish in the 400.
Bellefontaine’s top relay result came in the 4×200, where Jax Fleming, Caleb Hudson, Eivahn Echipare, and Nolan Parmer finished second.
The 4×100, 4×800, and 4×400 relay teams also added points for the Chiefs.
Both Bellefontaine and Benjamin Logan will next compete Monday at North Union for the Central Buckeye Conference Championships.
