The Ohio Heritage Conference North meet at Northeastern turned into a full-on showcase of rising stars Tuesday night, as underclassmen across the board stepped into the spotlight and delivered. From explosive sprint finishes to gritty distance races and clutch relay performances, the night had a little bit of everything — and plenty of personal bests to go with it.
BOYS
West Liberty-Salem – 2nd place (52 points)
The Tigers got rolling early in the sprints as freshman Kamden Yang snagged third in the 100 (12.22), while Zade Bieleski added a ninth-place finish with a personal-best 12.72. But the real spark came in the 4×100 relay, where Bieleski teamed up with Kash Levan, Casey Boyer, and James Brehm to blaze to a meet-winning 47.37. Clean handoffs, great speed — that one clicked.
In the quarter-mile, Robert Park put together one of the top performances of the night, winning the 400 in a personal-best 56.27. Teammate Zeke Sidders followed with a fourth-place PB of his own (58.93), giving West Liberty-Salem a strong 1-2 punch.
Distance? Covered. Garrett Wallen led the charge with a win in the 1600 (4:56.58 PB), while Eric Hoover and Gauge Lee went back-to-back in fifth and sixth — both personal bests at 5:12.00 and 5:12.47. Efficient, steady, and stacked.
James Brehm added a runner-up finish in the 110 hurdles (18.18), and Everett Brooks chipped in with a fifth-place run in the 300 hurdles (52.49). In the field, Casey Boyer cleared 6-00 to take second in the high jump, while the pole vault crew went all-in — Lance Saylor and Landon McKenzie tied for first at 9-00.
Sullivan Foster powered his way to third in the shot put (40-10.50 PB) and added a seventh-place discus finish, while Maverick Reames and Rylan Trimble both turned in personal-best throws in discus as well. Yang also doubled back for a sixth-place, 18-06 PB in the long jump.
Mechanicsburg – 4th place (40 points)
Mechanicsburg finished fourth with 40 points, led by a big night from freshman Lyric Norris, who won the 100 in 12.05 and helped push the Indians’ sprint group forward. Connor Shultz and Oliver Smith added PBs in the event, going seventh and eighth.
Adrian Miller took second in the 400 (57.35), while Thomas Good added a sixth-place PB. Beckett Negley delivered one of the top performances of the meet, breaking the tape in the 800 at 1:59.77 — a personal best and one of the few sub-2 efforts on the night.
The 4×100 team (Miller, Shultz, Norris, Good) grabbed third (48.57), and the 4×200 squad followed with a fourth-place finish. In the field, Austin Haynes cleared 6-00 to win the high jump, while Shultz matched that winning theme with a first-place finish in the pole vault (9-00 PB). Tevin Mitchell added a strong third-place leap in the long jump (19-03).
Triad – 5th place (34 points)
Triad rounded things out in fifth with 34 points, leaning on depth and distance strength to stay in the mix.
Makye Gaston led the way in the 100 with a fourth-place PB (12.37), while Daniel Ishida-Garwood pulled double duty — fifth in the 400 (59.20 PB) and fourth in the 800 (2:16.38 PB). Colton Mullin followed close behind in the 800 with another personal best.
The Cardinals were especially strong in the 1600, where Cohen Millice and Henry Beaverson finished second and third, both hitting personal bests just over the five-minute mark. Max Zaitsev added a third-place PB in the 300 hurdles (49.00) and helped power the 4×100 relay team to a runner-up finish (47.41).
Triad’s 4×800 squad also took second (9:38.01), showing off that distance depth once again. In the field, Christopher Vallette placed fifth in discus (107-03) and sixth in shot put, while Noah Campbell added a PB in the shot. Millice and Mullin chipped in solid efforts in the high jump as well.
GIRLS
Triad – 3rd place (50 points)
Triad led the local charge with a third-place finish (50 points), powered by a breakout night from freshman Avery Eaton — and she was everywhere.
Eaton sprinted to third in the 100 (13.75 PB), came back for second in the 200 (28.36), and then stole the show in the hurdles, winning the 100m hurdles in 17.23 — a personal best. That’s a three-event impact performance, and it carried weight.
She had help, too. Kimber Instine ran to a season-best runner-up finish in the hurdles (18.50), and the duo linked up with Melissa Graham and Brooklynn Melidor to take second in the 4×100 (54.43). Melidor added a seventh-place PB in the 100 and later doubled back for third in the long jump (14-08.75 PB), just behind teammate Graham, who took second with a 14-11 personal best.
In the distance events, Aubrey Johnson quietly stacked points — fourth in the 800 (2:48.73 PB) and second in the 1600 (6:06.22), showing serious range. Elliana Zimmerman chipped in with a fourth-place finish in the pole vault (7-00), rounding out a well-balanced Triad effort.
West Liberty-Salem – 4th place (45 points)
West Liberty-Salem wasn’t far behind in fourth (45 points), and they leaned heavily on a star freshman of their own — Lea Brickerson.
Brickerson flat-out dominated the sprints, winning both the 100 (13.36 PB) and 200 (28.31). No drama, just speed. She also anchored the 4×100 relay team (with Sophia Landon, Alaina Caldwell, and Lexi Hausler) to a third-place finish (56.51).
The Tigers found points in distance as well. Elia Matthews grabbed third in the 1600 with a personal-best 6:09.91, while Lyndee Harrison followed in sixth with another PB. The 4×800 relay squad (Mia Dooley, Charlee Albers, Alauna Kinchen, Matthews) delivered a strong second-place finish (12:08.38), keeping the momentum rolling.
In the field, Rachel Stanford cleared 8-00 for a runner-up finish in the pole vault (PB), while McKayla Reames (third, 28-09.25 PB) and McKenzie Reames (seventh, PB) added valuable throws in shot put. McKenzie also picked up a personal best in discus, where Harrison led the team with a sixth-place finish.
Mechanicsburg – 5th place (39 points)
Mechanicsburg rounded things out in fifth (39 points), but don’t let the placement fool you — there were some big-time performances.
Freshman Evelyn Shultz was a headline-maker, winning the 1600 in 5:52.26 and later helping power the 4×800 relay team (Shultz, Elizabeth Shuryan, Ayla Picklesimon, Jillian Miller) to a dominant win in 11:22.17. That group controlled the race from start to finish.
Picklesimon added a third-place PB in the 800 (2:47.37), while Shuryan scored in multiple spots — fourth in the 400 (1:13.02 PB) and fifth in the long jump.
In the hurdles, Grace Shultz turned in a strong day with a runner-up finish in the 300 hurdles (55.58 SB) and fourth in the 100 hurdles, while Eleanor Rutan grabbed third in the 100 hurdles and Ava Sexton added a fourth-place PB in the 300s. Ally Dingey also recorded a personal best in the 400.
