Area track and field athletes turned in strong performances Friday, May 22, at the OHSAA District Championships, highlighted by a fifth straight district championship for the West Liberty-Salem boys and several regional qualifiers across multiple divisions. The top four finishers in each event advanced to regional competition.
OHSAA Division IV District – Troy
West Liberty-Salem Boys – District Champions (138 points)
Triad Boys – 11th Place (17 points)
Triad finished 11th overall and was led by De’Von Minor, who advanced to regionals in long jump with a third-place personal-best leap of 20-5.75. Minor also added a fifth-place finish in the 110 hurdles.
Daniel Ishida-Garwood led the Cardinals in the distance events with a 10th-place finish in the 800 meters, while Cohen Millice placed seventh in high jump and ninth in the 1600 meters. Henry Beaverson contributed in both the 800 and 1600 races and also helped Triad place seventh in the 4×800 relay alongside Colton Mullin, Cohen Millice, and Daniel Ishida-Garwood.
Christopher Vallette added a sixth-place finish in discus and later placed 13th in shot put for the Cardinals.
West Liberty-Salem Girls – 4th Place (77 points)
The West Liberty-Salem girls placed fourth overall behind strong distance performances, sprint finishes, and relay scoring.
Senior Malia Miller captured a district championship in the 3200 meters with a personal-best time of 11:51.48 and later placed fifth in the 1600. Arianna Weaver also advanced to regionals with a fourth-place finish in the 800 meters.
In the sprint events, Chloe Griffith finished runner-up in the 100 meters in 12.83 while Tori Douthwaite placed third. Lea Brickerson added a fourth-place finish in the 200 meters, with Griffith finishing sixth.
West Liberty-Salem qualified for regionals in multiple relays. The 4×100 relay team of Tori Douthwaite, Lea Brickerson, Ella Albers, and Chloe Griffith placed second in 51.92 after Gwen McCullough helped the relay qualify to finals on Wednesday with a new district meet record time of 49.77. The same quartet later finished third in the 4×200 relay in 1:49.02.
The Tigers also advanced in both distance relays. The 4×400 relay team of Lea Brickerson, Gwen McCullough, Malia Miller, and Arianna Weaver placed fourth in 4:21.25, while the 4×800 relay team of Malia Miller, Gwen McCullough, Isla Leichty, and Arianna Weaver earned a third-place finish in 10:03.29.
In the field events, Ava Poppe led the Tigers with a runner-up finish in shot put at 36-9.5, while Lyndee Harrison added a seventh-place finish in the event.
Isla Leichty added scoring finishes in both the 1600 and 3200 meters as West Liberty-Salem accumulated points throughout the meet to finish fourth overall.
OHSAA Division II District – Trotwood-Madison
Bellefontaine Boys – 4th Place (72.75 points)
Bellefontaine finished fourth overall in a competitive Division II district meet and qualified several athletes and relay teams for regionals.
Senior Hayden Maus led the Chiefs with runner-up finishes in both the 1600 meters in 4:31.23 and the 3200 meters in 9:45.07. Jack Wilson also advanced in the 1600 with a fifth-place personal-best effort of 4:39.88, while Oliver Grandstaff placed fifth in the 3200.
Terrence Hayes turned in strong hurdle performances, placing third in the 300 hurdles in 41.98 and sixth in the 110 hurdles. Hayes also added a seventh-place finish in high jump.
Bellefontaine qualified for regionals in multiple relay events. The 4×200 relay team of Kaiden Foulk, Dillon Jones, Kyrus Cobb, and Curtis Butler III placed runner-up in 1:32.99. The 4×800 relay team of Hayden Maus, Oliver Grandstaff, Jack Wilson, and Landon Gerwels also earned a runner-up finish in 8:30.89.
The 4×400 relay team of Kyrus Cobb, Kaiden Foulk, Dillon Jones, and Curtis Butler III added a fourth-place regional-qualifying finish in 3:39.51.
Kaiden Foulk also scored individually with a fourth-place finish in the 400 meters and fifth in the 200, while Dillon Jones placed sixth in the 200. Landon Gerwels added a sixth-place finish in the 800 meters.
Additional contributions came from Marek Frazier in shot put, Derek Greene in both throwing events, Andrew Myers in pole vault, and Curtis Butler III in long jump as the Chiefs secured a top-four team finish.
