Deehring, Scott shine at Ada Invite

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

ADA – A pair of Division I bound runners from Van Wert High School showcased their skills at the Ada Track and Field Invitational on Saturday.

Sprinter Kendra Deehring, who has committed to the University of Toledo after graduation, won the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash with times of 12.73 and 26.59. That wasn’t all she did though. She was the anchor of the 4×100 relay team (Olivia Vaas, Vanessa Vaughn, Harper Roop, Deehring) that finished first (51.76). The same quartet finished third in the 4×200 (1:50.1).

“Kendra Deehring had an injury midway through the season and has worked hard to get through that,” Van Wert head coach Nate Hoverman said. “She is healthy, fresh, and running well right now. She is extremely talented and has been a mainstay for our girls sprint crew for all four years of her high school career.”

Teammate Noelle Byrum won the 3200 meter run in 12:41.75, more than 20 seconds ahead of the next runner.

Overall, Van Wert finished third (74 team points) behind Bluffton (146) and Spencerville (84) out of 14 teams.

On the boys side, Youngstown State bound Owen Scott, a standout distance runner, set another school record in the 1600 meter run. In a very competitive field, the future Penguin spanned the 1-mile distance in 4:12.21. He also claimed the 3200 meter run with a time of 9:14.91 and anchored the champion 4×800 meter relay team (Andrew Laudick, Even Keuneke, Noah Spath, and Scott, 8:10.04).

“Owen has had a phenomenal year,” Hoverman said. “The work that he and the rest of that distance crew put in is mind blowing and it is showing right now. His 4:12 1600 and 9:12 3200 are just incredible times and he definitely hasn’t ran his fastest times yet.”

Laudick finished third in the 1600 (4:39.64).

“Drew is a captain and his leadership is unmatched,” Hoverman said. “He is his biggest critic sometimes, but he is running extremely well right now and is a huge part of our success both on the 4×800 relay and his individual events. All three of these seniors (Scott, Laudick, Deehring) have big dreams for the rest of the season and have set themselves up with hard work to achieve those.”

The Cougars finished as the boys’ runner-up (69 team points) behind Bluffton (151). A total of 16 teams competed at the boys’ portion of the invitational.

Full results can be found here.

Van Wert will compete in the 2025 WBL Track and Field Championships on Wednesday and Friday at the Fred Brown Athletic Complex at Defiance High School.

“Overall we were very happy and encouraged with the results from the Ada Invitational on Saturday,” Hoverman said. “It gives us a chance to test out our WBL lineup and see how it goes and how some kids handle a big load of events.”