Cougars, Knights compete at Celina

VW independent sports/submitted information

CELINA — The Van Wert track and field teams battled both tough competition and challenging weather conditions Tuesday night, as a storm-shortened tri-meet brought an early end to action against Celina and Crestview.

Despite the limited schedule, Van Wert athletes made the most of their opportunities, turning in several standout performances and even rewriting parts of the program’s record book.

Leading the way was Flannery Foster, who delivered an outstanding performance in the girls discus. Foster launched a throw of 118 feet, 3 inches to win the event, a mark that moves her up to 5th all-time in Van Wert history, a significant milestone early in the season.

On the track, Haven Hunt sprinted to a strong second-place finish in the girls 100-meter dash with a time of 12.98. That performance not only earned key team points but also places her 8th all-time in Van Wert history in the event.

In the boys 100-meter dash, Micah Cowan turned in an impressive effort, finishing second with a time of 11.46 in a highly competitive field.

Van Wert also showed depth in distance events, with solid finishes in both the girls 4×800 relay and the 1600-meter run, while the boys 4×200 relay team added a runner-up finish.

“Although the meet was cut short due to weather, the Cougars proved they are building momentum,” head coach Nate Hoverman said. “With early-season marks already climbing into the record books, Van Wert looks poised for continued success as the season progresses.”

Celina finished first on both the girls’ and boys’ side with 52 and 35 points respectively. On the girls’ side, Van Wert was second with 30 points while Crestview was third with 11 points. On the boys’ side, Crestview was second with 23 points and Van Wert finished with 13 points.

Drayden Hoffman led Crestview with a first place finish in the 100 meter dash (11.39), while the 4×200 relay team of Brentyn Rodriguez, Liam Putman, Braxton Leeth and Hoffman finished first (1:35.04).