Virus canceled promising season for VW

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

It was a season that wasn’t meant to be.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association officially pulled the plug on the 2020 spring sports season on April 20, shortly after Governor Mike DeWine announced that all school buildings would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year.

It was a blow to Van Wert High School’s track and field program, which was stocked with talented athletes and was primed for a big season for longtime coach Mark Collins and Nate Hoverman, who is transitioning into the role of head coach.

“Mark has been the stallworth of the track and field program at Van Wert High School since 1999,” Hoverman said. “His passion for track and field is unmatched. He is still going to be coaching in the program, hopefully forever, but I am going to be transitioning into the head coach position and I hope to be able to carry the torch as he has for the last 21 years.”

On the girls’ side, Division I-bound Kirsten Clay (Cincinnati) and Jill Gemmer (U.S. Air Force Academy) were back for their senior seasons. Clay was the reigning OHSAA Division II state discus champion, while Gemmer was the state runner up in the shot put.

Along with those two, classmate Caylee Phillips was a returning state qualifier as well and was back to compete in middle distance events.

“We had some elite athletes in Kirsten Clay, Jill Gemmer, and Caylee Phillips that could have scored a ton of points for us,” Hoverman said.

Those three were to be joined by senior letter winners Jamison Clouse (sprints/high jump) and Allie Gemmer (distance); junior letter winners Carly Smith (sprints); Lyrissa Hammons (distance); Rachel Spath (distance) and Gracie Gunter (high jump/middle distance).

Several freshmen were expected to be key contributers, including Danesha Branson and Sofi Houg (sprints); Tyra McClain and Kyra Welch (distance); Finley Foster (hurdles) and Sayler Wise (sprints/middle distance).

“Another strength of our girls team would’ve been the freshman class which is also what I am looking forward to for the next three years,” Hoverman said.

Two senior sprinters – Jacob Hart and Ryan Chen – were set to compete for the defending champion Van Wert Cougars, along with fellow senior letter winners Collin Place (throws) and Ben Lange (distance).

“Our boys are coming off of a WBL Championship season which also saw them place multiple events at the state meet,” Hoverman said. “We graduated much of our field event depth from a year ago, but we expected some of our underclassmen to step up and continue to contribute in big ways.”

An impressive sophomore class included experienced distance runners Asnake Steyer, Gage Wannamacher, Hunter Sherer and Jacob Sealscott. Speedster Nathan Jackson was set to compete in sprint events, along with classmates Connor Pratt, Trey Laudick and Tyson Jackson, who was also slated for hurdles and the high jump. In addition to sprints, Laudick was scheduled to compete in middle distance, while Pratt was set for pole vault duties.

“On our boys team we have a lot of strength in our underclassmen, which bodes well for our boys teams for the next 2 years,” Hoverman said.

While the future looks bright with talented underclassmen waiting in the wings, Hoverman lamented the fact that the seniors lost their final season.

“As I was putting together some digital content to honor our seniors, it brought tears to my eyes that they wouldn’t be able to finish off their careers as track and field athletes,” Hoverman said. “Both the boys and girls programs have won a WBL title in the last two years and these seniors were a huge part of that. The other part about having strong leadership in track and field is that it is a very self motivated sport.”

“It’s easy to whine and complain about workouts or meets in the rain and cold, but strong leaders, as these seniors certainly were, can pull the entire team through it,” Hoverman added.