County runners advance to OHSAA state

VW independent sports

Van Wert, Lincolnview and Crestview will all have representation at this week’s Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Track and Field State Tournament. Runners from all three schools competed against tough regional competition and moved on to Dayton.

The top four regional placers automatically move on to the state tournament, which will be held at Welcome Stadium at the University of Dayton this Thursday-Saturday. The track at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at The Ohio State University is being and replaced with a new track that will take several months to complete. The track and field state tournament will return to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in 2025 and 2026.

Division II

PIQUA — The Division II regional meet at Piqua was held on Thursday and Saturday and Van Wert’s Owen Scott advanced to state competition in two events.

The junior finished third in the 1,600 meter run (4:24.15) and fourth in the 3200 meter run (9:39.44). It’s Scott’s second consecutive 3200 meter state appearance.

He won’t be the only Van Wert Cougar at state. The girls 4×100 meter relay team (Olivia Vaas, Macy Johnson, Mia Rager, Kendra Deehring) finished as the Division II Piqua regional champion with a time of 49.05. The 4×200 relay team (Vaas, Johnson, Harper Roop, Deehring) also advanced with a third place finish and a time of 1:44.31.

Johnson also advanced in the 200 meter dash, finishing as the regional runner-up (25.21), while Deehring was third in the 100 meter dash (12.42).

As a team, the Van Wert boys finished 15^th out of 52 teams at Piqua, while the girls tied for seventh with Bath out of 34 teams. Batavia won the boys team title while Ottawa-Glandorf was crowned as the girls regional champion. 

Division III

TROY — Mother Nature didn’t exactly cooperate with the Division III regional meet at Troy. Scheduled for Wednesday and Friday, much of the meet took place on Friday, due to inclement weather two days prior. However, the wait was worth it, especially for Lincolnview.

The Lancers set a pair of school records and advanced a total of seven runners to state competition.

Cody Ricker finished as the 300 meter hurdle regional champion with a school record time of 39.65. He advanced to state in that event and the 110 meter hurdles, after a fourth place finish and a time of 15.37. Ricker also moved on in a third event – he was the opening leg of the 4×400 relay team (Ricker, Kreston Tow, Evan Johns, Conner Baldauf) that finished second (3:27.68) behind Marion Local.

Like Ricker, Baldauf also advanced in three events. Along with the 4×400 relay team, he was the regional champion in the 400 meter dash after blazing a school record time of 49.16, and he was the anchor of the 4×800 relay team (Tow, Johns, Maddox Norton, Baldauf) that advanced to state with a third place finish and a time of 8:09.39.

On the girls’ side, Lincolnview’s lone state participant will be Brynleigh Moody, who moved on with a third place finish in the 1600 meter run (5:08.53). She also finished fifth in the 800 meter run (2:22.17).

Crestview’s Jaret Harting qualified for Division III state in a pair of events. He finished fourth in the long jump (20-08.50) and was a part of the 4×100 relay team (Braxton Leeth, Liam Putman, Harting, Kellin Putman) that grabbed the fourth and final qualifying spot with a fourth place finish (44.27).