Division I
Elyria’s Mateo Medina posted a performance for the history books, single-handedly winning the boys team title, while Huber Heights Wayne used the strength of its sprinters and hurdlers to win its first girls track and field team title.
Medina, his school’s lone representative at the state tournament, swept the sprint triple crown to become the sixth boy—and first since 1998—in state tournament history to score all the points for a winning team. Running into strong headwinds, Medina won the 100m (10.82), 200m (21.67) and 400m (45.88) to become the 16th boy to win the sprint triple crown at the state tournament. Medina’s time in the 400m ranks third all-time in state tournament history.
Medina’s 30 points lifted Elyria past Huber Heights Wayne (29) in the team standings. Westerville North and Pickerington North tied for third with 25 each.
Mayfield’s Ty Jackson swept the hurdle events, winning the 110m high hurdles in 13.89 and the 300m hurdles in 36.74.
Ben Gabelman, the 2023 Division I cross country individual state champion, won the 1600m (4:08.75) after finishing runner-up in 2023 and ran a leg on the first-place 4x800m relay team that posted the sixth-fastest time (7:39.91) in state tournament history.
On the girls side, Wayne’s sprinters and hurdlers combined for seven top-six finishes and finished with 46 team points. Mason finished runner-up (42) while Cincinnati Princeton (30) was third.
Ric’Keya White led the Wayne contingent, winning both hurdles races, placing sixth in the 100m and running a leg on the second-place 4x100m relay team. White won the 100m hurdles in 14.28 seconds (running into a -4.6 headwind) and the 300m hurdles in 42.69; her 41.75 in the semifinals ranks as the sixth best time in state tournament history.
Wayne’s 4x100m relay team, after posting the top semifinal time (46.62), finished runner-up (46.87) to Cincinnati Princeton (46.64). All three times rank among the top 10 in state tournament history.
Also contributing to the Wayne team title were Te’aira Branham-Patrick (third in both the 100m and 200m, 4x100m relay), Trinity Bibbs (sixth in the 200m, 4x100m relay) and Kendall Turner (4x100m relay).
Mason scored in all four relays en route to its runner-up finish: second in the 4x800, third in the 4x100, fourth in the 4x200 and fifth in the 4x400.
Holland Springfield’s Maira Scott defended her title in the 200m (23.66) and finished runner-up to Westerville Central’s Olivia Pace (11.65) in the 100m; Pace won the 100m after finishing runner-up in both 2022 and 2023. Pace’s 11.52 in the 100m semifinals ranks fifth in state tournament history.
Pace also placed fourth in the long jump after winning the event in 2023.
Jayla Atkinson (Stow-Munroe Falls) became a two-time state champion in the 800m, finishing first in 2:09.51 to defend her 2023 state title. Atkinson also finished second in the event as a sophomore in 2022 and third as a freshman in 2021.
Division II
Reese Reaman won the 800m and 1600m and anchored the 4x400m (first) and 4x800m (third) relay teams as Peninisula Woodridge won its second straight Division II girls track and field state championship.
Woodridge finished with 40 points, while Gates Mills Gilmour Academy was second (38) and Toledo Central Catholic (28) was third.
The team race was decided in the final track event, the 4x400m relay. Gilmour won the event (3:55.45), but Reaman’s finishing kick moved Woodridge up to third place and six team points, enough to stay atop the team standings.
Reaman, the 2023 Division II cross country individual state champion, won the 800m in 2:10.44 and the 1600m in 4:56.78.
Norton’s Morgan Hallett and Toledo Central Catholic’s Nyla King both won a pair of events and defended state titles. Hallett won both the shot put (44-0) and discus (152-2) for a second year in a row and became a three-time state champion in the shot put. King defended her state title in the 100m (12.01) and added a first-place finish in the 200m (24.41).
A 12-year-old state record fell in the 4x200m relay when the Akron Buchtel foursome of DeVonnah Smith, Tianna Burton, Jada Davis and Miniya Mitchell won the event with a time of 1:39.01. Smith, Burton and Davis later teamed with Lamyria Trammell to finish second in the 4x100m relay.
Sophia Szolosi, who finished runner-up at the cross country state championships in the fall, won the 3200m with a time of 10:59.61. In the hurdles, Johnstown Northridge’s Isabel Evans finished first in the 100m (14.38) and second in the 300m (43.12).
Huron’s Beau Harkelroad had a hand in 36 of Huron’s 40 team points as the school won its second boys track and field state title and first since 1974.
Harkeload finished second in both the 110m hurdles (14.50) and 300m hurdles (38.526) and ran the anchor leg on Huron’s first-place 4x200m relay (1:26.69) and 4x100m relay (42.09) teams.
Cleveland Glenville, the 2022 and 2023 Division II state champion, was runner-up with 36 points. Creston Norwayne finished third with 31.
In the distance events, Alliance Marlington’s Colin Cernansky closed out his distinguished career by winning his third consecutive 1600m state title (4:07.53) and adding his first 3200m title (9:13.17). He also ran the anchor leg on Marlington’s runner-up 4x800m relay team. Cernansky finished second overall at the 2023 cross country state championships after winning the individual state title as a junior in 2022.
Creston Norwayne’s Dillon Morlock defended his state championships in both the discus and shot put. The state record holder in both events, Morlock won the discus with a mark of 191-6 and the shot put with a throw of 69-5.75; he set a new Division II state tournament record in the shot put, and his mark of 69-5.75 ranks second in state tournament history regardless of division.
Brookville’s Coy Hyre, who earlier in the season broke the boys Division II 100m state record, won both the 100m (10.65) and 200m (21.61) dashes at the state tournament. He also anchored Brookville’s 4x400m relay team that placed third.
Division III
Smithville’s girls boasted a pair of top-three finishing relay teams and two individual state champions, compiling 50 points to win the school’s first girls track and field state championship.
Coldwater was second with 33 points, while Garfield Heights Trinity was third with 26.
Smithville won the team title on the strength of its middle and long distance runners. Kaitlyn Carr, who placed third at the cross country state championships in the fall, won the 1600m (4:50.56) and finished runner-up in the 3200m (10:49.91). Maryn Erdman won the 800m (2:13.17), while Maddy Lengacher was third in the 400m. Smithville’s 4x800m relay team took first (9:20.23), while the 4x400m relay team was third.
Izzy Zahn had a hand in all 33 of Coldwater’s team points. After setting a state record in the 200m semifinals (24.06), she won the event for a second year in a row with a 24.48 in the final. Zahn also won the long jump (18-7.75), took sixth in the 100m (12.39) and ran the anchor leg on Coldwater’s first-place 4x400m relay team (3:56.13).
For the second year in a row, Elmore Woodmore’s Azure Travis swept the hurdles races. She won the 100m hurdles in 14.37 and the 300m hurdles in 43.39. Travis also placed seventh in both the 100m and 200m dashes.
Maria Stein Marion Local relied on its relay teams and field event performers to win its second consecutive team title. Marion Local scored 51 points, followed by Lowellville (35) and Ashland Crestview and Oberlin (28 each).
Marion Local’s foursome of Wesley Schoen, Victor Hoelscher, Justin Knouff and Aiden Grieshop won the 4x200m relay in 1:29.77. Brayden Pavelka, Knouff, Kyle Otte and Carter Jones took second in the 4x100m relay, while Grieshop, Hoelscher, Andrew Pohlman and Schoen placed second in the 4x400m relay.
Toby Kremer added a first place for Marion Local in the pole vault (15-4), while Jack Knapke placed second in the discus (177-1).
Oberlin’s Evan Hudson and Columbus Tree of Life’s Gabe Oppong were atop the podium in the sprints. In the 100m, Oppong was first (10.98) and Hudson second (11.04), while Hudson won the 200m (22.02) and Oppong was second (22.13). Hudson also won the 400m (47.97).
Ashland Crestview’s Wade Bolin took first place in both throwing events. He won the discus with a throw of 187-10 and the shot put with a mark of 58-3.
Seated Division
Sophomore Conner Hunt (Garrettsville Garfield) is a six-time state champion after sweeping the boys 100m, 400m and 800m races for a second year in a row. He won the 100m in 17.43, the 400m in 59.49 and the 800m in 2:08.23. Landyn Bomar (Liberty Twp. Lakota East) won the shot put with a mark of 21-11.75.
Streetsboro’s Milena Sobie won the girls 100m (23.48) and defended her 2023 title in the 800m (3:11.06). She was second in the 400m.
Grove City’s Esther-Faith Henn won the 400m (1:26.86) and was runner-up in both the 100m and 800m, while Massillon Jackson’s Abigail LaPole won the shot put with a mark of 18-6.75.