AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Sixteen local track and field athletes and seven different relay teams qualified for the OHSAA state meet at the Division II Region 5 Regional Track Meet on Saturday.
Two school records were broken early after Champion junior Kennady Grace finished first in the discus with a school-record throw of 125 feet.
Then, Salem junior Rylee Hutton is also headed to Columbus after a second-place finish in the long jump with a record 17-04.75 to help the Quakers girls’ team to their first second-place finish at regionals.
“To have the record is definitely a weight off my shoulders because I’ve been looking forward to the whole year,” Hutton said. “So to finally break out at the very end of the year kind of just lets me go on to stay and just try my best and not have to really worry about that.”
Also moving onto state, the West Branch girls 4×200 relay team placed fourth, making that two events for junior Sophia Gregory after a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash, an event she finished fifth in at state last year.
“I did not have too much confidence because I, everybody was going to compete today,” Gregory said. “But I was like kind of hoping for it. I was really trying not to get too in my head about it, but it feels really good.”
On the boys’ side: Girard’s Nic Bengala will run in three events next weekend after busting out two personal bests on his way to a third-place finish in the 110 hurdles and second place in the 300 hurdles.
“Getting top two in the hurdles and top four the hurdles for both, just feels amazing,” Bengala said. “Honestly, I’m looking forward to go top four and both hurdles, going to try and get first place at 300 and a lot of confidence with that right now so we’ll just see what happens.”
And Sieasia Triplett matched Bengala in qualifications today, as she completed a sprinters sweep: taking first place in 100 and 200-meter dashes and then anchored the winning 4×100 relay team.
“I just knew that I had to get to state and had to do what I had to do, and I had to make sure that my team came with me with our four by 100 relay,” Triplett said. “It feels good knowing that I’m up there and then I can like leave my name on the school as a 2023 graduate.”
View a full list of qualifiers from Saturday’s Division II Region 5 track meet below (some 5-place finishers still qualify on time and will be updated accordingly):
Girls results
– 100 m dash (1) Sieasia Triplett 12 Girard 12.39
– 200 m dash (1) Sieasia Triplett 12 Girard 25.34
– 400 m dash (2) Sophia Gregory 11 West Branch 58.74
– 800 m run (4) Maggie Hall 10 Salem 2:17.66
– 1600 m run (4) Maggie Hall 10 Salem 5:09.94
– 3200 m run (2) Megan Stafford 11 Salem 11:32.79
– 100 hurdles (2) Ava Litter 11 Canfield 15.29
– 300 hurdles (3) Stasia Hall 12 Lakeview 46.00 – (5) Ava Litter 11 Canfield 47.06
– 4×100 relay (1) Girard 49.35 (Olivia Coman, Mia Malito, Ar’Marna Wilson, Sieasia Triplett)
– 4×200 relay (4) West Branch 1:44.87 (Lauren Gossett, Sophia Gregory, Zoe Sanders, Kennedy Berger) – (5) Girard 1:45.20 (Ar’Marna Wilson, Sieasia Triplett, Airianna Clardy, Olivia Coman)
– 4×400 relay (3) Lakeview 4:05.40 (Lexi Busefink, Eliza Farr, Stasia Hall, Brooke Schneider) –
(4) Salem 4:05.96 (Annika Murray, Maggie Hopple, Maggie Hall, Ella Double)
– 4×800 relay (2) Salem 9:33.95 (Ella Double, Maggie Hopple, Megan Stafford, Maggie Hall)
– High Jump (4) Mia Malito 11 Girard 5-01.00
– Long Jump (2) Rylee Hutton 11 Salem 17-04.75 (school record)
– Discus (1) Kennady Grace 11 Champion 125-00 (school record) – (3) Kaylee Carlisle 11 Salem 119-07
– Shot Put finals (2) Makenna Rudy 12 Salem 41-02.50
– Team: 2nd overall, Salem
Boys results
– 200 m dash (3) Dwayne Moody 11 Liberty 22.10
– 800 m run (3) Will Madison 11 Salem 1:55.28
– 110 hurdles (3) Nic Bengala 12 Girard 15.00
– 300 hurdles (2) Nic Bengala 12 Girard 38.92
– 4×100 relay (3) Girard 42.88 (Nic Bengala, Domenico Simone, Anthony Bengala, Stephen Sims)
– 4×400 relay (5) South Range 3:24.09 (Logan Butcher, Hudson Moorefield, Gaven Nagy, Ayden Leon)
– Discus (3) Ryan Kamperman 12 Salem 161-00
