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Area’s top thinclads seek regional success, state berths

RON JOHNSTON The Marietta Times Regional track qualifiers Mary Kate McElroy, left, of Fort Frye, and Jordan Penrod, of Morgan, compete during a distance event at the Warren Warriors Invitational earlier this season in Vincent.

All area thinclads need is a top-4 finish in their respective events at this week’s regional competition to advance to the OHSAA Track & Field State Tournament at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University June 2-3.

Easier said than done.

At the Pickerington North regional, which had its start Wednesday at 4 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude Friday at 4:30 p.m., Marietta High will have six girls and five boys seeking a berth at state.

Baylee Brown pole vaulted 10 feet, 6 inches at district to get to regional. The MHS sophomore standout’s PR (personal record) is 11 feet in the event, but she knows to move on to Columbus, she’ll probably have to jump higher.

“Hopefully, I can get 11-6 or 12,” Brown said. “But they’ve got girls who jump 13-3. That’s Division I for you.”

Last year at regional, Brown jumped 10-6 and did not qualify for state.

“I got ninth,” she recalled, “and just missed placing.

“This year, I want to get on that podium.”

Brown will also be high jumping at the regional. At district, she cleared the bar at 4-10.

Joining Brown at the regional will be sophomore Torrance Nonnenmacher (100, long jump, and 4 by 200 relay team), Embrey Roberts (100 hurdles), Sydney Beavers (4 by 2), Meadow Benton (4 by 2), and Anna-Claire Myers (4 by 2).

MHS senior Travis Moore will be competing in three events at the regional — 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and 4 by 400 relay. At the Hilliard Darby district, he was first in both hurdles events.

Also on the 4 by 4 team will be Ben Dehmlow, Collin Doughty, and Nathan Matthews. At district, they placed third.

Tiger senior Bailey Wright qualified for regional with a throw of 130-10 in the discus. His PR is 139-3. To get to state, he’ll probably have to throw it in the 150-160 range.

“That would be by far my PR,” Wright said. “I’ll see what I can do in practice this week. All you can do is just try.”

Wright’s best throw will probably be on his first attempt, like at district and at the ECOL (East Central Ohio League) Championships.

“I really don’t think about it as much,” he said, “and just try to do my thing.”

At last weekend’s D2 Meigs district, Warren had several thinclads qualify for the Athens regional (Thursday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a.m.), including 2016 state qualifier Erin Bogard. The sophomore vaulter jumped 10-6 to win at district. Her PR is 11-6.

Bogard will also be running the 100 hurdles at AHS in The Plains.

Also competing at the regional for the Warriors will be the 4 by 8 team of Jenna Walker, Caroline Stollar, Sophie Knapp, and Lauren Gardner; Emme Bowe, in the 400; the 4 by 400 team of Hope Murdock, Gardner, Abigail Werry, and Bowe; Kate Liston, in the discus; and Kaleenia Quartermaine, in the shot put.

Quartermaine, a senior, was a district winner in the shot with a heave of 34-02.75.

Warren sophomore distance runner Trent Sayre was a regional qualifier at district in the 1600 and 3200.

Freshman Justin Lough will be competing in both hurdles events, and the Warrior 4 by 2 team of Kendrick Foreman, Cam Bartmess, Peyton Angelo, and Lough will also be in the hunt.

WHS sophomore Liam Kellar will be in the pole vault.

Morgan’s D2 regional qualifiers from the Meadowbrook district are Jordan Penrod (1600, 3200 , 4 by 800), Jasmine Penrod (800, 4 by 800), Jozy Brown (4 by 800), Brandi Ross (4 by 800), Jensen Greer (shot put), and Cade Mollahan (pole vault).

Jordan Penrod was a district champion in the 1600.

Waterford’s D3 Lancaster Fairfield Union regional qualifiers from the Southeastern District are Bri Lewis (pole vault, Amy Lang (high jump), Bethany Dawson (300 hurdles), and the 4 by 2 and 4 by 100 teams of Lang, Bri Hart, Cierra Jarvis and Dawson.

Andrew Harra-Baker was the lone Wildcat boy to qualify for regional in the 110 hurdles.

Lang was a state qualifier in the high jump as a freshman last year.

Joining Waterford in Lancaster, which started Wednesday at 5 p.m. and will conclude Friday at 5 p.m., will be Fort Frye, Belpre, Caldwell, and Shenandoah.

The Cadet qualifiers from the Newcomerstown district are senior Mary Kate McElroy (1600 and 3200), freshman Maddie Webb (pole vault), and Brady Carpenter ( 110 hurdles and high jump).

McElroy was a district champion in both of her long distance events.

Belpre’s regional qualifiers are Tojzae Reams (100 and 300 hurdles), Logan Racy (discus and shotput), Lindsey Stanley (100 hurdles), Sydney Spencer (800), the 4 by 400 team of Spencer, Cheyenne Barker, Hannah Deems, and Karley Bell, the 4 by 8 of Bell, Spencer, Deems, and Trinity Daugherty, and the 4 by 2 of Jeremiah Weaver, Reams, Gabe Vega, and Wyatt Fields.

Reams was a state qualifier in the hurdles event last year.

Spencer was an 800 runner-up in a school record 2:27.96 at Southeastern district. She broke the record in the event for the second consecutive year, and has shattered the mark twice this spring.

Caldwell’s regional qualifiers are Lauren Fry (800), Chloe McAuley (1600), Lindsey Furr (3200), Sean Whetstone (1600), Sheldon Archer (shotput), and Jeremy Ditch (discus).

Shenandoah’s regional qualifiers are Mya Stahl (long jump), Tucker Sebring (400), Jeremy Hall (long jump), and Nick Miller (discus).

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