The 2024 OHSAA Track and Field State Championshipwrapped up its third and final day on Saturday at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium.
In addition to Marlington’s Colin Cernansky winning dual titles, the area produced another Division 2 champion as Steubenville’s Savoir Faulks claimed the gold medal in the 300m hurdles, setting a personal record and achieving All-Ohio honors in the process.
The senior’s time of 37.74 was more than three-quarters of a second ahead of runner-up Beau Herkelroad from Huron. Faulk also qualified for state in the 4x200m and 4x400m relays.
In the same race, Indian Valley’s Carsen Hostetler placed fifth in a time of 39.07. Hostetler, the only freshman to advance to the finals, set a PR and his time was recognized as Ohio top 50.
Faulks’ teammate Sabria Jones also had an eventful weekend. After placing fifth in the long jump on Friday, she returned for three events on Saturday. Jones began her morning by runningin the 100m dash, where she placed seventh with a time of 12.54.
After a short rest, the senior, who was listed as an alternate for the 4x200m relay, took the second leg in the finals alongside Laila Reed, Sarah Allen, and Aniyah Warner. Together, they led the Big Red to an eighth-place finish in a time of 49.46.
After all of that, Jones then had to compete in her best event, the 200m dash. And while it is understandable that Jones, clearly not running on fresh legs, might have a tough time setting a PR, she still did manage a fourth-place finish, clocking in at 25.18.
Also competing Saturday was Salem’s Maggie Hopple in the 1600m run. The junior set a PR with a time of 5:01.43, good for sixth place and All-Ohio top 25 honors.
Along with Minerva’s 4×800 relay team, Katie Ison and Gabby Lupshu qualified for Dayton in the Division 2 3200m run. Ison, a junior, placed eleventh with a time of 11:31.25, while Lupshu, a sophomore, finished eighteenth (12:19.53).
Competing for area Division 1 schools, New Philadelphia’s Preston Rieger capped his high school career with a bronze medal in the 800m run. The senior’s time of 1:52.57 was only sixteen-hundredths of a second off his personal best and received recognition as a All-Ohio top 10 time.
Sydney Stevenson of Dover placed fourth in the 800m run and set a PR in the process with a time of 2:11.62. The junior’s time, incidentally, was also saluted as being an All-Ohio top 25 time.
Louisville’s Sloane Sypolt placed fifth in a deep field for the discus throw. The senior, who also qualified for state in the shot put, reached 131-00 on her first throw, good for All-Ohio top 50 honors.
