Their contingent was small. But there was nothing miniscule about the effort on the field or the results on the scoreboard.
East Canton may have sent only three athletes to Dayton for the 2024 OHSAA Track and Field Division 3 State Championship, but they all ended their journey on the podium.
First up was Shanaray Kager, who competed on Thursday in the discus throw. Her very first attempt of 135-01 was a personal record that earned All-Ohio top 25 accolades while the junior’sticket to the finals where she finished in second.
Next in line for the Hornets was Audrey Wade, who ran in both the 1600m and 3200m runs on Friday. Despite racing both distance events in one day, the senior managed PRs in both events.
In the 1600m, Wade’s time of 5:02.46 earned her fifth place, and in the 3200m, she placed seventh, clocking in at 11:03.75. Incidentally, both times were recognized as All-Ohio top 25.
Also running for East Canton was senior Luke Buxton, who finished fifth in the 800m run with a time of 1:56.07.
Marlington entered Dayton’s Welcome Stadium as the two-time defending champion in the Division 2 4x800m relay, so it’s safe to say there was a target on Luke Ryan, Michael Nicholls, Logan Citino, and Colin Cernansky’s backs.
A three-peat was not in the design, however, as Carroll’s squad won the event in a time of 7:49.65. The Dukes ended up in second place, finishing in 7:51.47.
Among other area Division 2 schools, Salem’s team of Maggie Hopple, Rylee Hutton, Megan Stafford, and Maggie Hall placed second in the 4×800 relay with a time of 9:18.36.
In the field, Julius Kimbrough of Canton South took home the bronze in the high jump with a mark of 6-06. Claymont’s Kurtis Haney set a PR and garnered All-Ohio honors en route to a fourth place finish in the discus with his throw of 171-9. Meanwhile, Steubenville’s Sabria Jones placed fifth in the girls long jump with a distance of 18-00.50.
In Division 3, Tusky Valley’s boys had a fruitful day, as they placed in three events. Their best showing was the 4x200m relay in which the lineup of Tilor Waltz, Abe McElwee, Eli Miller, and Marcus McNichols placed fourth with a time of 1:30.66.
The Trojans also fielded a team for the 4xx400 relay as McElwee, Miller, Cade Conrad and Kapper Jake finished sixth, clocking in at 3:27.77. And in addition to running in those relays, McElwee, a sophomore, also managed to place sixth in the 400m (49.61).
Meghan Schwartz may have been the lone qualifier at state for Garaway but she made it count, finishing sixth in the 800m.The senior’s time of 2:17.39 earned Ohio top 50 recognition.
