COLUMBUS — Minster added its 13th girls state title to its resume as it notched the Division III state crown on Saturday at the OHSAA state track meet at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus.
Minster ended the two-day meet with 57 points, compared to second-place Covington’s 32 points. The win came after the Wildcats finished as D-III runner-up the last three years.
Highlighting Saturday’s finals was the performance from Minster sophomore Emma Watcke, who won her second consecutive state title in the 1,600 (5:00.15). Lima Central Catholic senior Emily Sreenan finished second in the 1,600 (5:04.92). In the 3,200, Watcke (11:13.45) finished second.
Watcke also was on the 3,200-meter relay that took first (9:18.41) on Friday. Joining Watcke in the 3,200 relay were Cassie Francis, Kaitlynn Albers and Madeline Magoto.
“I was just trying to hang on through the last lap,” Watcke said about Saturday’s 1,600.
Madeline Magoto, Minster girls’ coach Jessie Magoto’s daughter, finished third for the third consecutive year in the 800 on Saturday, crossing the finish line in 2:15.10. Francis finished a close fourth (2:16.07).
“We never want to put unnecessary pressure on the girls,” Coach Magoto said. “So, the whole mentality is to train hard, make sacrifices and compete every single time; and you walk away with your head held high.
“But of course, you have goals and you want to go for the highest; and that (state title) is in the back of your mind.”
Minster’s 400 relay of Ivy Wolf, Jessica Falk, Lillian Hirschfeld and Paige Thobe was fourth in 50.56. The Wildcats 1,600 relay of Francis, Janae Hoying, Magoto and Hirschfeld was fourth in 4:00.52.
Lehman Catholic finishes second in 4×100 relay
Lehman sophomore Lauren McFarland, freshman Lindsey Magoteaux and sophomore Rylie McIver teamed with senior Alanna O’Leary for a second-place finish in the 400 relay in 50.20.
“We didn’t expect this at all,” O’Leary said. “We didn’t really put this team together until conference. It really wasn’t until after the qualifying yesterday (when Lehman had the third fastest time), we started saying, ‘hey we got a shot’.”
O’Leary had a big finish on the anchor leg, passing Alexis Prater of Ridgewood and holding her off by a hundreth of a second — and almost catching Jessica Brown of Fremont St. Joseph, who won in 49.69.
“Honestly I wasn’t thinking about her (Jessica Brown) so much because they got the baton quite a bit sooner than us,” O’Leary said. “I was just thinking about the third place girl (Alexis Prater) and getting in front of her.”
The other three weren’t surprised by what she did.
“That’s basically what Alanna (O’Leary) does,” McIver said. “She has been doing it all year.”
McIver said the atmosphere on championship Saturday was like nothing she could have ever imagined.
“Alanna (O’Leary) tried to prepare us for what it would be like, but it was amazing,” she said. “You can’t prepare for this. It was like nothing I have ever experienced.”
Magoteaux finished eighth in the 100-meter dash in 12.54. O’Leary was seventh in the 200-meter dash in 25.58.
Fort Loramie’s Gephart finishes as runner-up in 200 dash
Fort Loramie sophomore Kennedi Gephart finished runner-up in the 200-meter dash on Saturday in 25.29, a new school record.
She was third in the preliminary race on Friday in 25.87 but was able to cut her time down by over a half second. St. Peter’s Alysse Wade was second on Friday in 25.79 but finished behind Gephart on Saturday in 25.34.
Gephart was about a half-second behind the top runner, Malvern’s Zoe Moser. Moser, a sophomore, was first in 24.88.
Gephart was fifth in the 400-meter dash in 57.92.
Fort Loramie’s Alyssa Wrasman finished just off the podium in the 100 hurdles. She was ninth in 15.35, about three-tenths of a second behind eighth place.
Other area D-III racers
Botkins’ Adriana Jutte beat out New Bremen’s Julia Goettemoeller for a spot on the podium on Saturday in 300 hurdles. Jutte was eighth in 46.51 while Goettemoeller was ninth in 47.10.
DIVISION II
Versailles relays, pole vaulter make podium
You couldn’t have proved it by her warmup session.
But, Versailles sophomore pole vaulter Lucy Prakel soared to new heights on Saturday at the Division II state track and field meet Saturday at Jesse Owens Stadium.
“It was probably one of the worst warmups I have ever had,” Prakel said. “Then, it started to warm up a little bit. I was just blowing through poles, then I started getting deep in the pit. I knew I was fine.”
Prakel would only miss once, before going out at 12-4 and finishing third.
That included clearing 12-0 on her first attempt — a new PR.
“I knew making it on first attempt was going to be big,” Prakel, who reacted by clapping her hands as she landed. “That (getting a height on her first jump) took me from eighth to sixth last year. I have been trying to get that height for a long time. I knew it would put me in the top three.”
When it comes to senior seasons, it might be pretty hard to top Ellen Peters’ one at Versailles.
Peters was the setter on Versailles’ state championship volleyball team, a starter on the state runner-up basketball team and made three trips to the podium Saturday.
“To finish my senior year with a state championship, a state runner-up and third, sixth and eighth in track, I couldn’t ask any more than that,” Peters said.
Peters teamed with Liz Watren, Lindsey Winner and Kenia McEldowney for third in the 1,600 relay in 4:00.4.
“The time may not have been as fast as we had hoped to run, but I think we really did step up to the challenge,” Peters said. “Liz (Watren) mentioned it to me before the race that it was my final race. The whole lap I was thinking this is my last race, I have to give it my all. It has been an amazing career and I have to thank the community, my teammates coaches and family for all their support.”
It was also McEldowney’s final race and her first trip to the podium. She also finished 16th in the 800 2:22.22.
“I was a little nervous to be honest with you,” McEldowney said about running the anchor leg. “It felt great to be up on the podium. I didn’t have a good race in the 800, so I had to give it everything I had. It was a great way to end my career.”
Ellen Peters and Prakel teamed with Ava and Ali Moran for eighth in the 400 relay in 49.74.
“Just getting up on the podium was a pretty good accomplishment,” Prakel said. “I think we made finals by .005 seconds or something like that.”
Anna’s Shoemaker finishes fifth
Anna sophomore Hannah Shoemaker finished fifth in the 300 hurdles in 44.30, which is a new school record.
