State Track and Field Preview 2026: 6 Highland County athletes to compete at state event at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium 

Six Highland County athletes became qualifiers for the 2026 OHSAA State Track and Field Championships for Thursday (June 4) and Friday (June 5) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus at The Ohio State University. 

State qualifiers from Highland County are Fairfield juniors Meri Jackson, Remi Moon, Vivian Henninger and Mason Lightle; Hillsboro senior Kobie Miles; and McClain senior Mylie Lovett.   

The Fairfield Lady Lions have three athletes who qualified for Division V state in the girls event, with Jackson being a state qualifier in both the shot put and discus events. Henninger is a three-event state qualifier as she will compete in the long jump, 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash events. Moon qualified for state in the high jump event.  

MERI JACKSON, FAIRFIELD (Div. V Shot Put, Discus)

Jackson enters the state meet in shot put with the second-best throw from regionals, as she was a regional champion with a throw of 40-08.75, which was also her personal-best throw in her three-year high school career. At districts she was also first place with a throw of 39-8, and before that in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championships, Jackson won the event with a throw of 33-8.5. 

In the discus event, Jackson was fourth place at regionals with a throw of 112-06. At the district championships, the Fairfield junior had a distance of 117-00 for the first-place spot, and when she competed at the SHAC Championships, Jackson was second with a distance of 112-02. 

REMI MOON, FAIRFIELD (Div. V High Jump)

Moon will be competing at state in the Division V high jump event. Moon in the SHAC Championships finished in second place with a height of 5-00.00, then followed with a district championship first-place jump of 5-02.00. At regionals, Moon was fourth place overall with a state qualifying height of 5-01.00.

Henninger is a ’26 state qualifier in the 100m dash, the 200m dash and the long jump events. In the long jump event, Henninger enters the state meet with a second-place finish at districts with a jump of 15-11.5, followed this past weekend with a 16-03.75 distance at the regional championships.

VIVIAN HENNINGER, FAIRFIELD (Div. V 100m, 200m, Long Jump)

Leading up to being a state qualifier in the 100m dash, Henninger was third place in the event at the SHAC meet with a time of 12.81. At districts, she was second place as her time was 12.97, but at the regional championships Henninger placed fifth with a time of 12.42, as that time put her as a state qualifier. 

Henninger in the 200m races had a SHAC time of 26.34 for second place in the conference. Then it was off to districts, where she was also second place with a time of 26.94. At regionals, Henninger qualified as a wildcard in the 200m dash with a time of 26.38 for a seventh-place finish. 

“I am beyond proud of all three of those girls. Each one of them has put in so much work and pushed themselves past the limits that they set for themselves,” Fairfield girls track and field head coach Cohen Frost said. “They work off of each other’s motivation and drive, and that’s what makes this team so special. All season they have had these goals for themselves, and each week they were setting the bar higher and higher as the season went on. 

“I could not be more proud as a coach to watch them develop into the athletes that they are today. As for next week, we will give all glory to God and see how far he will take us.”

MASON LIGHTLE, FAIRFIELD (Div. V 200m)

On the boys side for Fairfield, junior Mason Lightle qualified for state in the 200m dash with a time at regionals of 22.92. Before that event, the week prior he raced in the district meet, where he was a district champion with a time of 23.15. At the SHAC Championships, Lightle was third place overall at 23.56, as that race was the week before the district race.

“Mason's success this season is the result of tremendous hard work, resilience and determination. After suffering an injury that ended his season at the district tournament last year, he didn’t give up,” Fairfield boys track and field head coach Craig Campbell said. “Instead, Mason used that setback as motivation and came back stronger than ever this year. He has broken Fairfield's 100m and 200m school records multiple times this season, won the district championship in the 200m and has achieved personal records in each of his last three 200m races on his way to the state tournament. 

“What sets Mason apart isn't just his talent — it's his character, determination and the example he sets for his teammates every day.  He is everything a coach could ask for in an athlete, and I couldn't be more proud of him.”

KOBIE MILES, HILLSBORO (Div. III 100m Hurdles)

In Division III, Hillsboro’s Miles is a state qualifier in the 100m hurdles. Miles enters the event with a sixth-place regional time of 15.55, as she earned one of the two wildcard spots for state. Before regionals, there was the Frontier Athletic Conference meet in early May where Miles placed third overall with a time of 15.56. At the district championships the following week, Miles was also a third-place finisher with a time of 15.85. 

“We are very excited for Kobie qualifying for the first time to the state track meet as a senior,” Hillsboro girls track and field coach David Dietrick said. “Kobie is a very talented athlete who has worked hard to get to this point in her career. She has been running the 100 hurdles consistently since she was in seventh grade. While she is already very decorated in her accomplishments in hurdling, this is a challenge that she is more than ready for, and we look forward to seeing it play out.”

MYLIE LOVETT, MCCLAIN (Div. III High Jump)

McClain’s Lovett earned her Division III state qualifying spot in the high jump event. Lovett at regionals was sixth place overall, gaining a wild card spot at state with a height of 5-00.00 in the event at regionals. At the FAC Championships, Lovett was first place with a conference championship height of 5-2.00. At districts, Lovett was fourth place with a 5-2.00 height. 

“Mylie has had a phenomenal season, and finishing it at the state meet is the perfect capstone to her senior year,” McClain girls track and field head coach Drew Hamilton said. “Throughout the season, she has led our team in total points, primarily excelling in the high jump and long jump, and even set the school record in the triple jump earlier this year. 

“Mylie is a lead-by-example athlete who shows up every day with a smile and a great work ethic. As this season's FAC high jump champion, she leaves behind a lasting legacy and an indelible impact on our program.”

The state schedule for the Highland County athletes: 

Thursday (June 4)
- Meri Jackson (D5 shot put, 1 p.m.) 
- Remi Moon (D5 high jump, 1 p.m.) 
- Vivian Henninger (D5 100m dash, 4:45 p.m.)
- Vivian Henninger (D5 200m dash, 6:30 p.m.)
- Mason Lightle (D5 200m dash, 6:35 p.m.)

Friday (June 5)
- Mylie Lovett (D3 high jump, 9:30 a.m.
- Kobie Miles (D3 100m hurdles, 10 a.m.)
- Vivian Henninger (D5 long jump, 1 p.m.)
- Meri Jackson (D5 discus, 1 p.m.)