UPDATED: 8 Highland County athletes qualify for state meet following stellar performance at regionals
McClain's 4x100 relay team of (l-r) Luca Matesic, Katie Cook, Brenna Wright and Ryan Butterbaugh, pictured at the district meet, qualified for the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships. Wright is also an individual qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles. (HCP Photo/Jim Jones)
A total of eight Highland County athletes will be participating at the 2023 OHSAA State Track and Field Championships June 2-3 following their performances at regionals in Division II and Division III this past weekend.
McClain’s Brenna Wright finished third in the 100-meter hurdles to qualify for state, finishing in the finals with a time of 15.66 on Saturday in the Division II event held at New Concord.
McClain’s 4x100m relay team of Ryan Butterbaugh, Wright, Katie Cook and Luca Matesic was second at regionals for the regional runner-up spot in the race, qualifying for state on Saturday with a time of 50.66.
Hillsboro had one state qualifier, as Jailyn Williams was fourth overall in the 800m run with a time of 2:20.39.
In Division III, Fairfield’s Hallie Haines was third overall in the 400m dash, becoming a state qualifier on Friday at the regional meet held in Heath.
The Whiteoak boys team is also sending a runner to state, as Landen Eyre was sixth in the 1600m run for the Division III event, finishing with a time of 4:28.11 on Friday.
The discus event saw McClain’s Lily Barnes place fifth with a distance of 119-10, and she was also sixth in the shot put event at 36-7. It was announced Sunday morning that Barnes qualified in an at-large position for the discus event.
Also for McClain, Wright competed in the 300m hurdles, where she was 10th place at 49.97 in the prelims on Thursday.
McClain’s girls 4x200m relay team of Kaitlyn Jett, Anna Eikenberry, Addison Olaker and Mylie Lovett was 15th in the prelims with a time of 1:54.24.
The 4x400m girls relay team of McClain, consisting of Jett, Matesic, Butterbaugh and Becca Bergstrom, finished in 15th place at 4:27.30.
Mylie Lovett was 10th in the girls long jump at 4-11 for McClain. In the girls long jump event, McClain’s Matesic was 16th at 14-9.5.
In the girls pole vault event, Bergstrom finished 11th at 9-6 for McClain. Leah Lovett for McClain was 16th in the discus event at 92-6.
The Hillsboro girls had Olivia Covault finish in 14th place in the prelims of the event on Thursday with a time of 1:04.93.
Hillsboro’s Kobie Miles raced in two girls events as an individual at regionals, as she was 11th in the 300m hurdles (50.11) and 14th in the 100m hurdles race at 17.35.
Hillsboro’s girls 4x200 relay team of Alizeh Hudson, Kelsey Gilkerson, Allison Browning and Covault was eighth place overall with a time of 1:53.06.
The girls 4x400m race saw Hillsboro’s team of Williams, Gracie Thoroman, Brooklynn Minton and Bree Bailey finished in 14th place with a time of 4:25.99.
Hillsboro’s girls 4x800m relay team of Williams, Ramsey Haines, Minton and Thoroman was seventh place with a time of 10:19.43.
For the McClain boys, TD Matesic was 14th in the 400m dash at 53.22.
Hillsboro boys had Cameron Smart race in the 110m hurdles race for 12th place with a time of 16.85.
The Hillsboro boys 4x800m relay team of Nick Turner, Tate Davis, Smart and Chris Sowders was 12th at 8:45.61.
The Indians also had Steven Kibler in the high jump with a height of 6-0 for eighth place.
The long jump event for the Hillsboro boys saw Jack Wagoner finish in 15th place at 18-7.25.
Hillsboro in the shot put event had Ayden Clemons finish 10th at 46-5.75.
For the Fairfield girls, Faith Donley was 10th in the 400m dash, with a time of 1:02.90.
Avery Teeters competed in two individual regional events, finishing in 13th place in the 100m hurdles at 17.63 and ninth overall in the 300m hurdles at 49.74.
Fairfield’s girls 4x400m relay team of Teeters, Kennedy Zink, Hallie Haines and Donley was 11th overall at 4:24.69.
Haines was seventh in the girls high jump with a height of 4-10 in the Division III event. Also for FHS, Paris Priest was eighth in the girls shot put at 33-6.
Whiteoak’s boys team saw Weston Blair finish in 15th place in the 800m run in the Division III regional race with a time of 2:15.62.
Eyre was seventh in the 3200m run with a time of 9:47.06. The WHS boys 4x800m relay team of Wade Evans, Eyre, Bryce Vanhoy and Blair was 12th place at 8:56.30.
