Saturday, June 1st, 2019
2019 State Track and Field Championships
'Cats take runner-up in 4x800
Puthoff, Tangeman earn podium spots; Several athletes qualify for finals
By Colin Foster
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Minster's Gwen Meiring takes the hand off from Ella Boate in the girls 4x800 Friday in 2019 Ohio High School Track and Field Championship at Jesse Owens Stadium.
COLUMBUS - The defending girls 4x800-meter relay champions were defeated on Friday.
Minster's team had the best time entering the 4x800 final at the OHSAA Division III State Track and Field Championships.
The Wildcats were bested, though.
By a familiar foe.
A week after finishing runner-up to Minster in the same race, West Liberty-Salem defeated the Wildcats to begin a day of racing at Jesse Owens Stadium.
"I'm not sure if they really switched anything up," said Minster senior Madeline Magoto. "We weren't really focused on the competition, just how well we could do."
Magoto and Kaitlynn Albers returned from last year's team. They were joined in the event this year by Ella Boate and Gwen Meiring.
Last week in Troy, Minster's crew set a new regional record with a mark of 9:20.59, beating the old record of 9:23.12 held by Wildcats' 2003 team. The Tigers team of Megan Adams, Grace Adams, Madison Bahan and Katelyn Stapleton also beat the previous record with a run of 9:22.22.
West Liberty-Salem was even better on Friday.
The Tigers clocked in at 9:19.09. The Wildcats were a distant second with a time of 9:30.63. West Liberty-Salem also bettered last year's state-winning time by Minster, when Albers, Magoto, Cassie Francis and Emma Watcke combined for a 9:25.18.
"We just went out and said we were going to compete to the best of our ability, and we had a really great opportunity to do that today," Albers said.
Fort Recovery's team of Kierra Wendel, Cassidy Martin, Ava Bubp and Chloe Will took 10th in the 4x800 with a time of 9:54.88. The Indians - who set a school record with a 9:49.04 in Troy - were sitting top five after Wendel and Martin ran the opening two legs but finished two spots off the podium.
Fort Loramie's group of Claire Rethman, Olivia Borchers, Corynn Heitkamp and Anna Detrick placed fifth in the 4x800 (9:41.76).
In the boys 4x800 race, Minster's team of Luke Barga, Austin Felice, Brady Hoelscher and Alex Albers placed 17th in a time of 8:21.28.
Fort Loramie's Gavin Schulze, Colten Gasson, Jake Rethman and Joe Ballas had a fourth-place finish (8:03.70).
New Bremen's Macy Puthoff - a two-time regional long jump champion - went to Columbus in hopes of improving on last year's sixth-place finish.
She did.
Puthoff became a two-time All-Ohioan as she leaped 17-2 3/4 to finish fourth in the competition.
"I definitely wanted to beat (sixth place) this year. I put in a lot of work," Puthoff said. "I was one of the last people at practice every single day. My coach is great. With his help, moving up two spots was something to be proud of.
"I only got 17-2 - I would have liked to get 18, but there are a lot of great jumpers here. So fourth was pretty good."
Marion Local senior Nick Tangeman shattered the target jump he was hoping to get in Columbus.
Tangeman - a first-time track and field athlete - set Marion Local's record in the long jump by hitting 21-8 3/4 Entering the competition, Tangeman and Tim Nagel shared Marion's record with a mark of 20-11. That record had stood since 1970. Tangeman's effort earned him eighth place. Earlier, Tangeman placed ninth in the high jump by clearing 6-2.
Also from Marion Local, Eric Schlarman placed 14th in the shot put with a top mark of 45-5 1/4.
Minster's Broc Miller placed 11th in the finals of the pole vault. Miller topped out at 13-6.
St. Marys' Ty Howell competed in the Division II long jump Friday morning and placed ninth. His top jump was a 20-10 3/4. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's Tre Tucker won with a 23-3 1/2.
Prelims
Albers, Jenna Heuker, Ava Grieshop and Magoto bested West Liberty-Salem in the 4x400 relay. The Wildcats posted a mark of 4:02.20 for second in the prelims. The Tigers' 4:02.87 positioned themselves in fourth. Archbold (3:59.09) and Columbus Academy (4:02.56) are first and third, respectively.
Marion Local's 4x400 crew of Lynn Schwieterman, Brooke Homan, Alana Pohlman and Sam Hoelscher qualified for the finals in sixth (4:03.17).
Fort Recovery's boys advanced to the finals in all three of their relay events
Owen Moorman, Jacob Acheson, Jared Timmerman and and Drew Muhlenkamp had the fastest prelim time in the 4x400 relay (3:24.97). In the 4x200, Riley Pearson, Acheson, Brayden Schoen and Robby LeFevre have the third-best time (1:29.88). In the 4x100, Pearson, Timmerman, Schoen and LeFevre qualified with the sixth-best mark (44.08 seconds)
LeFevre qualified for the finals in the 200 and 100 dashes. He ranks fourth in the 200 (22.34 seconds) and tied for seventh in the 100 (11.22 seconds).
Fort Recovery's Muhlenkamp and Marion Local's John Tangeman each ran in the 400 prelims. Muhlenkamp qualified in the ninth position (50.54 seconds). John Tangeman, an All-Ohioan in the race last year, placed 12th (51.01 seconds).
Minster's 4x400 team composed of Broc Miller, Carson Prenger, Brady Hoelscher and Devon Schultz beat out Marion's group of Austin Wendel, Alex Klosterman, Luke Schwieterman and John Tangeman for the ninth and final spot in the final. Minster had a time of 3:28.11 compared with Marion's 3:28.55.
Parkway's Rachel Barrett finished outside the 400 qualifying cut, taking 13th in the prelims (1:01.48). Fort Recovery's Wendel, Abbie Francis, Martin and Will missed finals as they finished 12th in the prelims (4:10.79).
The state meet, which finished late on Friday due to weather delays, gets underway at 9:30 a.m. today with Division III running finals and the remaining Division II field event finals, which will feature Coldwater's Jessica Break in the pole vault and teammate Katie Alig in the shot put.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
New Bremen's Macy Puthoff competes in the girls long jump Friday in the 2019 Ohio High School Track and Field Championship at Jesse Owens Stadium.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Marion Local's Nick Tangeman competes in the boys high jump Friday in 2019 Ohio High School Track and Field Championship at Jesse Owens Stadium. Later in the day, Tangeman became Marion Local's sole record holder in the long jump with a mark of 21-8 3/4.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Fort Recovery's Drew Muhlenkamp celebrates as Fort recovery won the second heat of the boys 4x400 relay Friday in 2019 Ohio High School Tack and Field Championship at Jesse Owens Stadium.
