Monday, June 3rd, 2019
Finishing strong
Area relays, individuals earn All-Ohio
By Colin Foster
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Fort Recovery's Robby LeFevre anchored the 4x200-meter relay team that finished third Saturday in the 2019 Ohio High School Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Stadium.
COLUMBUS - Robby LeFevre ended his freshman track season on the podium at Jesse Owens Stadium.
Not much changed from then to now for the Fort Recovery sprinter.
For a fourth straight year, LeFevre became an All-Ohioan on Saturday at the OHSAA Division III State Track and Field Championships - placing sixth in both the 100-and 200-meter races while also helping the Indians to third-place finishes in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.
"I didn't even know if I was going to run track coming into high school. I ran hurdles, but I didn't really have a love for the sport like I do now," LeFevre said. "I can appreciate the sport now more than I could then.
"I'm really glad that it ended up this way," he added.
LeFevre became a four-time All-Ohioan in the 200 (22.47 seconds) and a two-timer in the 100 (11.39 seconds). Kalida's Josh Verhoff set a OHSAA record in the 200 (21.39 seconds). Wellsville's Justin Wright won the 100 (10.69 seconds).
The Indians set school relay records once again, too.
In the 4x200, Riley Pearson, Jacob Acheson, Brayden Schoen and LeFevre crossed the finish line in 1:30.20. Columbiana Crestview set a meet record with a 1:27.71. In the 4x100, Fort's team of Pearson, Jared Timmerman, Schoen and LeFevre entered with the sixth-best prelim time of 44.08 seconds. They finished in 43.44 seconds on Saturday for third place. Crestview also won that race with a time of 42.87 seconds.
And with that, the Indians redeemed themselves from last year.
"We got DQ'd in the 4x2 last year," LeFevre said. "This year we got third. We got eighth in the 4x1 last year. This year we got third. We ran the same relays (and) we just ran much faster. It just came down to us being more prepared and more focused.
"We ran exactly as well as we thought we could," he continued. "It happened third this year. Some years, those times would have won. But we can't be disappointed with those times, school records. We really worked at that all year, and third place is not a bad finish."
In the final race of the day, Owen Moorman, Acheson, Timmerman and Drew Muhlenkamp placed fourth in the 4x400 relay with a mark of 3:25.19. Liberty Center was champion with a 3:22.33.
"I'm really proud of all of our teams throughout the years. I mean, to have relays consistently score throughout the state meet is not something I would ever expect Fort Recovery to do," LeFevre said. "Those guys are all coming back next year, with the exception of Butch (Brayden Schoen). Hopefully they have some more All-Ohio relays."
Muhlenkamp placed ninth in the 400 (50.74 seconds) and Kierra Wendel was also ninth in the 800 (2:18.31).
Not only did LeFevre conclude a historical career on Saturday, the Indians also put an exclamation point on a historical season.
This year, Fort Recovery's boys claimed their first MAC and district team championships, before following up with a third-place finish at regional. At state, Fort's boys jumped from 22nd in the team standings last year (10 points) to tie for seventh in 2019 (23 points).
"I'm so happy that Fort Recovery is a genuinely good program," LeFevre said. "We've had good athletes, but we haven't had a program like we do now at any time in our history."
East Canton claimed the boys team championship with 42 points, edging Columbiana (36 points).
Minster's Girls 5th
Minster is arguably the most-respected team in all of Division III running.
Sophomore Jenna Heuker is happy to be a part of it.
"People expect Minster to be here, and it's fun to be part of the expectation and to be great," she said.
The Wildcats were great again in Columbus.
Heuker and freshman Ava Grieshop combined with senior veterans Kaitlynn Albers and Madeline Magoto for a fifth-place finish in the 4x400 relay (4:03.19) to cap another strong showing for Minster at state.
A year removed from winning title No. 13 in track, the Wildcats finished fifth with a two-day total of 25 points.
"It's been pretty surreal," Grieshop said. "As a freshman, it's so cool, all the nerves and everything, and then once the baton is in your hand and you're running, you just feel like nothing is stopping you."
West Liberty-Salem won with 50 points with Archbold taking runner-up (39 points).
Magoto earned All-Ohio honors in the 800 for a fourth straight year. She entered with the top time in the field, dropped said time by four seconds and still finished runner-up. Mount Gilead's Allison Johnson improved upon her regional time (2:17.04) to win the race in 2:10.53. After three straight years of finishing third, Magoto earned runner-up status. She won regional with a 2:16.51 and then clocked a 2:12.94 in Columbus.
"I'm very happy with how I finished," Magoto said. "I mean, I finished third the last three years, so I was hoping to go up one or two. But I'm very happy with second, especially with the time drop. It just felt like a really good race."
Her teammates improved upon their places from last year, too.
Albers, an 11th-place finisher in the 1,600 a year ago, took seventh on Saturday. She crossed the finish line in 5:13.09, a two-second time drop from 2018.
"I'm very happy with the success," said Albers, an All-Ohioan four years running.
Meiring had the 17th-best regional time in the 3,200 field.
She changed up her strategy a little bit this week, and it paid off.
Meiring, who was two spots off the podium in 2018, finished sixth with a time of 11:42.51. She bettered her regional time by nearly nine seconds.
"I just took the first two laps easier so I didn't expend all my energy and I could push it more in the final laps and just go faster," Meiring said.
'For Dan'
Former Marion Local Track and Field Head Coach Dan Thobe passed away after a battle with cancer in November 2018.
Thobe's team is still running for him.
"We're doing it for Dan. We're doing everything for Dan," said Brooke Homan after Saturday's 4x400 relay final.
He would have been proud on Saturday.
Homan, Lynn Schwieterman, Alana Pohlman and Sam Hoelscher combined for a seventh-place finish to earn All-Ohio status.
"It wasn't where we wanted to, but I love running with these guys and we just click really well and we always drop time," Homan said. "It's been fun."
That same group will likely be back next year, too.
Homan will enter her senior year while Schwieterman, Pohlman and Hoelscher become sophomores.
"If we can get seventh here this year, the sky's the limit for us next year," Pohlman said.
Division II
2 Cavs Compete
Coldwater's Katie Alig placed ninth in the shot put of the Division II meet.
She had a top put of 38-10 1/2 and was edged by Beachwood's Emily Metz for the final podium spot. Metz had a top put of 39-1 1/4. Winning the event was Indian Valley's Ashton Warner, who landed a 42-7.
The Cavaliers' Jessica break was unable to make a height in the pole vault. She couldn't clear her attempts at 10-6. Warren's Erin Bogard won with a top mark of 12-2. Versailles' Lucy Prakel placed eighth (11-2).
Other results of area interest
Several athletes that have ties to the area also competed at the state meet over the weekend.
Grandview Heights' Luke Lachey, son of former St. Henry, Ohio State and NFL standout Jim Lachey, earned two trips to the podium. Lachey finished third in the Division III high jump with a top effort of 6-4 and then ran a leg of 4x400 relay that placed fifth.
Peebles' senior Jenny Seas, who ran for Coldwater for several seasons, finished third in the 3,200. Sister Katy, a freshman, just missed the podium twice in placing ninth in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs.
Pickerington Central's Evan Matthews, whose family is from the Marion Local area, had several trips to the top spot of the podium on Saturday. Matthews won the Division I 300 hurdles and ran legs of the winning 4x200 and 4x400.
Evan's aunt, Jane (Moeller) Ford, swept the 100 and 300 hurdles for Marion Local at the 1990 state meet.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Marion Local's Alana Pohlman takes off after receiving the baton from Brooke Homan in the 4x400 relay Friday at Jesse Owens Stadium.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Minster's Madeline Magoto finished second in the 800 race Saturday in the 2019 Ohio High School Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Stadium.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Minster's Gwen Meiring is all smiles as she crosses the finish line in the 3,200 race Saturday in the 2019 Ohio High School Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Stadium.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
Fort Recovery's Jared Timmerman sprints after receiving a handoff from Jacob Acheson in the 4x400 relay.
