By Rob Hamilton
The Mount Gilead boys’ track and field team held first place in the Division III regional meet hosted by Fairfield Union High School after the first day of competition Wednesday.
After the 3200-meter relays and some field events were completed, as well as preliminary heats in sprinting and hurdling events, MG had 19 points to lead by four over Fredericktown. Northmor stood in fourth place with 12.
Ten of those points came from the team’s quartet of Liam Dennis, Brett Shipman, Casey White and Nathen Weaver, who finished first in the 3200 relay with a time of 8:11.96. Kyle White also advanced to the state meet, as he tied for second place in the pole vault by clearing 12’6”.
The Indians had one more place-winner, as Micah Tuggle took seventh place in the discus. Also competing in that event was Nick McKinney, who was 11th.
A number of team members advanced to Friday’s finals in the sprints and hurdles. Moving on from the prelims were: Connor Page (110- and 300-meter hurdles), Brandon Stevens (400), Dennis (110 hurdles), the 1600-meter relay of Dennis, Weaver, Page and Stevens and the 800-meter relay of Trevor Ball, Page, Weaver and Stevens.
Most of Northmor’s 12 points came from Tony Martinez, who won the pole vault with an effort of 13’6”.
The team’s 3200-meter relay of Gavvin Keen, Kooper Keen, Alec Moore and Ryan Bentley took seventh place in their race.
The Golden Knights also advanced to Friday’s finals in a pair of relays. Drew Zoll, Aaron Berg, Adam Petulla and P.J. Lower moved on in the 400-meter relay; while Zoll and Petulla teamed with Gavvin Keen and Alec Moore to advance in the 1600-meter relay.
In the girls’ meet, Mount Gilead got one state qualifier on Wednesday, as Isabela Schroeter finished fourth in the high jump, clearing 5’2” in the process. Skylar Edwards finished 10th in the shot put, while Kelsey Kennon was 12th.
Also, the 3200-meter relay of Zoie Barron, Olivia Millisor, Selia Shipman and Emily Hanft ran 12th.
Two MG girls advanced to the finals in a total of four events. Allison Johnson moved on in both the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter dash, while Jessica Brewer qualified in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS
