LC girls win district title, boys are runner-up

The Tigers’ girls team led all area teams, racking up a meet-best 186 points to hold off runner-up Patrick Henry (98) and win the team district championship. Toledo Christian (58) was a distant third, while other area teams included Delta (sixth, 37), Pettisville (seventh, 32), Holgate (10th, 24), Fayette (14th, 4.5) and Hilltop (15th, 4)

LC’s girls won nine events and had at least one regional qualifier in 16 of 17 events scored and will send 17 individuals to regionals.

Peyton Armey fronted the Tigers as the team’s lone four-event regional qualifier. Armey won the 100-meter dash (12.86) and was runner-up in the 200 (27.27), while also running the third leg on the winning 4 by 100 and 4 by 200 relay teams.

Calleigh Stoner, Haley Mohler and Elle Mohler joined Armey on both relays, as the quad finished in times of 51.46 and 1:48.44, respectively.

Elle Mohler and Stoner were three-time qualifiers for LC, as Mohler won the 200 (26.05) and Stoner finished first in the long jump (15-7.25).

Also winning individual district titles for LC’s girls were Aletha Fausnight, Emersyn Gerken, MaKayla Meller and Calla Oelkrug.

Fausnight won the 300 hurdles (48.63) and placed second in the high jump (5-1), while Gerken was runner-up to Fausnight in the 300 hurdles (49.59) and won the high jump (5-2) on Thursday. Oelkrug placed first in the pole vault (10-4) and Meller won the 3,200 by more than five seconds (11:47.90) and placed second in the 1,600 (5:20.42).

Meller also qualified for regionals in the 4 by 800 relay on Thursday, as Kristine Minnich, Mallory Stark and Gracie Miller joined to run a 9:56.06 and finish second. Fausnight also teamed up with Minnich, Quinn Bailey and Nicole Keller to run a 4:23.34 and place fourth in the 4 by 400 relay.

Other regionals qualifiers for the Tigers included runner-up finishers Miller in the 800 (2:22.81), Bailey in the pole vault (9-4), Kiersten Maas in the long jump (15-4.25) and Emili Cramer in the discus (118-11 on Thursday), as well as Alyssa Giesige (shot put, fourth, 36-7) and Madalyn Brogan (100 hurdles, fourth, 17.20).

The Patriots won three events and qualified nine individuals for regionals, led by a four-time regional-qualifying duo.

Ada Christman finished second in the 400 (1:02.52), Megan Meyer placed third in the 400 (1:02.59) and both ran legs on the winning 4 by 400 (4:16.40) and 4 by 800 relays (9:50.88), as well as the third-place 4 by 200 relay team (1:52.01).

Lexi Holloway, who placed third in the 100 dash (13.28), also ran on the two winning relays, while Karlie Gubernath joined on the 4 by 400 and Mia Amador ran the final leg of the 4 by 800 relay Thursday. Gubernath and Carys Crossland ran legs on the 4 by 200.

Riley Brent added the team’s other victory, winning the 100 hurdles (16.43), while Allie Arnos (5-0) and Olivia Harmon (4-11) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the high jump Thursday.

Holgate was responsible for the other two victories on the girls side, as senior Jolynn Eis won the discus (132-02) on Thursday and the shot put on Saturday, tossing a school-record 41-5.50.

Delta’s regional qualifiers were Josilyn Welch (3,200, third, 11:54.78), Abby Savage (400, fourth, 1:03.16), Trinity Nation (pole vault, fourth, 9-0) and its 4 by 100 relay team (second, 52.99) of Ashlyn Lamb, Evelyn Demaline, Savage and Skylar Boulton.

Pettisville’s regional qualifiers included Amanda Grimm, who was third in the pole vault (9-0) and fourth in the 300 hurdles (50.99), as well as Grace Remington (800, third, 2:23.14), its 4 by 400 relay team (third, 4:21.34) of Grimm, Madison Remington, Elise Hoylman and Grace Remington and its 4 by 800 relay team of Madison Remington, Hoylman, Kendall Sears and Grace Remington took fourth (10:14.64) on Thursday.

In the boys competition, Liberty Center led with three wins, 14 regional qualifiers and a runner-up finish with 99.5 points. Van Buren (125.5) won the boys district championship, while other area teams included Pettisville, (fourth, 74), PH (seventh, 48.5), Holgate (ninth, 20), Fayette (10th, 19) and Hilltop (11th, 9).

Colton Chambers, Riley Chapa and Waylon Rentz paced the Tigers as each were three-time regional qualifiers.

Chambers won the pole vault (12-6) Thursday and ran legs on the fourth-place 4 by 100 and 4 by 400 relay teams.

Chapa, Camden Kahle and Colton Kruse also ran the 4 by 100 (45.84), Rentz, Chapa and Ian Rosebrook ran the 4 by 400 (3:38.27), while Chapa and Rentz were joined by Jeff Zacharias and Trenton Kruse to finish third in the 4 by 200 relay (1:36.52).

Rentz also qualified in the 400 (third, 53.62), while other winners for LC’s boys included Zacharias (110 hurdles, 15.88) and Hunter Spangler, who won the shot put (48-1) Thursday and placed second in the discus (129-9) Saturday.

Also qualifying for regionals for the Tigers were Kahle (pole vault, fourth, 10-8), Brady Giesige (discus, fourth, 128-5), Jacob Fausnight (1,600, fourth, 4:41.67) and the 4 by 800 relay team (second, 8:38.89) of Derek Dulle, Mason Like, Matt Orr and Fausnight on Thursday.

Pettisville’s boys were led by three individual qualifiers as well as a pair of relays.

Landon Graffice, Samuel Haley, Jack Leppelmeier and Zach McWatters won the 4 by 400 in a time of 3:36.06, while three of the four also qualified individually.

Graffice, the team’s four-event regional qualifier, was also second in the 400 (52.83) and fourth in the long jump (18-11.75) on Thursday. McWatters was third in the 1,600 (4:40.77) and 3,200 (10:28.91) and Haley placed fourth in the 200 (23.82).

Graffice and Haley also teamed with Sean Adkins and Chase Wilkie to finish second in the 4 by 200 relay (1:35.36).

Thomas Smith paced Patrick Henry, as the qualified for regionals in three events: the long jump (first, 19-8.50) on Thursday, high jump (third, 5-10) and the 4 by 100 relay (second, 45.52)

Jaidan Rutter, Grant Smith and Kaden Rosebrook joined Smith in the 4 by 100.

Other area regional qualifiers included Fayette’s Jose Blanco (800, second, 2:02.53), Evan Beauregard (pole vault, third, 10-8) and Wyatt Mitchell (3,200, fourth, 10:35.65); Hilltop’s Aiden Funkhouser (long jump, third, 19-3) and Holgate’s 4 by 800 relay team (fourth, 8:54.28) of Nathan Miller, Kaiden Giesige, Jack Westrick and Logan Miller.

The Division III regional meet at Fostoria begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, with running events beginning at 5:30 p.m. both days.