State Track Meet Wraps Up in Dayton
DAYTON, OH
We begin with Sheridan junior Beckett Strong in the girls 800 meter run. She came in as the third seed in the race. And after a long and winded effort, Strong would finish sixth, with a time of just under two minutes and 16 seconds on the track. After she received her medal, she’s going to show off those muscles one more time this year.
Then one of the final division two events of the day was the boys 3200 meter run featuring fellow Sheridan junior Tate Ruthers coming in as the four seed for this one. And after eight strong laps around the track, Ruthers finished one spot higher with a time of just over nine minutes and 21 seconds. But for Strong and Ruthers, it was about reflecting on the meet and what’s to come for their senior years.
Strong: “This was only my seventh time ever running the race today, so I started out at the beginning of the season as a 400 runner and transitioned into an 800 runner, just with that experience, as well as my experience in sprinting in the 100 and 200. I came in seated at third overall, but I’m still very happy that I made it on the podium and got All-Ohio and I think that will just give me more motivation for next year when I get some more experience under my belt with running this race.”
Ruthers: “I’m happy with it. I tried to cover that move with Ben and Colin, but as a junior, I’m fine with that, placing third overall in the D2 state meet, so I’m definitely proud of that. Oh, I’m so excited. Hopefully we’re moving up in D1 for cross [country] and for track, so it’s going to give me a better chance at competing with more competitors and stuff like that. Super stoked for it.”
Division one also finished up in the state meet. First in the shot put, Tri-Valley’s Chris Gargasz placed sixth with a throw of 56-10.75 in. And then over in the girls events, Granville’s Annie McCracken cracked the podium, placing fourth in the pole vault, clearing 11.5ft. Once again, congratulations to both athletes and everyone involved in this year’s track and field season.
