Cincinnati track and field athletes participating in the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association boys and girls track and field state championships will do so in a slightly different format, competing in five divisions instead of three.
The state championships, taking place at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State University, are spread out from June 4-7. Division IV and V are on June 4 and 5, Division III is on June 5 and 6 and Divisions I and II wrap up the season on June 6 and 7.
The Queen City has several individual competitors with top five seeds who sit atop the state’s leaderboards in track and field events.
Who could bring home some hardware?
Sci-Yesha Anderson, Waynesville
In the 100-meter race in Division III, Anderson’s 11.98 time makes her the top seed, while her 24.99 in the 200-meter race is the No. 5 seed.
Koa Anoai, Moeller
The Crusaders’ junior has the top seed in Division I shot put, throwing for 58 feet in the super regional. His personal best of 58-1 feet is tied for the fifth-best distance overall in Division I.
Braxton Austin, Summit Country Day
Austin run a 22.28 in the Division V regionals, making him the No. 5 seed in the 200 meters.
Bailey Bacher, Lakota East
Bacher, a junior, had a shot put throw of 39-7.5 feet to make her Division I’s No. 5 seed in the event.
Silas Baird, Madeira
Baird, a senior, ran a 9:25.83 in the Division III regionals. Overall, it is the seventh-best time in DIII, but the fourth overall seed for state based just on region times.
Teague Boland, Moeller
Boland’s high jump personal best of 6-feet-10 is the third-best in the state, while he’s tied for the second seed with a regional height of 6-feet-6.
Steve Burton, Cincinnati Christian
Burton is one of four Greater Cincinnati runners to get a top-five seed in the Division V 100-meters. His 10.99 time gives him the No. 5 seed.
Elle Campbell, Milford
The Milford junior’s time of 4:57.52 in the 1,600-meter race makes her the No. 3 seed in Division I.
Mikaylah Chandler, Lakota East
Her time of 43.98 gave the senior the No. 5 seed in Division I for the 300-meter hurdle race.
Owen Clary, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
His best discus mark of 175-4 is the fourth-best in Division IV. He threw a distance of 163-3 at district meet, good for the No. 9 seed.
Khaylen Cotton, Northwest
High jump personal best of 6-feet-7 is tied for the second seed entering the state meet, one inch behind Talmadge’s Anthony Bontempo. Personal best of 6-feet-8 is tied for second-best mark in Division II.
Rhilea Cotton, Northwest
The freshman cleared 5-feet-4 in the high jump at Troy, making Cotton the No. 4 seed in the Division II state meet.
Lauren Cravens, Batavia
Cravens, a Batavia senior, cleared 5-feet-6 in the Division III high jump earlier in the postseason and took home the top seed for the state meet.
Serena Cyprien, Cincinnati Christian
The Cincinnati Christian senior ran a 12.23 in the Division V 100-meter race, getting the No. 4 seed. She is also the No. 5 seed in the 200-meter, having a 25.62 time.
Jagger Dollenmeyer, CHCA
The senior’s 9:17.63 run for the Division IV 3,200 meters is fourth-best seed time and fifth-best overall.
Dom Ellis, St. Xavier
His 800-meter seed time of 1:53.19 is tops in Division I and his 1,600-meter seed time of 4:15.26 is third. In the 3,200, Ellis has a top-seed time of 9:02.9 and top overall time in state for the event at 8:54.94.
Brilyn Foust, CHCA
Foust, a senior, is the No. 3 seed in the Division III 100-meter race, getting a seed time of 12.15.
Jimere Furr, Cincinnati College Prep
Furr, a senior, is one of two racers to have top time of 10.75 in the 100-meter Division V seeding.
Wyatt Gockerman, CHCA
The junior’s 1,600-meter time of 4:17.97 is good for the No. 3 seed, even though it’s the seventh-best overall time in the state. Gockerman has the sixth-best seed time in the 3,200-meter run at 9:19.95.
Ethan Greenwood, Little Miami
In the 400 meters, Greenwood’s 48.39 from the Eastern Cincinnati Conference championships is fourth-best time in Division I and his time of 48.51 for state seeding makes him No. 5.
Azarae Hawkins, Mason
Hawkins has the state’s best overall time in the 100-meter with an 11.58, but will be the No. 3 seed in the tournament after an 11.83 seeding time. She’s also the No. 4 seed in the 200 meters, running a 24.31.
Elizabeth Hoeting, Badin
Hoeting, a freshman for the Rams, ran a 24.96 at the regionals to get the No. 4 seed in the Division III 200-meter race.
Claire Iaciofano, Turpin
A two-time pole vault champion, she and top seed Annie McCracken both had a clearance of 13 feet in the Division II rankings.
Ama Karikari, Summit Country Day
She clocked a time of 25.40 in the Division IV 200 meters, earning the No. 5 seed.
Tori Killens, Mason
Killens, the Mason senior, earned the top seed in the Division I 400-meter race with a 55.40 postseason time.
Camille Lewis, Deer Park
The senior will be Division IV’s No. 4 seed in the shot put after Lewis threw a 41-4 prior in the postseason.
Samantha Long, Fenwick
The Falcon junior’s time of 45.53 in the 300-meter hurdles gives Long the No. 5 seed in Division IV.
William Lothmann, Cincinnati Country Day
His 10.95 time is good for the No. 3 seed in the Division V 100 meters and he is the No. 2 seed in the 400-meter with a 49.54 time.
Caroline Murnan, Loveland
Murnan ran to a 55.32 in the Division II 400-meter race, which made the senior the No. 2 seed.
Christina Murphy, Fayetteville-Perry
Murphy will be the No. 5 seed in the Division V 100-meter hurdles, running to a seeding time of 15.78.
Henry Newman, Milford
With a 4:13.73, Newman’s 1,600-meter time is the fifth-best overall in Division I.
Ian Patrick, Little Miami
While Patrick has sixth-best 1,600-meter time in any event at 4:13.88, his seed time for the tournament of 4:15.24 is second. In the 3,200-meter, Patrick is fifth-best overall at 9:15.26 and the No. 6 seed.
Ryne Reynolds, Little Miami
Reynolds took second at the Division I super regional in 9:09.94 for the 3,200-meter race, which is second-best seed time. His season best of 9:02.94 is the third-best in Ohio.
Baylee Sakho, Sycamore
Sakho, a freshman, is behind two seniors as the No. 3 seed in the Division I high jump. Sakho, along with the two seniors, cleared 5-feet-4 in the high jump.
Luke Schnieber, Cincinnati Country Day
In the Miami Valley Conference championships, Schnieber had a pole vault of 17-1.25, the best in the state in the event. He also cleared 16-8 in the OHSAA postseason, giving him the No. 1 seed in Division V.
Emily Shea, Indian Hill
The Indian Hill freshman will be the No. 4 seed in the Division III 3,200-meter race with her time of 11:01.68.
Ava Shepard, Lakota West
For the Division I 1,600-meter race, Shepard had a seed time of 4:56.65, making her the No. 2 seed for the state races.
Ian Shinkle, Batavia
He vaulted a personal best of 14-8 at the Division II regional meet, making him tied for the fifth seed entering the state meet. Shinkle’s also tied for the eighth-best overall mark this season.
Aydin Sistrunk, Miami Valley Christian
He’s one of two to have a top time of 10.75 in 100 meter in Division V seeding.
Chase Spencer, Turpin
The 400-meter time of 47.2 seconds is the No. 3 seed in the tournament and the third-best time overall in Division II.
Saniya Taylor, Lakota West
Taylor’s 55.93 time in the 400-meter race gave her the state’s No. 4 seed for the Division I meet.
Sophia Tebbe, Fenwick
In the Division IV long jump, Tebbe, a freshman, will jump at state as the No. 4 seed after clearing 17-0.25.
Austin White, Mason
In Division I shot put, White will be the No. 1 seed after throwing 43-6.25, more than 3 feet more than the next seed in the division. She’s also the No. 5 seed in the discus competition with her 125-foot throw.
Caden Winship, Mason
In the 3,200-meter race, Winship took the fifth seed with 9:15.18. In the event throughout the state, he’s the fourth-best overall time with 9:11.32.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fast runs and long jumps. See the top seeds ahead of OHSAA track meet
Reporting by Brendan Connelly and Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
