COLUMBUS – There was a recurring mindset for local athletes Friday at the OHSAA Jesse Owens State Track and Field Championships.
Why not me?
Willard’s Cora Clark was the first jumper in the Division IV finals seeded 15th. She went on to clear 5-0 on her first attempt and then 5-02 on her second try to match her season best and placed eighth for All-Ohio honors.
“I feel like that really sets the tone for myself, and others,” Clark said of clearing her opener on the first try. “I was the first jumper of (the field), so I got it out of the way, all the nerves were gone, let’s just do the best we can.
“It’s definitely like a great way to end my high school career.”
Not long after, South Central’s Falynn Schumacher started pole vaulting and Autumn Fry was warming up for the discus in the Division V finals. Both seniors came in seeded to place, and both did just that as Schumacher cleared 11-00 for the first time to place seventh, Fry hurled the discus 129-4 into the wind for sixth — this came a day after senior Lauren Ingram reached the podium in high jump.
“I knew I had to battle for my spot,” Schumacher said. “I wanted to go out with a bang, getting a PR and making it on the podium is a great thing.”
“Discus really set the mood for today,” Fry added. “It really made me upbeat, happy, and cheery.”
So when the three of them linked up alongside senior Kaili Ingram for the 4×100 relay final — seeded 14th entering prelims — they knew they already exceeded expectations and wanted to just leave it all on the track.
“That really brought the mood for what we could do today,” Schumacher said. “I think we really showed out.”
Clocking a 50.15 placed them sixth, not bad for a relay that Lauren Ingram said had only run together three times entering the weekend.
“And we’re lucky to even be here,” Kaili added. “We dropped the baton in district prelims and ran a 55. We were in Lane 8 for those finals and now we’re at state — that’s just crazy.”
Clear Fork duo tap into underdog mentality
Junior Nash Evans and senior Julian Mills were competing at the same time in the late afternoon of the Division III championships.
They had no idea they were both outperforming their seedings in the long jump and discus throw respectively until they were in the tent preparing to step on the podium after earning All-Ohio honors.
“I was seeded second to last and I snuck in the finals,” Mills said. “Nobody expected me to do anything, so I got after it … I’m not letting anybody down or letting myself down. It was nice to get a big PR.”
Mills’ final throw of the day (155-6) proved to be the one to get him on the podium taking him out of ninth into eighth. He needed a three-foot PR just to get the final All-Ohio spot, something he expected considering the level of competition.
“We have a steep division,” Mills said; Firelands’ Brett Beury won by 15½ feet with a nationally-ranked throw of 188-8. “It’s the best throws division, there’s a lot of D-I guys. I can think of five off the top of my head on the podium that are going D-I, it’s just awesome to go out and compete with those kind of guys.”
While Mills was throwing against elite competitors, Evans was jumping against them.
“The competition was insane, I think we definitely have one of the best divisions” he said. “There’s two guys jumping 24 which is a college level jump.”
His first jump of finals was 22-4 which was good enough to break the school record and move up one spot into where he would finish; he came in seeded ninth. The top two finishers were Jay’vier Kerr of Glenville who jumped 24-plus on all four clean attempts going 24-6 on his final try, and Wheelersburg’s Kenyon Evans (24-1½) — both are nationally ranked jumps.
“I’m happy to get sixth,” Evans said.
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Willard, South Central, Clear Fork longshots end Day 2 on the podium
Reporting by Zachary Holden, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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By Zachary Holden, Mansfield News Journal | USA TODAY Network
