MARION – Rachel Miller’s girls went “all in” against a Rachel Miller clone and didn’t flinch.
Overcoming four firsts and three records from Shelby senior Princess Timko, Ontario used remarkable lineup depth to end Shelby’s five-year reign and give the Warriors a title sweep in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference track and field meet.
The two-day showcase concluded Thursday at Marion’s Grant Middle School with the Ontario boys riding seven firsts to a 162-132 winning margin over Clear Fork while the girls scored 141 points despite only two event champions to hold off Shelby (134.5) and Clear Fork (128).
It was the third boys title in Miller’s three years of overseeing Ontario’s entire program and the first conference title for the girls since Miller won three events and anchored a runner-up relay in the final year of the Northern Ohio League in 2017.
Miller would go on to win a state title that year for Ontario in the 300 hurdles, which, oddly enough, she did not run in the NOL meet. And while she didn’t need to compete in her specialty to impact those standings, she would probably tell you being part of this end to a conference title drought – nine years later – is more gratifying.
“I think what makes us special is our depth,” Miller said of her girls. “We have people who will step up … they just will. I call them ‘sleepers.’ Other people won’t see them coming and they choose to show up and step up.
“A big one who comes to mind is Jazlyn Johnson. She had never gone over a hurdle until Monday, but we told her we were going to put her in the 300 hurdles and she got third. Six points in a race she had never run until today. We had people like that, in numbers, on our team. That’s what it takes.”
Winning races for the Ontario girls were the 4×800 relay (9:55.62) in Tuesday’s only running final and Audrey Mahon in the 200 dash (25.77). Ultimately, the difference was the Warriors’ ability to score in bunches. They had double placers in seven events, including 2-3 finishes in the 300 hurdles and 800.
The Ontario boys dominated in a different fashion, winning seven of the 12 races. Xavier Trent repeated in the 1600 (4:26.48) and finished second in the 800 to fellow senior and teammate Xander Chitwood (2:02.13). Those two joined 400 champ Jace Young (50.49) and Michael Ward to set a meet record in the 4×8 (7:55.96).
Rounding out the firsts for Ontario were its 4×200 relay (1:30.29), James Unger in the 300 hurdles (41.68) and Tre Fowler in the 200 (22.13).
“I’m very proud of the boys,” Miller said. “They’ve put in hours and hours … years … and this was very much earned, 100 percent, across the board, by this team.”
Fowler was dethroned in the 100 by Clear Fork’s Nash Evans and was beaten to the tape on the anchor leg of the 4×2 by Shelby’s Gavin Baker before bouncing back to beat both of them in the 200.
“Here’s a kid who was struggling with finishing second,” Miller said. “There’s plenty of kids who would kill to finish in second place, but Tre wants more, he expects more. He was upset after the 100 and I told him to go take the 200. He gave me a confident nod and I knew he was going to do it. That’s just who he is.”
Fowler, who missed a meet record in the 200 by .01, admitted that he was driven by disappointment.
“I really wanted to win MOAC back-to-back (in the 100), but it didn’t happen, so I knew in my heart I had to come back in the 200,” he said. “Don’t hold your head down. When things aren’t going your way, keep pushing. You have more opportunities. You have to forget the losses because they prevent you from winning. (Coach Miller) told me not to worry about it, go get the 200, so I did what she told me.”
What a day for Timko
Competing in four events for the first time in her career, Timko had trouble walking on her own after winning her final race, the 300 hurdles, in the meet record time of 45.93.
That’s what leaving it all on the track looks like.
Timko’s other meet records came as a member of the 4×100 relay and in the 100 dash (12.24), which she ran on the heels of winning the 100 hurdles (15.78).
She has been a standout sprinter since Day One of her varsity career, but has mostly just dabbled in the hurdles – and only then in the last two seasons.
“I did it today for the (team) points,” said the University of Findlay commit. “We have a girl, Karlie Walp, who usually does the 100 hurdles (she was the 2025 MOAC champ), but she had a softball game today, so I needed to get us those points.”
Timko has practically set a PR every time she runs a hurdles race.
“At first I was really, really nervous running them, but after running them a few times and not falling on my face, I kind of liked them,” she said. “(The 100 hurdles) definitely messes with my 100 (dash) time, but I knew we needed the points.”
By the end of the meet, running four events had definitely taken its toll.
“On the final curve (of the 300s), I felt like giving up, but I just pushed myself between the final hurdles. I told myself to just run,” Timko said. “I definitely still think of myself as a sprinter, but I’m liking the hurdles more as they come along.”
Celebrated teammate Madison Henkel, a reigning state long jump champion, had a hand in 24 points for Shelby on Thursday after a rare off day on Tuesday. She anchored the record-setting 4×1 and finished runner-up in the 200 and third in the 100, showing her resiliency after failing to make the long jump finals on Tuesday.
With several 19 foot jumps to her credit this year, Henkel fouled on her first two attempts and couldn’t get untracked, managing only a mark of 11-4 in a last-ditch attempt to make the finals.
“It was super tough mentally because I’m used to winning,” said the Coastal Carolina commit. “Last year I was undefeated until nationals, so having a tough day like (Tuesday) was super hard mentally. But I just had to come in today prepared and do what I knew I was capable of. I haven’t had a day like that in a long time, so I needed that to light a fire under me.
“Last year I had kind of the same problem here with my steps being inconsistent, which is very bizarre, because my steps have been very consistent since indoor season. With all the sports I play, volleyball and track, there are highs and lows in them all. You really just learn to put it behind you because dwelling on it only makes it worse. You just naturally learn over the years to move on, especially being a senior. That’s all you can do.”
In addition to anchoring the winning 4×1, Gavin Baker set a meet record in winning the 110 hurdles for Shelby (14.40). The Whippets’ other champ on the boys side was Clayton Mitchell in the shot put (52-9.5).
Clear Fork cleans up
It might not show in the standings, but the Colts didn’t have to take a backseat to anyone when it came to dynamic performances.
Overall, their boys and girls finished with a league-best 13 firsts, including eight on the girls side – six more than team champ Ontario and four more than runner-up Shelby.
Junior Asia Bechtel was a quadruple champ, winning the long jump (16-9.25) and the long jump (5-2) in addition to running on the winning 4×4 (4:00.69) and 4×2 (1:46.19).
The crew of Bechtel, repeat 400 champ Taylor Bly (56.64), repeat 800 champ Quinn Stover (2:20.89) and Katie Beck set a meet record by seven seconds, while Katrina Neal swept the 1600 (5:10.58) and 3200 (11:23.16).
Coach Eric Beck’s boys set the tone on Tuesday, coming away with three field event winners in threepeat high jump champ Davis Hoeflich (6-6), repeat long jump champ Nash Evans (21-1.75) and discus champ Julian Mills (143-10), the 2025 shot put champ.
Evans came back Thursday to win the 100 (11.04) and the Colts capped the meet by winning the boys 4×400 (3:28.70).
Evans has consistently been over 21 feet in the long jump this spring. His biggest splash in this meet was dethroning the 100 champ.
“It felt pretty good the last 20 meters,” he said. “I kind of hunted (Fowler) down at the end. When I see someone in front of me it pushes me harder and obviously brought me the win. Going to state last year in the 4×2 gave me the experience of getting that far and I’m hoping to get back this year.
Evans has tried to use his performance at this year’s Mehock Relays as a springboard. He ran a 10.96 to finish third in the 100 behind only two sprinters from team champ Fremont Ross.
“That proved to me that I could run pretty fast if I put my mind to it,” Evans said. “ If I could get sub-11 again, I’d feel pretty good about myself. I think I can do it, with the competition. I run better when I have a lot of people pushing me and I’m chasing people down.”
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: A complete group effort: Ontario girls join three-peating boys atop MOAC
Reporting by Jon Spencer, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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