Cincinnati has found its next great high school pole vaulter.
One year after Grant Harrison set records at New Richmond and won back-to-back Division II state titles, Cincinnati Country Day’s Luke Schnieber is re-writing the history books.
He won this year’s DIV indoor state title, then won six of his seven competitions leading into the state meet where he was heavily favored to win.
On the first day of the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association track and field state championships, Schnieber entered the competition at 15 feet and was successful on five of his first six jumps to secure the title at 16-8.
But he wanted more. He set the DV state record at the regional meet and immediately looked to attempt a clearance of 17-5, which would be a new Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium record. Schnieber knocked the bar down on his first two attempts before clearing it on his final try, etching his name into state tournament history.
The junior’s performance highlighted the first day of the 2026 state meet, which consisted of several field event and running championships.
The first major result of the day, and the state championships as a whole, came from the Madeira girls 4×800 meter relay team. Lucy Folger, Macy Mueller, Olivia Naegeli and The Enquirer’s 2025-2026 female Athlete of the Year Natasha Davis took third place in 9:21.79, a 16-second improvement on their regional time and just eight seconds behind state champion Huron.
Madeira senior Anica Rane sat in eighth place in the discus after five throws but unleashed a new personal best of 135-2 to finish in sixth place in her second state meet appearance.
The second girls running final of the day was the girls 3,200-meter run. Seven Hills’ Campbell Coyne capped off a stellar junior year with a seventh-place finish and a personal best of 11:21.77. Georgetown’s Allie Tolle lowered her school record with an 11th-place finish in 11:31.28. Hannah Gemmel finished in 13th place in 11:39.5.
On the running side for the DIV boys, Wyatt Gockerman took third place in the 3,200-meter run in 9:13. His teammate, Jagger Dollenmeyer, was right behind him, taking seventh place in 9:15.95. It was the second podium of the day for both as they teamed up with Andrew Lott and Aidan Murphy to take seventh place in the DIV 4×800 meter relay in 8:00.63.
The Eagles had two field results as well. Senior Isaiah Hinman tied for eighth place in the high jump with a height of 6-0. Owen Clary took 17th place in the shot put, earning a mark of 47-9.5 on his first throw.
MVCA’s Will Sten rounded out the day with an 11th-place finish in the DV 3,200-meter run in 9:52.16.
The DIV and DV field events and running finals will finish Friday, June 5. Division III will complete half of its field events and run the semifinals of most events.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: CCD’s state champ Luke Schnieber vaults into OHSAA track record books
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
