Five storylines to watch in Greater Cincinnati high school track and field – Cincinnati.com
Five storylines to watch in Greater Cincinnati high school track and field Cincinnati.com
A look ahead to the 2019 high school track and field season around Greater Cincinnati.
A video recap of the action from the first day of the OHSAA track and field championships on Friday, June 1, 2018, at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium The Enquirer/Adam Baum
Track and field in Greater Cincinnati starts Saturday, March 23. Here are five storylines to watch heading into the season.
Can the Princeton girls repeat their strong 2018 state showing?
At the Division I state championship meet last season, the Princeton girls team notched the most points by a Greater Cincinnati area school, boys included, with a 19-point, 10th-place finish.
Angel Gazaway took home the state title in the 300-meter hurdles, finished seventh in the 100-meter hurdles and anchored a 4×400 team that claimed a fifth-place finish.
But Gazaway has graduated, and the Vikings must press on without their highly touted runner. Princeton does return a strong core of returning players, though, and head coach Darren Braddix views the depth of his team as a strength.
“We may not have a team full of superstars, but we have one of the most talented and well-rounded teams to come through here in years,” Braddix said, adding “all relay records will be challenged this year.”
Will Lakota East continue its string of top runners in the state?
Dustin Horter capped off his career last season with a Division I state championship in the 1,600-meter run, a feat that he had accomplished the season prior as well. Horter also nabbed a third-place finish in the 3,200-meter run. The accolades cemented him among the best runners to ever come out of the area.
With Horter’s departure, the reigns may have already been handed to a new Thunderhawk, albeit a sprinter as opposed to a distance runner — junior Serena Clark.
Clark helped the Lakota East girls win the 4×100 relay last year, and individually she finished second in the 100-meter dash. Clark was a big piece of the Thunderhawks’ state success last year, and should play and even bigger role heading into this season.
Can Withrow replace J’Alyiea Smith?
J’Alyiea Smith finished her illustrious high school running career last season by winning the 100-meter hurdles, placing fifth in the long jump and fifth in the high jump. The 100-meter hurdle victory was added to her two previous wins in the 300-meter hurdles, which she had captured in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
Smith’s departure leaves big shoes to fill, and if the Tigers are to enjoy the same success this season as they did in the past three plus, they will need to find someone who can rise to the occasion.
Can Moeller build on its 2018 success?
The Crusaders ran well at the Division I state meet, placing third in the 4×100 relay and setting a school record with a time of 42.08. Additionally, Ryan Smith placed fifth in the shot put.
Moeller lost most of that production to graduation, however, as Sean Delany, Eric Wills and Jared Regruth from the 4×100 team were seniors, and Smith was as well. R.J. Khayo will return to lead a Moeller squad that will look to best a strong 2018 season.
Conant Smith’s decorated high school career comes to a close
Conant Smith won a state championship in cross country this past fall, as well as notching Gatorade Runner of the Year for boys cross country. As a result, he was likely to enter the track season as the odds-on favorite to take home some hardware in the distance events at the state meet, pushing the times of runners like Dustin Horter.
But Smith’s high school running career ended early, as the senior announced via Twitter March 5 that an injury would sideline him for the duration of the track season.
“I am so proud to have run for (Middletown),” Smith wrote. “Being a Middie is something I’ll be proud of my whole life, and of course my senior track season would have capped it off.”
NEWSLETTERS
Thank you! You’re almost signed up for Bengals Beat
Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration.
Smith will continue running at Arizona State University.
More: High school athletes, RSVP today for the Cincinnati.com Sports Awards
Coaches notebook
Tom Smith, Batavia boys and girls – After some lean years in field events in the past, Smith notes his team is poised to show improvement.
“We will be significantly better in the field events this year,” Smith said. “There have been years where we did not have anyone competing in pole vault or high jump. That will not be the case this year.”
Jeff Timmers, CHCA boys and girls – For the boys, Timmers likes his increased numbers, providing depth that was present in previous years.
“What I like about the boys team this year is the addition of many quality sprinters,” Timmer said. “Last year we didn’t have the depth it may give us an opportunity to be in the mix for an MVC title. I believe the sprint team has a shot at breaking the 400-meter relay and will give them an opportunity for a state qualifying time.”
While Timmers likes his sprinting depth on the boys team, he views his distance runners as the strength of the girls squad.
“For the girls, I am excited to see what our distance team can do to help our overall performance in each meet,” Timmers said. “It will be the strongest aspect of our team this year and I’m hoping that will motivate our hurdlers, sprints and field events.”
Scott Rolf, Clinton Massie boys – The Falcons had a strong 2018 showing, winning an SBAAC title and placing third in the Division II district meet. The team lost a bevy of players to graduation, however, and the youth Clinton Massie has left Rolf with questions regarding the ceiling and floor of his team.
“I am excited about our numbers so far,” Rolf said. “However, we are young, inexperienced, and unproven. We definitely have potential and I’m curious about how good we could be with a full and healthy team.”
Scott Menze, Harrison boys and girls – The boys team finished in seventh place in the Southwest Ohio Conference in 2018, while the girls finished in sixth. Menze is optimistic about his participation and team mentality heading into the 2019 season.
“Our numbers are good with a nice mix of youth and experience,” Menze said. “They have been enthusiastic and coachable.”
Susan Savage, Indian Hill boys and girls – The Indian Hill boys track and field team finished first in the Cincinnati Hills League, were district champions and placed third at the regional championship.
The Braves are led by Ben Bayless, who has signed to run for the University of Dayton and will seek to make a state-wide splash in the 3200-meter run.
More: Heart & Hustle: Ben Bayless paces Indian Hill with hard work, grit
“The athletes are willing to try different events,” Savage said. “They have the flexibility to fill holes in the lineup.”
For the girls team, they will once again be paced by senior Anna Podojil and junior Ellie Podojil, who are both set to play soccer for the University of Arkansas. The Braves finished first in the CHL last season and display a strong sense of camaraderie.
“The girls really care about each other and work well together,” Savage said. “The team has a great deal of depth. It should be an exciting spring.”
Brenton Eisenhard, Lakota West boys and girls – Last season the boys team finished third in the Greater Miami Conference, while the girls finished in fifth.
“We’ve got a great group of underclassmen blended with a very talented group of juniors and seniors,” Eisenhard said. “I’m excited to see what this group of guys and girls can do.”
Herb Laughman, Loveland girls – The Indians are hoping to build on a third-place finish in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference last season. Laughman is excited by the mentality of his team.
“From top to bottom, the girls are ready to compete and win,” he said. “The offseason workouts, indoor track and overall attitude of the team has been unbelievable. Big things await this team if they continue to work and commit.”
Josh Dooley, Madeira boys and girls – Both boys and girls finished fourth in the Cincinnati Hills League last season. Dooley likes the chemistry of his team heading into this season.
“The morale and team camaraderie,” Dooley said of Madeira’s strengths. “They work extremely hard and have fun while doing all they can to be successful.”
Brian Laiveling, Seton – Laiveling’s squad finished fifth in Girls Greater Catholic League play last season, but he likes the talent distribution of his team entering the 2019 season.
“I like the balance on our team this year,” Laiveling said. “We have talent in every event group, girls who will place highly in any meet we attend. We have girls who are capable of being all-league in every area on the track and in the field. Often, teams will be dominant in some areas and weak in others, but I think this team will score points in every event group.”
James Tenhundfeld, Taylor boys – Like the girls team, the Taylor boys team features plenty of youth after losing nine seniors from last season. Junior Chase Grauel ran a school record 4:25.99 in the 1,600-meter at state last year, placing 10th.
“This is the youngest team I have ever had in 14 years of coaching track,” Tenhundfeld said. “With the loss of nine seniors last year, very few athletes have varsity experience. However, our numbers are the highest they’ve ever been, and we have a lot of athleticism. I think once we get everyone into their best events, we are going to surprise a lot of people.”
Jeff Smith, Taylor girls – Taylor is led by Hanna Korte, a Cleveland State University track and cross-country signee. Korte is nearing the school record for the 3,200-meter run and heads an otherwise young group of players. Smith said he likes the fact the team is comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores.
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
1 of 28
2 of 28
3 of 28
4 of 28
5 of 28
6 of 28
7 of 28
8 of 28
9 of 28
10 of 28
11 of 28
12 of 28
13 of 28
14 of 28
15 of 28
16 of 28
17 of 28
18 of 28
19 of 28
20 of 28
21 of 28
22 of 28
23 of 28
24 of 28
25 of 28
26 of 28
27 of 28
28 of 28Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions