Regional Track Roundup: Pleasant 4x800 relay wins; Faggs just missed state in long jump
PICKERINGTON — Marion Harding senior Kaedan Faggs was left with mixed emotions Wednesday night at the Division I track and field regional at Pickerington North.
Faggs had never jumped as far as he did, but it wasn't quite enough for a state berth.
"That's a new PR for the entire season," he told the Newark Advocate's Kurt Snyder. "I'm pretty upset by not making it to state, but I can't be that upset because this is definitely the farthest I made it, especially only jumping for two years. This is definitely a good point to be in."
Faggs measured a 21-9.5 for fifth place, three-quarters of an inch away from William Baumann of Westerville North who was fourth.
The top four finalists in each of Ohio's four regions earn automatic spots into next week's state meet. There are two at-large bids in every event given to the best two non-automatic qualifiers, but those went to a pair of jumpers competing in southwest Ohio.
"I was definitely feeling it today. I was shooting for a 22. I knew that would get me into the finals for sure and advance on to state," Faggs said. "Hitting the 21-9.5, I've got to be happy with that."
Faggs made Friday's regional finals for the boys 4x100-meter relay along with Brennin Beechum, Te'Sean Jefferson and Trinity Keith, running a 42.08. Brennin qualified in the 400 with a 49.56, while Harding's 4x100 girls team of Beautifull Drake, Shealana Booker, Bre Card and Abrianna Smith moved to Friday with a 49.45.
Division III Regional
Pleasant's girls 4x800 relay team of Kalyn Kimball, Whitney Waddell, Olivia Pratt and Casey Kimball not only earned a state berth, but they won the D-III regional title at Chillicothe Southeastern on Wednesday.
The Spartans ran a 10:01.14, an incredible 21 seconds faster than their district time that seeded them fifth in the regional.
Also taking a state spot was the Mount Gilead boys 4x800 relay of Aaron Gannon, Ethan Honzo, Seamus Walsh and Michael Snopik who finished third in 8:15.4.
No one else from the area qualified for state during Wednesday's field finals. Elgin's Kenya Dillon and Cardington's Meagan Greenawalt tied for seventh in the girls high jump at 4-10, while Mount Gilead's Wyatt Harriman was eighth in the boys pole vault at 11-4, and Pleasant's Maddie Aurigemma was 11th in the girls shot put at 31-11.
Elgin's Cy Starcher turned in the fastest boys 100 time with an 11.27 and was second in the 200 at 22.24 to qualify for Friday's regional finals.
Other boys finalists coming out of the prelims are MG's Garrett Lamb-Hart and Gavan Davis in the 110 hurdles, Cardington's Tyler Rose in the 200, MG's winning 4x100 unit of Matthew Bland, Logan High, Kyan Davis and Quade Harris, MG's 4x200 squad of Owen and Logan High, Kyan Davis and Harris and the Indians' 4x400 team of Bland, Colson Chapman, Walsh and Snopik.
Five area girls sprint relay teams made Friday's finals. In the 4x100 will be Mount Gilead's Grace Shipman, Asia Jones, Faith White and Madilyn Elson, Cardington's Hazel Jolliff, Greenawalt, Alexis Crone and Olivia Holt, and Elgin's Tiffany Hix, Sarah St. Germain, Addison Holland and Dillon. In the 4x200 will be Mount Gilead's Shipman, Jones, White and Elson and Elign's Hix, Brooklyn Mathews, Grace Waldo and Dillon.
Two other relays will compete in the girls 4x400: Pleasant's Casey Kimball, Pratt, Marissa Reinhart and Waddell and Cardington's Jolliff, Magi Hallabrin, Crone and Holt.
Jolliff made the finals in the girls 300 hurdles and Waddell did the same in the girls 400. No other area competitors escaped the prelims.
The rest of the field events and all running events, except for the already contested 4x800 relay, will be finals for the regional on Friday.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Regional Track Roundup: Pleasant 4x800 relay wins title, state berth
