Eastwood won the Division II girls district track meet at Oak Harbor, scoring 86 points to the host Rockets, which finished as runner-up with 79 points. Lake was ninth with 30 points and Genoa 11th with 27 points.

Qualifying for the Lexington regional is Eastwood senior Kaitlyn Nicely in the 100 after finishing as district runner-up in 13.56, four one-hundredths of a second behind winner Alexi Levin (Otsego), a junior who finished in 13.52.

Two Eastwood hurdlers qualified in the 300 — junior Whitney Hoodlebrink and sophomore Rachel McNay. McNay was runner-up at the district meet (47.9) while Hoodlebrinnk was fourth (49.83).

Two local 4x800 relay teams qualified for regional after finishing one-two at the district meet — Oak Harbor’s team of juniors Kaitlyn Harvey and Kia Frank, freshman Allie Dresser, and senior Kristin Rios and Genoa’s team of sophomores Elizabeth Mosher, Nicole Kraemer, and Bethany Skees, and junior Tiffany Wright. The Rockets were district champs in 10:02.43, while the Comets finished under 10 seconds behind in 10:12.35.

Eastwood and Oak Harbor are also sending the 4x200 teams — senior Kathleen

Eastwood thrower Justin Welch after winning the Division II state discus championship last year at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. (Press file photo by John Pollock/ www.pollock.smugmug.com)

Genoa senior high jumper Jon Lester. (Press file photo by Harold Hamilton/ www.hehphotos.lifepics.com)

Arent and juniors Kelly Bryant, Allison Burkett, and Dayna Setzler from Oak Harbor and sophomore Ericca Hollister, junior Katie Primeau, senior Ashley Seifert, and sophomore Courtney Rolf from Eastwood. The Rocket teams was third at district (1:51.5) and the Eagles fourth (1:51.83).

In the 4x100, again it’s the Eagles and Rockets — for the Rockets its Bryant, Setzler, freshman Alexis Huntebrinker, and junior Kayla Diefenthaler. For the Eagles it’s Seifert, Rolf, senior Katlin Nicely, and junior Vicki Bruning.

In the 4x400, only the Rockets are sending a team after winning the district meet in 4:11.95 — Setzler, Burkett, Rios, and Arent. The Rockets finished as district runner-up (51.26) and the Eagles third (52.03).

Oak Harbor’s Diefenthaler also qualified as an individual in the 200 and Frank in the 3200. Diefenthaler was third at districts in the 200 (27.53), while Frank won the 3200 (11:55.9).

Oak Harbor senior Kristin Rios and Genoa junior Tiffany Wright qualified in the 800. Wright won the district meet in 2:20.35 and Rios was runner-up, trailing by just over one second (2:21.9).

In the discus, Eastwood sophomore Jena Jacoby qualified (110-4 at district), while junior teammate Whitney Hoodlebrink will compete in the high jump after leaping five feet at district. Nicely (15-8¾) and Hoodlebrink (16-3) also qualified in the long jump. Eastwood senior Ashley Fairbanks qualified in the shot put after finishing as district runner-up (34-1).

Genoa sophomore Alysa Malcolm is competing in the pole vault after finishing as district runner-up with a leap of nine feet.

Can Eagles defend?
In the boys meet, the Eagles finished as runner-up to Perkins, trailing the Pirates by four points 97-93. Genoa was seventh with 32 points, Lake ninth with 27 points, and Oak Harbor 11th with 24 points.

The Eagles won last year's state title with a strong showing in the field events. Justin Welch, now a senior, took third in the shot put with a throw of more than 59 feet, and he won the discus with a throw of 196-1, setting a Jesse Owens Stadium record.

Coach Gary White's squad captured the Division II state championship at The Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus. The Eagles scored 47 points to beat runner-up Cortland Lakeview by nine points.

Several key scorers from that Eastwood team have graduated, but the Eagles have plenty of talent returning. White says it will be a difficult task to defend the title this year.

Welch is joined by Genoa junior Brad Szypka in the regional discus throwing event, and Welch is also competing in the shot put (60-6). Welch won the discus at Oak Harbor, tossing 195-5, but not breaking the meet record he set last year (198-6). Szypka finished fourth (157-8).

Eastwood senior Cody Seifert qualified for the regional in the 100 and 200, and teammate, junior Nick Twining, in the 800. Seifert won the 100 (11.56) and 200 (22.49) at the district meet.

Seifert, who will compete at Kent State next season, qualified for last year's state meet in the 100 dash but suffered a pulled hamstring in the semifinals and never finished the race. Seifert is the fastest sprinter in the SLL.

The Eastwood 4x200 relay team of freshman Isiah Conkle, freshman Jon Rogers, junior Nick Twining, and sophomore Kyle Schlumbohm qualified after finishing fourth at district in 1:33.67.

The Eagle 4x100 team of junior Nate Wagner, senior Nick Schmeltz, junior Taylor Depew and sophomore Kyle Conkle qualified after finishing as district runner-up (44.03). Conkle, Twining, Depew, and Schlumbohm also qualified in the 4x400.

Genoa senior Gavan Benadum will join Twining in the 800. Twining was district runner-up (1:57.67) and Benadum was fourth (2:01.65).

Genoa senior Jon Lester will compete in the high jump and long jump, finishing second in the high jump (6-2) and third in the long jump (20-8½). Schlumbohm will be competing in the pole vault (13-4) for the Eagles.

Oak Harbor junior Adam Smercina won the 3200 (10:13.4) and qualified, and in the 1600 Smercina won his preliminary, but did not qualify through the 1600 final.

(For Lake athletes qualifying to regional, see related story in this week’s issue.)

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