Link to LIVE Webcast of OATCCC Indoor State Championships
Saturday, March 8, 2014 (D1 @ 9:30am, D2/3 @ 3:30pm)
After roughly 10 weeks of competition we have arrived at the pinnacle of our indoor season. It has been another very successful year for Ohio athletes, with numerous national top marks and tough competition setting the stage for this weekend's OATCCC Indoor State championships in Akron. Here is a quick guide to see who to watch out for this weekend:
Girls 4x800- We start off with a strong field, with eight teams under 10 minutes coming in. The field is led by Perrysburg, the clear favorite with their state-leading time of 9:37. They will be challenged by the young teams of Geneva and Granville. Watch out for St. Ursula and Mason from Cincinnati, as both teams are capable of dropping serious time.
Boys 4x800- St. Xavier is the state leader with their time of 8:09 from the UK Invite. It will be interesting to see if they run their top team in this meet. Michael Hall and Michael Vitucci are ranked 1-2 in the state for the 1600 currently, so they may decide not to run on the relay. Still, the cross country state champs will present a formidable squad to contend with. Mason is hot on their heels, led by senior Ethan Valentine. It should be a tight, exciting race, as just over 4 seconds separates 3rd and 16th in the rankings.
Girls 60H- This looks to be a two-horse race between Jocselyn Powell of Canal Winchester and Marinice Bauman of Olentangy. Powell recently edged Bauman at the Arnold Classic and the two went 2-3 respectively at last year's Outdoor State meet.
Boys 60H- This may be the premier event of the day. Ohio boasts seven runners in the top 25 nationally in this event, including the top two. Of those seven, four are set to compete in the D1 race. Davon Anderson of Glenville was the state champ of South Carolina last year and will look to pick up where he left off with a national-leading time of 7.84 coming in.
Girls 60M- Should be a good tight race here with all 16 competitors under eight seconds coming in to the meet. The current state leader, Autumn Heath of Lakota East, is the early favorite.
Boys 60M- Malcolm Johnson of Sylvania Southview is the early state leader. He will be attempting to go after the state record set by Khoury Crenshaw last year. Currently he is ranked third in the US.
Girls 4x200M- Another good race on hand here, with 5 teams separated by less than two seconds coming in. Gahanna Lincoln and Solon both rank inside the US top 25 in this race and the winner could come down to handoffs.
Boys 4x200M- State leader Austintown Fitch is not scheduled to run, but US #4 Glenville is. They are the clear favorites going in, but there are plenty of teams waiting to take the crown should the Tarblooders stumble.
Girls 1600M- Lainey Studebaker of Centerville is the clear-cut favorite to take home the title, nearly 13 seconds ahead of her nearest competition. She was 9th in the outdoor version of this event last year as a freshman.
Boys 1600M- Hall and Vitucci are 1-2 coming in, but they lead a strong pack of experienced runners. Kyle Mau of Hudson was third in this event last year, and Kevin Blank of Solon was third at last year's outdoor meet in 4:10.
Girls 400M- Karrington Winters and Stephanie Ferrante will duke it out again to see who takes home the title. These two went head-to-head last summer, with Winters emerging victorious. Look for another good race here.
Boys 400M- The entire field here is within 2 seconds of each other, led by Jalen Wells and his sub-50 time. This will be not only a race against each other, but a race against the clock to see who winds up on the podium.
Girls 800M- This field is a close one with the winner being anyone's guess. the first nine spots are separated by two seconds coming in, led by Mckenzie Pfeifer of McAuley.
Boys 800M- Another tight field with the first nine competitors already sub-2 minutes and the whole field separated by 5 seconds. Should be a good tight race with Caleb Andreason and Tyler Otterstedt leading the way.
Girls 200M- If it wasn't for the Gause sisters, Jelvon Butler from Solon would probably have a state title already. She goes for her first one here as the only competitor so far under 25 seconds. Ferrante follows as she tries to go for the double.
Boys 200M- A loaded field with Brandon Bolden of Solon leading the way. Nick Gray, Shaun Crawford and Malcolm Johnson all will try to catch him as they go for the gold.
Girls 3200M- State record-holder Annie Heffernan of St. Ursula leads the charge fresh off her fieldhouse record-performance at the UK Invitational. She looks to repeat as state champ, with Aundrea Busse of Springboro the two seed as she goes for sub-11.
Boys 3200M- This might have the deepest field of any running event. With 11 sub-9:40 entrants, this race could set a blistering pace. Mitch Leitch and Jake Mandel of Dublin Jerome currently are the top two in the event, but don't count out Toby Hardwick of Newark. He was a Footlocker finalist this fall and knows how to run in tough races.
Girls 4x400M- Gahanna Lincoln, Austintown Fitch, and Pickerington Central look to be the ones to duke it out. These three teams are five seconds clear of everyone else, but who makes the podium is still plenty up in the air.
Boys 4x400M- Thurgood Marshall comes in as the favorite, with a state-leading time of 3:25. Should be a tight bunch to see who makes the podium
Girls HJ- Cassie Martin of Strongsville, Olga Branney of Green and Michaela Wenning of Celina have all cleared 5-6 so far this indoor season. This group will have to hold off a host of other girls within a couple inches to claim the title.
Boys HJ- An extremely tight pack is led by John Harris of Pickerington North. With the whole group within four inches of eacher other, this is anyone's event.
Girls PV- Jade Hawkins leads the way with a season-best jump of 12-3. It looks like 11 feet is the benchmark to make the podium this indoor season.
Boys PV- Another loaded field features seven jumpers already over 15 feet! They are led by Bryan Justice of Licking Heights at 15-6. This could come down to misses and 14-6 isn't guaranteed of making the podium.
Girls LJ- Defending outdoor champ Olivia Small of Big Walnut is the leader right now with a jump of 18-6. With a best jump ever over 19 feet, we could see a big mark at the meet.
Boys LJ- Defending outdoor state champ Jordan Latimer of Wayne looks to keep the momentum rolling here as he has already almost cleared 23 feet this indoor season. Ronald Bonner of Pickerington is not far behind.
Girls S- Gabby Figueroa of Austintown Fitch is one of the nation's best throwers and she goes for the gold here. She will be challenged by Kaylee Antill of Tri-Valley, sitting only 4.25 inches behind.
Boys S- John Maurins of Mentor is the clear favorite with a state-leading throw of 62-11.5. His throw currently ranks 6th in the US.
Girls WT- Figueroa is the national leader in the event, nearly six feet further than any other thrower nationally. She goes for teh double victory here. Kaylee Antill sits 10 feet behind, but she is still US #9.
Boys WT- Nick Lane may be a freshman, but he is also the national freshman class record holder in this event. His mark of 65-2.5 is also US #16 and a solid bet to take home the gold.
Girls TJ- Olivia Small from Big Walnut comes in as the state leader and goes for the double title. She is followed by Elizabeth Obi of Solon
Boys TJ- Jordan Latimer tries to defend his state championship from last year in this event and go for the double title. He will face competition from Bolden of Solon.