The 3200m race will be one of the many exciting competitions taking place in Akron.
The 2017 OATCCC Indoor State Championship will take place at the Stile Athletics Field House on the campus of the University of Akron on Saturday, March 4th.
This championship meet is the marquee event on the Ohio indoor calendar as the best athletes from throughout the state will make their way to Akron in hopes of attaining individual and team titles.
Fantastic track and field action is expected to be demonstrated in all of the specific disciplines and below we provide a sample of some of the intriguing storylines that we will be closely following.
Natalie Price of Granville High School is the #1 ranked Ohio athlete in the 400m and she'll be looking to cap off her indoor season with the state title in Akron. Price will be challenged by Pickerington Central's Jaydan Wood (Ohio #2) and Emma Lane (Ohio #3) of Mentor High School. All three girls have posted stellar 400m times this season, led by the 55.35 effort that Natalie Price produced at the MileSplit Scholastic Showcase at Spire meet.
Emma Lane and Natalie Price will both be seeking the 400m win at State's.
In the 60m competition, several girls are headed to Akron with championship aspirations. McKenzie Long from Pickerington Central enters with a tie for the top seed time with her 7.55 mark and it's expected that she'll have a strong field of sprinters who will challenge her for the title. Kaylyn Heath of Lakota East shares the top 60m time in D1, as she matched Long's 7.55 effort at the recent MileSplit Scholastic Showcase at Spire meet. Other notable athletes in the field include Granville's Natalie Price and Abby Steiner of Dublin Coffman High School. Price enters state's with an Ohio #4 time of 7.59 while Steiner has secured an Ohio #6 with her 7.69 result.
Pickerington Central's McKenzie Long brings a seed time of 7.55 for the 60m to State's.
Abby Steiner and Natalie Price will be top contenders in the 60m competition.
Alison Guagenti of Olentangy Orange High School will be seeking the 1600m win, but she'll have formidable challengers to contend with as she pursues the state title. The talented 1600m field includes Solon's Olivia Howell and Hilliard Davidson's India Johnson among others. Alison Guagenti brings the top seed time of 5:05.19 with her to Akron this weekend.
Olivia Howell of Solon High School is ranked 3rd in the state in the 1600m event.
Sophie Carrier of Shaker Heights High School enters the 3200m race with the top seed time of 10:55.39 which she achieved at the MileSplit Scholastic Showcase at Spire meet. Carrier will be joined in the 3200m field by a host of talented runners including Hannah Rasmussen of King's High School who currently occupies the Ohio #1 1600m time with her 5:00.32 performance from the recent Akron Rubber City Open meet. Rasmussen is also highly ranked in the state in the 3200m with her 11:06.59 effort from the Cedarville Richey Tune-Up meet in January.
Shaker Heights' Sophie Carrier is the Ohio #1 ranked 3200m runner in D1 this season.
Hannah Rasmussen of King's High School is seeking the 3200m state title in Akron.
In the Shot Put event, Anthony Wayne's Madison Pollard will look to defend her indoor state title as she holds the top seeded throw of 48-3.5 which she achieved at the recent Dave Wottle High School Open meet in Bowling Green.
Madison Pollard from Anthony Wayne HS enters Saturday's event with a throw of 48-3.5.
The Pole Vault competition will see pre-meet favorite, Anna Watson aim to finish off her indoor high school career with a state championship win. Olentangy Orange's Anna Watson owns the top vault of the season with her 13-0 effort at the D1 Central District Indoor meet. Watson will be continuing her athletic career at Indiana University next year.
Anna Watson is one of the many elite athletes entered in the Pole Vault competition.
On the boys side, Connor Duricky and Matt Peare are the top ranked 60m Hurdles athletes entering the state championship. Lake Catholic's Duricky has an 8.06 seed time while Matt Peare is not far behind with his mark of 8.08.
Connor Duricky of Lake Catholic brings a time of 8.06 in the 60m Hurdles to Akron.
Hoover's Matt Peare is the 2nd ranked 60m Hurdles athlete in Ohio with his 8.08 result.
Travis Marx from Reynoldsburg High School enters the state meet with a terrific seed time of 22.00 in the 200m, but it may take a sub 22.00 effort to claim the title due to the impressive collection of talent that Marx will have to contend with on Saturday. His list of challengers include Pickerington Central's Zavien Parker, Dorian Hooker from Sylvania Southview and Thomas Worthington's Kainnan Ramsey.
Travis Marx will look to improve upon his state leading 200m time of 22.00 in Akron.
The 400m championship could come down to a battle between Pickerington Central teammates Zach Robinson and Terry Simuel. These two PC Tigers enter the state championship with the top seed times of 49.82 for Robinson and 50.03 for Simuel.
Pickerington Central's Zach Robinson is motivated to win the state title in the 400m race.
PC's Terry Simuel will look to compete with his training partner Zach Robinson in the 200m.
Johnny Lukins is aiming to cap off his fantastic indoor season with an 800m state title in Akron. Granville High School's Lukins has the top D1 time this season with his 1:55.49 performance at the MileSplit Scholastic Showcase at Spire meet.
Granville's Johnny Lukins is one of the favorites to win the 800m race in Akron.
A loaded field has been assembled for the 1600m race with all 18 qualifiers entering with a time of 4:30 or faster. Among the state title favorites are Dustin Horter from Lakota East High School and Brunswick's Andre Bollam-Godbott. Horter has the #1 seed time of 4:14.73 while Bollam-Godbott is 3rd in the D1 rankings with his 4:16.33 effort from earlier this season.
Dustin Horter and Andre Bollam-Godbott will put spirited efforts toward winning the 1600m.
In the 3200m competition, the field will need to work together to upset the heavy pre-race favorite Hunter Moore of Olentangy Orange High School. Moore enters the state championship with an Ohio #1 time of 9:03.05 and his mark is 9 seconds clear of the next highest seeded athlete and his time also represents a U.S. #3 ranking.
Hunter Moore of Olentangy Orange HS is the 3rd ranked 3200m runner in the country.
In the Pole Vault event, Matt Peare is viewed as the top contender entering the weekend due to his outstanding Ohio #1 vault of 17-0.25 from the Youngstown State Open / High School Meet #3 in February. Peare will be challenged by Greenville's A.J. Frens who owns the D1 Ohio #2 spot with his mark of 15-5.75 from the UK High School Invitational.
Matt Peare of Hoover High School is ranked 4th in the country with his vault of 17-0.25.
Greenville's A.J. Frens will look to pull off the upset in the Pole Vault competition.
David Amstutz of Ashland High School and Bowling Green's Nick Lane appear to be the two top contenders in a deep field of Shot Put athletes. Amstutz enters the state championship as Ohio #1 with his throw of 61-4.5 from the Oberlin College Grand Prix Series meet while Lane occupies the 2nd spot in D1 with his 59-7.5 mark from the University of Findlay High School Invite.
David Amstutz of Ashland High School is the #1 ranked Shot Put athlete in Ohio this season.
Bowling Green's Nick Lane is ranked 2nd in the D1 Shot Put event with his throw of 59-7.5.
In the Triple Jump, Whitmer's Kamontae Cohen enters this weekend as the top ranked athlete with his 45-0.5 effort from the Kent State University #3 meet while in the Long Jump, Quincy Scott from Springfield High School brings his Ohio #1 jump of 22-9.75 with him as he looks to capture the state title.
Kamontae Cohen of Whitmer High School will be seeking the Triple Jump win in Akron.
Quincy Scott of Springfield HS is the top ranked Long Jump athlete in Ohio.
Finally, U.S. #1 ranked Jacob Wickey brings his amazing 78-0 result with him into the Weight Throw competition. While Wickey is rightfully viewed as the state title favorite, but he'll need to throw to his potential to hold off nationally ranked contenders Brent Fairbanks of Austintown Fitch and Bowling Green's Nick Lane.
Medina High School's Jacob Wickey is the #1 ranked Weight Throw athlete in the country.
To learn more about the OATCCC Indoor State Championship, please view the following link:
In closing, sincere thanks are offered to photographer Shawn Conlon for providing most of the pictures that were used in this article.