Girls
Straight off the bat, all eyes to the distance events to kick this Division 2 preview off, as there are two familiar names seeded at the top of the list for both the 800m and 1600m Run: Reese Reaman (Woodridge 2024) and Amy Weybrecht (Gilmour Academy 2024). This comes after going face to face in these events at their respective regional competition: OHSAA Division 2 Region 5 - Youngstown. Asides from this, these two have toed the line against each other prior to the post-season competition, particularly at Woodridge Wrap Up earlier this month.
Starting with the 1600m, these two finished close to each other last year at the 2023 installment of the OHSAA Division 2 Outdoor State Championships, with Reaman taking 3rd and Weybrecht just behind in 4th. This year, now that the previous state champion in the event, Bella Butler (Oakwood 2023), has graduated, this leaves the top spot of the podium open to a new name. Not to leave any names out, the runner-up from last year, Samantha Erbach (Waynesville 2024), who is the third seed coming into the meet, will also be making her return to chase that state title. Erbach and Reaman have both remained undefeated in the event so far this season. Onto the 800m Run, on paper, we could see a photo finish between Weybrecht and Reaman as some may have already seen at the regional competition. Reaman also tops the performance list for that event, but just by nine hundredths of a second, 2:10.00 to Weybrecht's 2:10.09.
As previously mentioned, Samantha Erbach (Waynesville 2024) is also entered into the 1600m as one of the top seeds along with being one of the three listed with a time under 5 minutes for the event. However, on top of that, she actually qualified for every single distance event and is within range to podium in all four: 4x800m Relay, 800m, 1600m, and 3200m Run. This is not the first time Erbach has pulled this combination off however, as we saw during the indoor state championships where she stood on the podium for All-State honors for every single one. Rewind back a little bit further to last years' state championships, she anchored the 4x800m to victory, and followed that up with two podium finishes in the 800m and 1600m Run.
In the throws, with no surprise, Morgan Hallett (Norton 2024) leads the charge in both the Discus and Shot Put going into Day 1 of the Division 2 Championships, as she has solidified herself as one of the top not just in Division 2, but in the entire state the last four years, racking up several state titles along with a countless number of victories along the way. So far this spring, she has gone undefeated in the Discus Throw, and nearly undefeated in the Shot Put, with her only second place finish being from GlenOak Second Sole Eagle Elite back in April. Looking at the records, she has a chance at rewriting the Division 2 records list for the Shot Put, as her personal best of 47-6.25 is within striking range of Rebekah Green (Col. S. Girls 1999)'s 49-2.50 mark set back in 1999; which is one of Ohio's longest standing records to date. While on paper, this may seem like a reach, but as we have seen in Division 2 so far this season, no record is safe.
Out the blocks, there are two names to look out for who could pull off the crown for their respective events, Isabel Evans (John Northridge 2025) in the 100m Hurdles and 300m Hurdles, and Nyla King (Toledo C.C. 2025) in the 100m/200m/400m. For Evans, after two runner-up finishes last year in both events, she has found the spotlight in the hurdles not just this spring, but also during the indoor season as the state champion for the 60m Hurdles. Coming into this meet as the top seed in both events, the John Northridge junior could find herself setting foot on top of that podium as one of Ohio's best hurdlers for this weekend going into her senior year.
For King, she will be joining one of the few at the state championship across all divisions who will be attempting the triple crown for the sprints. As the returning state champion in the 100m Dash, she will be looking to defend that title along with having the chance to add on the 200m and 400m Dash to her collection; two events which she set new personal bests in at her respective regional competition: OHSAA Division 2 Region 6 - Lexington. She won't be out of the clear however, as Jane Kennedy (Hathaway Brown 2025), leads the performance lists in the 400m Dash as the sole sub-55 seed time along with having the hopes to win her first state title and continue her unbeaten streak in the event.