Meet of the Week: The meet of the week for the weekend of March 2nd was a no-brainer… it’s the Wayne Invite! Every year, top runners from around the state flock to Wayne High School in Dayton for this meet. With stiff competition and qualifying standards, Wayne is essentially a state meet preview. There’s a ton of preview information to break down, so let’s get to it.

Wayne is a two-day meet, kicking off on Thursday with the DMR. The girls’ side isn’t quite as loaded as the boys’, but it features Central Ohio’s Gahanna Lincoln along with strong teams like Beavercreek, Troy, Carroll, and Centerville. On the boys’ side, top Central Ohio teams include Dublin Jerome with a relay of Ishida, Bonny, Tyler, and Guerrera; Lancaster with a relay of McNeil, Roush, Jarrett, and Notestine; and Westerville North with a relay of Carlos, Kemp, Wise, and Kerns. Other top competitors in this meet include St. Xavier, Tippecanoe, and Beavercreek. For the girls’ race, I’ll pick Beavercreek, and for the boys’ race, I’ll go with Dublin Jerome.

There is a Rising Stars 3200 for both boys and girls following the DMR, but there aren’t many top Central Ohio competitors in it. Notable names include Lancaster’s Carter Davis and Westerville North’s Gregory Kerns, along with a slew of other Dayton-area runners. The last distance event on Thursday is the 4x800. The girls’ 4x800 doesn’t feature any top Central Ohio relays, and it appears that Westerville North is running their B-team, so this race likely won’t be very competitive.

On Friday, the meet operates similarly to most invitationals. The first distance events of the day will be the Rising Stars and Elite 1600 races. In the Rising Stars races, Central Ohio names in the top heat include Hilliard Davidson’s Laney Tarr and Hilliard Bradley’s Lucy Buschur and Karsyn Komlosi on the girls’ side, and Hilliard Bradley’s Griffin Ley, Gregory Kerns, and Dublin Scioto’s Nathan Evans on the boys’ side.

The Elite 1600 races feature some high-profile names. On the girls’ side, top runners include Teays Valley’s Katy Zang, Olentangy Orange’s Bella Conforti, Hilliard Davidson’s Ashley Alsko, and Grove City’s Aubrey Smith. Other Central Ohio competitors in the elite field include Hilliard Davidson’s Gemma Pusateri, Anna Gagliano, and Sophia Tartaglia, as well as Gahanna Lincoln’s Olivia Smeck. For this race, I’m picking Katy Zang for the win. On the boys’ side, top Central Ohio contenders include Dublin Jerome’s Graham Tyler, Lancaster’s Brock Jarrett, Westerville North’s Casey Carlos, and Dublin Jerome’s Ethan Ishida. Other Central Ohio names in the elite field include Lancaster’s Charlie Cooperrider, Dublin Scioto’s Owen Kockentiet, Hilliard Bradley’s Anton Shishlo, Westerville North’s Noah Kemp, and Olentangy Orange’s Bradyn Allender. Allender and several others are in the first heat of the elite field. This one’s going to be close, but I’ll take Dayton-area phenom Sam Darmanie to win the race.

The 800 isn’t quite as deep for Central Ohio runners, but still features some notable names. Top Central Ohio runners on the girls’ side include Olentangy Liberty’s Bridget Snider, Hilliard Davidson’s Laken Wenclewicz, and Dublin Jerome’s Abbie McBrearty. Olentangy Berlin’s Elliana Alonso and Bella Conforti should also be in the mix. I’ll pick the non-Central Ohio name Addy Abner to win this one. There are only two Central Ohio runners in the boys’ 800: Westerville North’s Gabe Wise and Lancaster’s Gabe McNeil. Each could be a factor in this race, but I’m going with Northeast Ohio’s Adrian Stechschulte to take the win.

The final distance event of the day, as always, is the 3200. This race is our Matchup of the Week for both the girls and boys, so we’ll save most of our analysis for below. We do, however, want to highlight a few runners who may not be title contenders but still bring strong competition to their heats. On the girls’ side, this includes Gahanna Lincoln’s Ruby Lewis and Olivia Smeck, and Olentangy Berlin’s Grace Heitkamp. On the boys’ side, keep an eye on Dublin Scioto’s Michael Kinzer and Mckinley Norman, Westerville North’s Jeffery Kerns and Bradyn Allender, and Dublin Jerome’s Lincoln Kelly.