Boys District 2 Recap

District 2 was the second meet of the day at Hilliard Darby and kept the momentum going with a series of fast, high-stakes boys distance races. From breakout performances to dramatic finishes, the competition delivered across all four events.

4x800

Regional Qualifiers: Olentangy Liberty, Lancaster, Hilliard Darby, Olentangy

Once again, inclement weather played a role in slowing down many of the relay times. Both Olentangy Liberty and Lancaster came in with low-7:50 marks on the season, but neither squad broke 8:00 here. Hilliard Darby had a breakout race, finishing just 0.06 seconds behind Lancaster. The final qualifying spot went to Olentangy, who ran 8:13 to hold off strong pushes from Dublin Scioto, Worthington Kilbourne, and Bishop Watterson.

1600

Regional Qualifiers: Brock Jarrett, Mick Temple, Kole Hyer, Zee Rabi

This race was a thriller. While a tight pack of five stayed together for most of the race, it strung out significantly over the final 300–400 meters. Brock Jarrett narrowly edged out Mick Temple at the line, with both clocking 4:13. Third place went to Kole Hyer, who had a huge breakout, dropping over 10 seconds for a personal best of 4:17. The final qualifying spot went to Zee Rabi, who bounced back from illness to break 4:20 for the first time this season. Sam Brockbank ran 4:22 but missed out on regionals, highlighting the depth of this field. Other sub-4:30 finishers included Nathan Evans, Ryan Foisset, and Caleb Martin. Notably, Braydon Nix—one of the projected top finishers—did not finish the race due to health issues.

800

Regional Qualifiers: Aadi Joshi, Gabe McNeil, Brendan Steele, Ty Munroe

What a race from Aadi Joshi. After earning our “Runner of the Week” award a few weeks ago, he’s continued his hot streak, lowering his 800m personal best to 1:53.54 to claim the district title. He was followed by Gabe McNeil and Brendan Steele, both running 1:54, and Ty Munroe in 1:55. Other sub-2:00 performances came from Jack Leonard (1:58.4) and Jacob Ogilbee (1:59.79). A special shoutout goes to Quinn Robinson, who ran 1:56.88 but was disqualified due to a frustrating technicality involving racing shorts.

3200

Regional Qualifiers: Mick Temple, Gordon Kimberly, Michael Kinzer, McKinley Norman

The final distance event of the day didn’t disappoint. As expected, the race went out tactical, with the top eight runners staying tightly packed until the final 800 meters. That’s when four runners—Mick Temple, Gordon Kimberly, Michael Kinzer, and McKinley Norman—made a decisive move. Temple closed hardest to secure the district title, while the other three grabbed the remaining qualifying spots. Just missing out were Holden Gohs, Logan Behm, and Justin Rona, all of whom broke 9:40 but couldn’t crack the top four in an incredibly deep field.

As the dust settles from District 2, the qualifiers head into regionals with confidence and sharp form. With the depth and talent shown here, several of these athletes could be in the mix for podium finishes at the next level—and possibly even at state.