Middle School State Meet Review

While our main focus is high school distance running, we wanted to highlight the middle school track and field state meet to showcase the future distance stars of Central Ohio. In this article, we’ll recap the distance event results for athletes who will soon be competing in our coverage area.

4x800: The 4x800 is a relatively new addition to middle school track and field, but it does a great job of showcasing the depth of talent that will eventually compete at the high school level in Central Ohio. On the girls' side, there was strong regional representation, with eight of the 25 qualifying teams feeding into local high schools. Leading this group were the Hilliard Memorial and New Albany relays, which placed third and fourth, respectively. Dublin Karrer was the only other team to finish in the top 10. The remaining qualifiers included Big Walnut (13th), Hilliard Heritage (14th), Hilliard Weaver (18th), Upper Arlington Jones (20th), and Gahanna East (22nd).

On the boys' side, nine teams from the area qualified, including three in the top seven. Worthingway, which feeds into Thomas Worthington, won the event with a time of 8:55. This squad was one of the top middle school teams in the country last fall, so their first-place finish was no surprise—Thomas Worthington appears to be well-positioned for the future. Joining Worthingway in the top seven were Pickerington Lakeview (fourth) and Mount Vernon (seventh). Other qualifiers included Dublin Grizzell, Gahanna East, Pickerington Ridgeview, Upper Arlington Hastings, Olentangy Berkshire, and Worthington McCord.

1600: With no 3200m in middle school competition, the 1600 serves as the longest distance event at the state meet. On the girls' side, six Central Ohio athletes qualified. Beth Baker (Upper Arlington Jones) and Chelsee Fischer (Hilliard Memorial) placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Also qualifying were Hattie Kane (Worthingway – 12th), Maddie Hobbs (Pickerington Lakeview – 17th), Ellery Jepson (Olentangy Berkshire – 18th), and Eva Jones (Sheridan – 23rd).

On the boys' side, six athletes from the region also qualified. Calvin Heithaus (Mount Vernon), Calvin Watson (Worthingway), and Christian Flores (Upper Arlington Hastings) placed third, fifth, and seventh, respectively. Additional qualifiers included Weston Mehl (Worthingway – 21st), Zion Bruton (Whitehall Rosemore – 23rd), and Jackson Finney (Olentangy Liberty – 24th).

800: The third and final distance event of the day was the 800 meters. On the girls' side, four Central Ohio athletes qualified. Maddie Hobbs (Pickerington Lakeview) placed sixth, followed by Beth Baker (Upper Arlington Jones – ninth), Lindsey Cochran (Big Walnut – 15th), and Nora Crabtree (Dublin Karrer – 16th).

On the boys' side, five Central Ohio athletes qualified. Two finished in the top eight: Griffin Hobbs (Pickerington Lakeview – fifth) and Ammon Edwards (Hilliard Memorial – eighth). Other qualifiers included Calvin Heithaus (Mount Vernon – 11th), Jackson Lovely (Pickerington Ridgeview – 22nd), and Calvin Watson (Worthingway – 23rd).

Central Ohio was well-represented at the Middle School State Championships, with dozens of future high school standouts competing in the distance events. In the 4x800, Worthingway took home the boys title, while Hilliard Memorial and New Albany led the way on the girls' side with third- and fourth-place finishes.

The 1600 and 800 also featured strong performances, including top-six finishes from Beth Baker, Chelsee Fischer, Maddie Hobbs, Calvin Watson, Calvin Heithaus, and Griffin Hobbs. With so much young talent already making noise at the state level, the future of Central Ohio distance running looks incredibly bright.