By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Portage County will be well represented at the OHSAA’s state championship meet in Dayton.

The three-day event begins on Thursday and will continue on Friday before closing on Saturday.

Here is a complete list of all of the state qualifiers from all three divisions:

Division I State Qualifiers: https://milesplit.live/meets/568366

Division II State Qualifiers: https://milesplit.live/meets/568367

Division III State Qualifiers: https://milesplit.live/meets/568370

Seated Athlete Qualifiers: https://milesplit.live/meets/568368

Here is a look at all of the Portage County track and field standouts that qualified for the state championships.

LUCAS POLLARD

Field, junior, Division II

Event: 300 Hurdles

State qualifying time: 39.18

State championship race time: Friday, 11:45 a.m. (semifinals); Saturday, 11:05 a.m. (finals)

Notes: Pollard has consistently been a team leader, and county leader, in times throughout the season. He placed 2nd overall in the event at the Metro Athletic Conference championships and has provided points to the Falcons in both hurdle events (110 and 300) each week. Pollard has also set the school record twice in the event this season.

TREVOR DIXON

Field, sophomore, Division II

Event: High jump and long jump

State qualifying heights: 21-1.75 (long jump); 6-5 (high jump)

State championship event time: Friday, 9 a.m.

Notes: Dixon clearing the bar at 6-foot-5 won him a regional championship at Youngstown and also set a new school record.

“It has been a fantastic season for Trevor,” head coach Ed Conroy said. “He is a quick learner and has a great deal of natural talent. I think his strongest point is that he doesn’t seem to feel the pressure in big competitions.”

FIELD BOYS 4×800 RELAY

Legs: Evan Pruszynski, Billy Silk, Lucas Pollard, Sean Silk.

State qualifying time: 8:00.06

State championship race time: Friday, 9:15 a.m.

Notes: Featuring four of the Falcons’ most talented runners, the relay group advanced to the state championships as an at-large after finishing fifth overall at the Youngstown Division II regional. The quartet was second at the MAC Championships. The group is also the new owners of the school record in the event.

LOGAN BORDER

Field, freshman, Division II

Event: 110 Hurdles

State qualifying time: 15.00

State championship race time: Friday, 9:40 a.m. (semifinals); Saturday, 10 a.m. (finals)

Notes: Border is one of two underclassmen that qualified for the state championships, joining Trevor Dixon, who qualified in two different events (long jump, high jump). Border burst onto the scene this year after excelling as a middle-school competitor. Between Pollard and Border, the Falcons feature one of the best one-two runners in the hurdles in the entire state.

SEAN SILK

Field, senior, Division II

Event: 1,600 Meters

State qualifying time: 4:20.63

State championship race time: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.

Notes: Silk has been one of the Falcons’ premier runners over the last two seasons, carrying the team in multiple events. He has also qualified as the anchor leg of the Falcons’ 4×800 relay team. His state-qualifying time is the fastest in the mile in all of Portage County this year.

AIDEN RODSTROM

Rootstown, senior, Division III

Event: 110 Hurdles

State qualifying time: 15.27

State championship time: Thursday, 4:40 p.m. (semifinals); Friday, 6:30 p.m. (finals)

Notes: Rodstrom secured his state berth by claiming the fourth and final qualifying times out of the loaded Norwayne regional. He won every league competition throughout the season and won both the 110 and 300 hurdle events at the Portage Trail Conference championships. 

GARRETT TILLER

Streetsboro, senior, Division II

Event: 100 Meters, 200 Meters

State qualifying times: 10.98 (100); 22.24 (200)

State championship race time: Friday, 9:55 a.m. (semifinals); Saturday, 10:10 a.m. (finals)

Notes: Tiller has been electric all season and burst ahead of a loaded field at the Youngstown Division II Regional. He also runs the Rockets’ anchor leg of the 4×200 relay team that also qualified for the state championships. Tiller is a strong and powerful runner.

STREETSBORO BOYS 4×200 RELAY

Legs: Kylan Rue, Devon White, Preston Hopperton, Garrett Tiller.

State qualifying time: 1:28.68

State championship race time: Friday, 10:15 a.m. (semifinals); Saturday, 10:20 a.m. (finals)

Notes: Four of the fastest runners in Portage County team up to fill out the Rockets’ relay team. The group finished third at the Youngstown Division II Regional.

ELLA CICERO

Aurora, sophomore, Division I

Event: 400 Meters

State qualifying time: 56.20

State championship race time: Friday, 4 p.m. (semifinals); Saturday, 4:15 p.m. (finals)

Notes: At regionals, Cicero dropped more than 2 seconds off her fastest time during the regular season, going from 58.55 to 56.20. She is Aurora’s lone state qualifier and was a tremendous point-producer for the Greenmen this season.

RAEGAN DAUGINTIS

Field, senior, Division II

Event: Discus

State qualifying throw: 116-0

State championship event time: Friday, 1 p.m.

Notes: Daugintis qualified for the state championships with an at-large bid after placing fifth overall at the Youngstown Division II Regional. Her state berth is a continuation for the Falcons’ throwing program, which has now had a state qualifier for the last five years.

MOGADORE GIRLS 4×800 RELAY

Legs: Katie Lane, Kasey Bolyard, Brook McIntyre, Emma Quillen

State qualifying time: 9:44.30

State championship race time: Thursday, 4 p.m.

Notes: One of three different relays to qualify for the state championships for the Wildcats. The quartet finished as runners-up in the event at the Norwayne regional and have dominated the event throughout all of their meets this season.

“Our seniors Katie Lane and Brook McIntyre have been the leaders all year, making sure to keep this group grinding even if the weather didn’t cooperate,” Mogadore coach Kim Kreiner said. “Most of the girls put in tons of hard work starting in the cross-county season and they have never stopped.”

MOGADORE GIRLS 4×200 RELAY

Legs: Hayli Clester, Brook McIntyre, Ari Tompkins, Kaitlyn Clester.

State qualifying time: 1:45.37

State championship race time: Thursday, 5 p.m. (semifinals); Friday, 6:45 p.m. (finals)

Notes: McIntyre runs a leg in all three of the Wildcats’ state-qualifying relay teams and has been a team leader for a team that had Dayton as a season-long expectation.

“Coming into this track season, they knew exactly where they want dto be at the end of this year,” Kreiner said. “During the season, they have continued to work and push themselves with the help of two outstanding coaches, Mike and Ann Murphy, who have worked these girls hard and kept them focused all year, although they are pretty self-motivated, too.”

ARI TOMPKINS

Mogadore, junior, Division III

Event: 400 Meters

State qualifying time: 58.45

State championship race time: Thursday, 6 p.m. (semifinals); Friday, 7:20 p.m. (finals)

Notes: She qualified in the event alongside her twin sister, with Ari placing third overall at the Norwayne regional, besting her sister Julie by less than a second.

JULIE TOMPKINS

Mogadore, junior, Division III

Event: 400 Meters

State qualifying time: 59.36

State championship race time: Thursday, 6 p.m. (semifinals); Friday, 7:20 p.m. (finals)

Notes: She qualified in the event alongside her twin sister. She is part of a junior class that has made a strong impact throughout the season, along with classmate Emma Quillen.

“The junior group is very competitive and have battled all year for spots on the relays,” Kreiner said. “These three (Ari and Julie Tompkins and Quillen) bring it every day at practice. Youn can’t ask for anything else.”

KATIE LANE

Mogadore, senior, Division III

Event: 800 Meters

State qualifying time: 2:19.15

State championship race time: Friday, 7:45 p.m.

Notes: Lane is an eight-time state qualifier and one of the most decorated runners in school history. She has set a standard of excellence for the program on and off the track, leading in a unique and positive way that her peers continue to respond to.

MOGADORE GIRLS 4×400 RELAY

Legs: Katie Lane, Brook McIntyre, Julie Tompkins, Ari Tompkins

State qualifying time: 3:57.06

State championship race time: Thursday, 7:20 p.m. (semifinals); Friday, 8:20 p.m. (finals)

Notes: Four of the fastest runners and fiercest competitors in Portage County team up to form this relay supergroup, which won the regional championship at Norwayne. The group represent and lead a competitive team overall that does not like to lose.

“The hard work, work ethic, dedication and positive attitudes have allowed these girls to excel this year at every race,” Kreiner said.

BROOKLYNN McINTYRE

Rootstown, senior, Division III

Event: Discus and shot put

State qualifying throws: 125-7 (discus); 42-11 (shot put)

State championship event times: Thursday, 3 p.m. (shot put); Thursday, 6 p.m. (discus)

Notes: McIntyre has been one of the most dominant and most consistent throwers in all of Northeast Ohio throughout the season. She is athletic and strong, and won the regional championship at Norwayne in the shot put. She is the lone state qualifier from the Rovers’ girls program.

OLIVIA JOHNSON-WILSON

Streetsboro, sophomore, Division II

Event: 300 Hurdles

State qualifying time: 45.43

State championship race time: Friday, 11:30 a.m. (semifinals); Saturday, 11:05 a.m. (finals)

Notes: The lone Streetsboro representative is an underclassmen, but a talented athlete and fierce competitor. She raced to the fourth and final qualifying spot for the event out of the Youngstown regional.

BRIAH DANIEL

Windham, senior, Division III

Event: Shot put

State qualifying throw: 38-3.5

State championship event time: Thursday, 3 p.m.

Notes: Daniel qualified for a state-championship berth as an at-large competitor after finishing fifth at regional. Her regional throw was the second-best in Portage County this season, trailing only Rootstown’s Brooklynn McIntyre (42-11).

MILENA SOBIE

Streetsboro, senior, Seated Division

Events: 100 Meters, 400 Meters, Shot Put

State championship event/race times: Friday, 2:45 p.m. (shot put); Saturday, 4:15 p.m. (400); Saturday, 10:10 a.m.

Notes: Sobie is the Seated Division’s reigning shot-put state champion, finishing ahead of the competition last year with a throw of 17-2.25. She also placed third in both the 100 (23.38) and 400 (1:30.20) events.