Win/win/win: 4 D-I standouts earn at least 3 district victories
Wayne’s Zarik Brown, Yariel Soto of Centerville, Northmont’s Leila Hill and Colin Dillon of Miamisburg all posted at least three wins in the Division I district track and field meets at Piqua and Bellbrook that concluded Friday.
The top four placers in each event advance to the D-I regional at Wayne on Wednesday.
Brown, a senior, swept the 100 meters (10.74), 400 (47.35) and 200 (22.69) and anchored the winning 1,600 relay (3:23.81) at Piqua. That powered Wayne to the boys team title (153 points). Springfield (96.5) was runner-up.
Soto, the defending D-I state champ in the pole vault and long jump, matched Brown in accounting for four wins in the D-I district at Bellbrook.
The senior won the pole vault (14 feet, 4 inches) and long jump (22-3.50), and ran on the winning 800 (1:28.34) and 1,600 (3:23.36) relays. A nationally ranked decathlete, he signed with the University of Tennessee.
Centerville swept the boys (104 points) and girls (116) team titles at Bellbrook, beating runner-up Miamisburg for both championships.
Hill, another senior, swept the 100 hurdles (14.84), 300 hurdles (44.99) and long jump (17-3.75) at Piqua. She signed to run at Ohio State.
Dillon, also a senior hurdler, won the 110 highs (14.19) and 300 hurdles (38.90). He also ran on the winning 400 relay (42.75).
Troy (160 points) won the girls team title at Piqua and Northmont (82.50) was second.
Troy’s Lenea Browder was a double winner. The junior set a district discus record (146-7) and added a first in the shot put (44-0.50).
Other notable girls performances at Piqua were by Wayne junior KaNiya McGowan, who won the 100 (12.41) and 200 (25.69) and Piqua freshman Camilla Nicholas, the 400 winner (59.48) and 100 runner-up.
Beavercreek junior Taylor Ewert bested her own meet record in the 3,200 (10:22.74) at Bellbrook by more than 19 seconds she initially set last season.
Other notable Centerville performances were by senior double winner Libby Roush in the shot put (35-10) and discus (130-7) and senior high jump winner Jason Sneed (6-10).
The D-II regional is Thursday and Saturday at Piqua and the D-III regional is Wednesday and Friday at Troy. All the top four regional placers qualify to the season-ending state meet at Columbus on June 1-2.
■ Winning pitcher Kelsey Day and Kayle Henderson had home runs to power West Liberty-Salem in a 7-1 defeat of Williamsburg in a D-III softball district final at Hamilton on Friday. Day also doubled and drove in two runs. Henderson had two hits and three RBI’s.
West Liberty-Salem will play Brookville in a D-III regional semifinal at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Wright State University.