St. Marys Track & Field athletes qualify for Regionals
DEFIANCE — Multiple strong performances highlighted the St. Marys Memorial girls and boys track and field teams at the OHSAA Division II District Track & Field Championships. The competition was held May 17 and May 19 at Defiance High School.
The top four in the events qualify for regional competition. The Roughriders will have some good representation in the relays and individual events at the Regional Meet.
“The staff is very proud of the fact that we had all four relays qualify for Regionals. We also had a lot of big individual performances. Greber in the 200, Ankerman in long jump, and Ella in high jump. These girls all qualified in all four events they were in,” said St. Marys coach Nick Page.
The relay teams produced strong performances to advance to the next level. All four of them placed third.
The 4x800 team of Maria Jutte, Lauren Jacobs, Karlie Lucas, and Lauren Schloemer ran a 10:14.88 to finish third overall. The 4x200 team of Ella Jacobs, Gracelyn Johns, Amelia Ankerman, and Syerra Greber were third in 1:47.90. The 4x100 team of Ella Jacobs, Syerra Greber, Darcie Liming, and Amelia Ankerman were third in 51.20. The 4x400 team of Ella Jacobs, Maria Jutte, Gracelyn Johns, and Amelia Ankerman were third in 4:12.30.
Syerra Greber was the district runner-up in the 200-meter dash in 25.80. Maria Jutte ran a very strong race in the competitive 800 meter run to place third in 2:20.20.
“Jutte also had a big night and is getting closer and closer to the school’s 800 record. Greber ran a 25.8 in the 200, which is a personal best and puts her in a good position at Regionals,” said Page.
Amelia Ankerman was district runner-up in the long jump. Ankerman jumped 1606.75. Ella Jacobs tied for district runner-up in the high jump. Jacobs cleared 4-10.00.
The Roughriders will have a nice combination of relay and individual participants at the regional meet.
“The girls are in a really good position going into the regional meet. We just have to remember to control what we can control and focus on running our best times. The girls are really starting to peak at the right time, and you can see that with Greber’s 25.8 in the 200. I think if we stay disciplined and show up ready to compete, we should have a very exciting next two weeks,” said Page.
On the boys side, Carson Engel continues to perform well and placed third in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.91.
“Carson had another good week, especially coming off the league championship last week. He came in Monday ready to work and to continue to get better. We will get a good week of practice in and get ready for prelims on Thursday.
Tyler Birt continued to perform well in the distance events. Birt was fourth in the 3200 meter run in 10:12.60.
“Birt continues to be a workhorse and leads by example. Having gone to State in cross country this past fall, he has the experience and confidence to run well in big races,” said Page.
Advancing to the regional meet provides the Roughriders with another opportunity to compete at a high level.
“As we advance each week the competition continues to get better and better, and the margin of error gets smaller and smaller. We really just want our kids to get out this week and run our best races, and see where we end up,” said Page.