D1 Girls
Ewert Goes US No. 2 in 1600, Cruises to 3200 Victory
Another weekend, more dominant performances from Beavercreek's Taylor Ewert. Shocking!
Hardly.
It was almost a foregone conclusion heading into Saturday that as long as nothing catastrophic occurred, the two-time state champion and seven-time All-American would add even more hardware to her jam-packed trophy case.
She started off the fun with a US No. 2 time in the 1600 of 4:49.07. It was a huge 1600 lifetime best for the junior and now sits behind only the famous Katelyn Tuohy among the fastest 1600s this season. It was also faster than the conversion on her 4:51.97 full mile (4:50.28) at the UK Invitational last month. Sam Bush (Turpin) crossed the line second in a US No. 16 4:55.94 and Notre Dame's Lauryn Mick finished third with a 4:58.79 indoor personal best.
Watch the D1 Girls 1600 here:
Following her stellar 1600 victory, Ewert cruised to another gold in the 3200. Hitting another lifetime best of 10:28.85, a US No. 8 mark. Ewert then capped off a successful weekend with an anchor leg on the sixth place 4x4, splitting 62.x and holding off Mason for the Heat 2 victory.
Ewert will now head to New Balance Indoor Nationals where she will be competing for another racewalk championship and a spot on the podium in the Championship 2 Mile Run.
Napoleon Sisters Guide Thomas Worthington to US No. 1 4x800
There was only one US No. 1 at the SPIRE on Saturday and that distinction belonged to the Thomas Worthington girls 4x800m Relay squad.
Led by the 1-2 punch of Gia Napoleon and Carina Napoleon, the Lady Cardinals threw down an eye-popping 9:03.08, besting the state meet and SPIRE HS record of 9:03.73 set the year before by Hilliard Davidson. Rounding out the foursome was Tori Banks and Lydia Miller.
Hilliard Davidson would finish second this year in a similarly impressive 9:08.92 - a US No. 5 mark in their own right.
It's easy to threaten 9:00 in the 4x800 when you have two of the fastest 800 runners in the entire country. Gia and Carina entered the weekend the seventh and twelfth fastest half-milers in the US and did their job to help their squad secure the victory. Gia would come back to take the individual title in the 800 with her 2:11.69 state meet record and Carina, a sophomore, placed fifth in 2:13.30. Gahanna Lincoln's Madison Martinez also went under the state meet record with a 2:11.80 indoor personal best for second.
Watch the Girls D1 800 (Heat 2) Here:
Lakota East Duo Goes 1-2 in 60, 200 Dashes
Thirty-six points in two events from two athletes. Lakota East's superstar duo of junior Serena Clark and senior Kaylyn Heath was on fire on Saturday.
Starting with the 60 dash, the tandem set the tone early with convincing victories in their respective heats with Clark taking the second heat in 7.56 and Heath taking the third heat in 7.60 (7.599). They would then go on to complete their first 1-2 finish of the day as Heath ran away from the field to a 7.48 personal best and US No. 9 mark. Clark was next across the line in 7.59, a tenth of a tick back but enough to secure silver. Just behind her was the D1 long jump champion, Mentor's Paige Floriea, in 7.63 with Amherst Steele's Taylor Hooks crossing in fourth (7.70).
Later that day, the two would combine for another 1-2 finish in the 200 as it was Clark getting the gold this time with a 24.16 mark, just 0.07 seconds behind the personal best she set at the UK High School Invitational. Heath was not far behind, clocking a 24.69 to record another indoor personal best to go along with the hardware. Floriea was third again here and Twinsburg's Nya Bussey made it four girls sub-25 as she crossed in 24.95.
Lakota East would cruise to the team title thanks in large part to the 36 point contribution from their star short sprinters.
Watch the D1 Girls 200m Dash Here:
Kowalski Throws US No. 9 Mark in Weight
Hilliard Darby's Emma Kowalski continued to climb the national ranks this weekend with her US No. 9 heave in the D1 weight throw. The junior secured her second straight state title and third overall in her career (2018 hammer throw) with her 53-4.5 personal best. It was her second toss this season over 50 feet and puts her at No. 1 in Ohio this season and No. 10 in our database overall. Addison Hoover (Granville) finished second with a 49-10.75 toss and Carrollton's Alivia Bentley finished third at 45-8.25.
Hunt Ties SPIRE Facility Record in Pole Vault
Greenville's Riley Hunt also defended her title on Saturday as she rose above 13-1 to bring home her second straight pole vault championship. Hunt enjoyed another dominant campaign this season, clearing 13-0 twice on the indoor circuit after accomplishing the feat for the first time during the 2018 outdoor season. The clearance was a SPIRE HS record, eclipsing the 13-0 mark set by Kristen Denk in 2015. It was a rousing victory for Hunt as she finished 13 inches ahead of the next five girls, led by Annemarie Moses (Fremont Ross) and Angelina Lotarski (Brunswick), two of the five that went out at 12-0.