Central Ohio High School Sports Awards: Lane paces Super 12 boys track and field honorees
ThisWeek’s Super 12 boys track and field team features athletes from all areas of the sport.
Leading the pack is Troy Lane of Pickerington Central, who was named Captain. His honor was among dozens announced during the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards on June 15 at the Ohio Theatre. The show was presented by Encova Insurance and in partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine and Raising Cane’s.
To read bios of previously announced honorees, go to dispatch.com/sports/central-ohio-high-school-sports-awards.
Below is our Super 12 for boys track and field:
Connor Ackley
School: Hilliard Davidson
Year: Junior
Competing in his second Division I state meet, Ackley finished second in the 1,600 meters (4 minutes, 10.67 seconds). He also qualified in the 3,200, but withdrew to focus on the 1,600.
He won regional, district and OCC-Central Division titles in the 1,600 and 3,200.
Ackley also was named to the Super 12 track team last season, and he was the Athlete of the Year in boys cross country in the fall.
Justin Braun
School: Westerville Central
Year: Senior
After winning the 100, 200 and 400 in the Division I state meet last season, Braun withdrew from state this spring because of a quadriceps injury.
He won regional titles in the 200 and 400, district titles in the 100, 200 and 400 and OCC-Ohio titles in the 100 and 200. He holds the program record in all three events and ran on the program-record 1,600 relay.
As a junior, Braun was named Athlete of the Year in boys track and ThisWeek’s Male Athlete of the Year.
Huntyr Butler
School: Heath
Year: Senior
After winning last year’s Division II state title in the 110 hurdles, Butler duplicated that feat in impressive fashion this spring. He broke 14 seconds for the first time with a 13.99 in the preliminary race at state and then ran 14.15 the next day to defend his title.
Butler, who also was 13th at state in the 300 hurdles (41.4), finished first in four events at the LCL-Cardinal meet.
Alec Carr
School: Big Walnut
Year: Senior
Carr saved his best for last, setting a program record in the 110 hurdles (13.98) to finish second at the Division I state meet. He also holds the program record in the 300 hurdles (37.3), which secured him a second-place finish at regional.
Carr set OCC-Capital meet records in the 110 hurdles (14.24) and 300 hurdles (37.37) and also won district titles in both events.
Dylan Christian
School: Granville
Year: Senior
The area’s premier 800 runner the last two seasons, Christian followed a fourth-place Division I state finish a year ago by running 1:51.73 to place second at state this spring.
Christian, who helped Granville’s 1,600 relay place fifth at the 2021 state meet, competed at this year’s regional on the 3,200 relay. He also was LCL-Buckeye champion in the 400 and 1,600.
Jayden Douglas
School: Beechcroft
Year: Junior
Douglas followed a 2021 season in which he was Division I state runner-up in the 300 hurdles by becoming the Cougars’ first individual champion when he ran 36.72 in the event this season. He also placed fifth in the 110 hurdles (14.22).
After winning City League titles in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles, Douglas was district and regional runner-up in the 110 hurdles and won the 300 hurdles at both meets.
D.J. Fillmore
School: Licking Heights
Year: Junior
Fillmore won four events at the LCL-Buckeye meet and carried that success into the Division I postseason, qualifying for state in four events.
He cleared 24 feet, 11 inches to capture the long-jump title, placed sixth in the 100 (10.67), finished fifth in the 200 (21.54) and ran on the 10th-place 400 relay (42.38).
Marcus Gordon Jr.
School: Westerville Central
Year: Junior
Gordon finished seventh in the 110 hurdles (14.53) and 11th in the 300 hurdles (39.2) at the Division I state meet. He was third in the 110 hurdles (14.83) and 300 hurdles (38.37) at regional, and he won the 110 hurdles (14.99) and was second in the 300 hurdles (39.13) at district.
Gordon also won the 110 hurdles (14.73) in the OCC-Ohio meet and ran on the program-record 1,600 relay (3:18.74), which set the mark at regional as Central captured its first regional title.
Troy Lane
School: Pickerington Central
Year: Junior
Lane capped an outstanding season by winning the 100 (10.25) and 200 (21.09) in the Division I state meet, breaking a 16-year-old state record in the former. The previous mark of 10.38 was set by Piqua’s Brandon Saine in 2006.
Lane also anchored the championship 400 relay (41.22) as the Tigers won their third team title in four seasons, edging runner-up Olentangy Orange by one point.
Alex Smith
School: Hilliard Darby
Year: Senior
Smith made the podium in three events at the Division I state meet, finishing second in the long jump (24-7 3/4), third in the 200 (21.32) and fifth in the 100 (program-record 10.63).
He won a regional title in the long jump (21-1 1/2) and district titles in the long jump (23-7) and 200 (21.44). He also broke OCC-Cardinal meet records in the 200 (21.2) and long jump (24-11 1/2), both of which also are program records.
Reign Winston
School: Westerville South
Year: Senior
Winston closed his prep career by finishing fifth in the high jump (6-7) at the Division I state meet. That came after he eclipsed his own program record and established a meet record of 6-10 3/4 while winning the event at regional.
Winston won the high jump at district (6-6) and in the OCC-Capital meet (6-4). He also competed in the long jump, finishing 14th at district (19-11).
Reilly Worthington
School: Olentangy
Year: Senior
Worthington broke Olentangy’s oldest program record several times over, dashing the mark of 52-11 3/4 in the shot put before settling on 59-1 1/2 to win a Division I district title. He also holds the program record in the discus (162-10).
Worthington was fourth in the discus (158-6) and 17th in the shot put (48-5 3/4) at state. He won district and OCC-Cardinal titles in both throwing events, setting a league-meet record in the shot put (56-6 1/2).
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Lane paces ThisWeek's Super 12 boys track and field honorees
