Finally! John Glenn's Tooms outruns field for state title
COLUMBUS — A career of frustrating finishes was rectified for Chris Tooms on Saturday at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Stadium.
The John Glenn senior delivered a strong final kick over the final 600 meters and pulled away to capture the Division II state title in the 3,200 with a school record time of 9:14.35.
Bryan's Joshuah Taylor came in second at 9:16.49, while Clermont Northeast's Summit Northrup (9:17.73), Barnesville's Tyler Jenkins (9:19.83) and Chillicothe Unioto's Corey Schobelock (9:20.05) rounded out the top five.
Tooms finished fourth in last week's regional, where Schobelock won and Jenkins came in second.
"The stars finally aligned," Tooms said while waiting to stand atop the podium. "I knew it was going to be a fast pace, and I tried to keep up with the front group. When I got to 600 meters left, I was going to go for it. I put my head down and never looked back."
He gave veteran coach Doug Joy another state champion. Joy was overwhelmed with emotion after the race, knowing Tooms' perseverance was rewarded.
"He's the cream of the crop. He ran a beautiful race and that final kick let him pull away," Joy said. "He does it the right way, and he's been a great leader. He sets the example for the younger runners and shows them how to do things.
"I've had many great athletes deserving of a title that didn't get one," Joy said. "Chris is a class act, and truly deserving to stand on top of that podium."
Tooms also credited his mother, Amy, for his training plan. After a disappointing 84th-place finish in the state cross country meet in the fall, Tooms was determined to rebound during the outdoor track season.
His mother played a pivotal role in his rise to the top.
"This has quietly been my goal since cross country ended," he said. "My mom's been everything. We work out together and she has helped me plan my running. She's the driving factor behind this."
Familiar faces in the pack also aided Tooms' run to the front. He had to choose between the 1,600 and 3,200 entering the day, and he felt the 3,200 was a better fit, especially with three runners he faced during the regional meet also competing.
"It helped knowing those guys and how they run. It allowed me to be comfortable," he said. "I felt the 3,200 was my better race. I knew it would be tough competition, but I've run it well all season. I'm glad it finally worked out."
His performance highlighted a strong day for Muskingum Valley League runners.
The Sheridan 4x400 relay of senior Katelyn Heath, junior Adrienne Spicer, sophomore Claire Shriner and freshman Beckett Strong finished fifth with a school-record time of 3:59.21.
Shriner was also ninth in the 300 hurdles (46.48), Heath was 10th in the long jump (16-7 3/4), and junior Rilea Waite placed 16th in the girls shot (36-2 1/2) to round out the Generals' contingent.
It was the third straight race the 4x400 had set the school record, starting at the regional meet followed by Friday's state preliminaries.
After a tough start for Shriner, Strong focused on keeping the Generals in the race with her second leg.
"I wanted to make up ground and keep us going," Strong said. "I focused on finishing strong and put my teammates in a good spot."
Spicer, who joined the relay, was glad she could assist in the record-setting effort.
"I was thrown into it, but I'm grateful I was able to help us do this," she said.
Heath was elated to end her career with this group. She also leaves as the Sheridan record holder in the long jump, triple jump and 4x200 relay.
"I have a lot of faith in my teammates," Heath remarked. "They helped me get here, and they've been there for me all season. I couldn't think of a better group to end my career with than them."
Morgan junior Odessa Smith placed sixth in the 300 hurdles (45.78) and seventh in the 100 hurdles (15.42) to earn All-Ohio honors in both. It also helped offset the bad fortune of her teammate, Josie Knierim, who broke her elbow after falling down in the 100 dash.
"The track was a lot hotter than what I'm used to, but it feels better to run state here," Smith said. "I was hoping for better times, but I enjoyed being here. Ohio has a lot of great track athletes so it feels great to be able to compete with the best of them."
John Glenn junior Kara Fields also stood on the podium, taking eighth in the 100 hurdles (15.49), while freshman teammate Brayden Snider finished 10th in the pole vault (11-0) and sophomore teammate Brea Wilfong placed 14th in the 800 (2:21.04) to round out the area competitors.
Fields was pleased to gain experience after only starting the hurdles in February.
"I'm blessed to be here. I'm thankful to my coaches and the Lord," she said. "I didn't get to see much competition like this during the season so it was exciting. I know I need to work on my speed, and it gives me something to aim for next season."
bhannahs@gannett.com
Twitter: @brandonhannahs
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Finally! John Glenn's Tooms outruns field for state title
