John Glenn's Chris Tooms leads area state track qualifiers
CHILLICOTHE — John Glenn senior Chris Tooms will make a return trip to Columbus to lead area state qualifiers for the OHSAA Track and Field Championships advancing in both the 1600 and 3200 from the in Division II regional meet at Chillicothe High School.
Tooms will also take part in the 4x800, where he joins teammates Caiden Lake, Carson Clouse and Kody Clendenning after they were fourth in 8:21.
Tooms will be making his third trip to the state championships, and will look to close out a stellar career for the Muskies' track program.
The top four finishers in each event, plus at-large bids, advanced to the state meet on June 3 and 4. The event returns to Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2019.
It took all of Tooms' mettle to survive and advance in the 3200, where he part of a race that saw the top three runners break the meet record. Tooms finished in 9:31.8, more than 20 seconds better than fifth-place Charles Putnam, of Portsmouth.
Tooms was just behind champion Corey Schobelock, who clocked at 9:24.0 to set the new regional record. Barnesville's Tyler Jenkins (9:25.5) and Unioto's Turner Markko (9:28.3) also broke the old mark.
The 1600 race was also a fight to the finish, with Tooms' 4:20.9 less tan a second behind Minerva's Connor Shingleton (4:20.5). Unioto's Gabe Lynch (4:22.9) and Garaway's Bobby Palmer (4:23.4) also advanced.
Tooms said his mission was to simply advance. He's excited to take some teammates with him to Columbus.
"I wasn’t sure how I would do in the 3200 time-wise today with doing the 1600," Tooms said. "It’s always a good time getting to race those guys. I knew both races would end up in a wild finish. Unfortunately I couldn’t come out with the win, but the plan was survive."
John Glenn’s Kara Fields was a close second (:15.43) and Meadowbrook’s Camden Black took third (:16.06) in the 100 hurdles to both advance.
John Glenn’s 4x800 team of Abigail Derry, Grace Lawrence, Laurie Baughman and Brea Wilfong placed third (9:53); Brea Wilfong took third in the 800 (2:21.7) and freshman Jessica Church was fourth in the 400 in :59.57.
Muskie teammate Elijah Kuklica, also a senior, placed third in the 400 in a sterling :50.72 to keep his season alive.
Black also advanced in the high jump for her second event with a second place showing (5-02.00), while senior Kahle Flowers qualified in the 400 meter dash with a fourth place finish (50.91), and combined with Sam Bopp, Kaden Casey, and Hunter Eubanks to qualify in the boys 4X100 relay following a second place effort (43.25).
Cambridge senior Jonah Stanberry advanced on to Columbus in the 200 meter dash with a fourth place effort (22.55), and then will join CHS teammates Owen Feldner, Reed Johnson, Zairek Bell competing in the boys 4X200 relay after a fourth place finish at the regional event (1:32.08).
In the Division III regional at Massillon Perry High School, Buckeye Trail was able to advance one athlete on to Columbus in senior Brendan Bates who advanced in the pole vault.
Bates took runner-up with an effort of 13-00 to earn his second consecutive trip to the state meet for the Warriors.
"Brendan tweaked his hamstring in indoor and has barely been sprinting most of this year," Buckeye Trail head coach Nathan Fisher explained. "Then he aggravated his other hamstring at districts. Wednesday's clearance of 13 feet was almost purely accomplished because of his form as he's having a bit of a hard time reaching full speed in his run up.
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This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: John Glenn's Chris Tooms leads area OHSAA state track qualifiers
