State indoor track: Morlock, Wingate highlight local contenders
The outdoor track season is a little less than a month away, but a handful of county athletes have a little business to do before the spring begins.
A total of 34 locals will take part in this weekend’s Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches State Championships at The SPIRE Institute in Geneva.
After battling his way back from an injury sustained on the football field back in September, Norwayne’s Dillon Morlock has worked his way back into competition and headlines that loaded list of area individuals.
Morlock, the reigning indoor state champ in the weight throw, comes in with the top overall seed in both the weight throw and shot put. His toss of 60-feet-8 ½ inches in the shot is not only the best mark in state it also is 11th in the country, according to milesplit.com, while the junior’s 71-2 in the weight throw is second in the state and seventh nationally. Rittman’s Tyler Thompson has the second-best mark in the shot (59-9 ½) and is fourth in the weight throw (63-5).
Speaking on rankings, Norwayne senior Jaylee Wingate will be in two of the top races Friday at the combined Division II/III meet. The Tennessee recruit enters the 1,600-meter run with the fastest time, thanks to her 4:53.16 that she clocked on the same SPIRE track in January. Wingate is the lone individual in the field to have broken the 5-minute mark, ahead of Waynesville’s Samantha Erbach and Gilmour Academy’s Amy Weybrecht. Wingate also has the third-fastest time in the 800 field with a 2:13.12.
Fellow Bobcat senior, Allison Morlock, is the top competing local in the shot put (38-5 ¾) and weight throw (44-5½), while Rittman’s girls 4x8 has had a top-20 time in the entire state this season.
Rittman junior Evan Rastorfer has cleared 6-4 in the high jump this winter and is among the top competitors in the field. Orrville’s Calvin Speicher is also in the hunt for the 60-meter hurdles title after clocking an 8.36.
OATCCC State Indoor Championships
WHEN: Friday (D-II/III) and Saturday (D-I). On both days, field events will take start at 12 p.m., followed by running at 2.
WHERE: The SPIRE Institute
TICKETS: Only online tickets will be sold and can be obtained at www.spireinstitute.org/tickets.
Local qualifiers
Division II/III
Loudonville -- Braden Carr (fr., pole vault), Kenzie Cutlip (sr., long jump).
Norwayne -- Dillon Morlock (jr., shot put, weight throw), Brandt Morlock (so., weight throw), Jaylee Wingate (sr., 800, 1,600), Reece Urban (fr., 4x2), Sydney Emler (jr., 4x2), Alanna Bauman (fr., 4x2), Lacy Hess (sr., 4x2), Allison Morlock (sr., shot put, weight throw), Haley Bittinger (fr., weight throw).
Orrville -- Calvin Speicher (sr., 60 hurdles), Talon Beichler (so., shot put).
Rittman -- Tyler Thompson (sr., shot put, weight throw), Luke Snyder (fr., 3,200), Evan Rastorfer (jr., high jump, long jump), Pyper Gibson (sr., 1,600, 3,200, 4x8), Merrick Gibson (so., 4x4, 4x8), Cadence Soucek (sr., 4x4), Isabel Ward (jr., 4x4), Brooke Bowlby (fr., 1,600, 4x4, 4x8), Caroline Kennel (sr., 4x8).
Smithville -- Abby Hartzler (sr., high jump).
Triway -- Addison Hudson (sr., 60 dash).
Tuslaw -- Manny Strong (so., 400).
Waynedale -- Ian Sarver (so., shot put), Brant Herman (sr., shot put, weight throw).
West Holmes -- Zeke Galbraith (sr., 3,200), Noelle Smith (so., 4x8)., Zora Starner (so., 4x8), Alexis Wagers (fr., 4x8), Katherine Kaster (fr., 4x8), Laney Duff (sr., high jump).
Division I
Wooster -- Faith Timko (sr., high jump).
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: State indoor track: Morlock, Wingate highlight local contenders
