Twinsburg's Doyle finishes as Division I state runner-up in 400-meter dash
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COLUMBUS — The Stow-Munroe Falls boys 800-meter relay had everything clicking Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
The handoffs were smooth and the speed was impressive.
Junior Brian Turner, senior Dustin Horner, senior Bryce Turner and senior Xavier Preston turned in a time of 1:26.10 to win the Division I state championship on the campus of Ohio State University.
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“After we performed yesterday [Friday], I knew that we had the potential to do something great,” Brian Turner said. “We all just planned to come out hard and run our best race today knowing that we had a chip on our shoulder because last year at the outdoor state meet we didn’t perform our best. We just had to get after it today. Running with my dogs is great.”
Gahanna Lincoln finished second in 1:26.50 and Canton McKinley was third in 1:26.63.
“Coming into this final day, it is all about the mindset,” Horner said. “That is what kind of sets you apart from other teams. Making sure that we got the handoffs smooth was very important. That was a big thing. We knew we had the speed coming into it. We had confidence in ourselves and felt that everything would fall into place.”
The win was extra special for Brian and Bryce, who are brothers.
“I liked how Brian came out of the blocks,” Bryce Turner said. “He came out real strong. I saw our handoffs, and they were all good. No one came out too fast and we had a good connection. We all ran our hardest and there wasn’t really anything more we could have done. We all busted our butts to get here in Columbus. We were happy with how we ran yesterday [Friday] and got the No. 1 seed, and we kept that overall.”
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Preston finished the race as Stow’s anchor leg.
“This is definitely an exciting feeling,” Preston said of being a state champion. “This group at the indoor state meet was close to winning the 4x2, but at the end we got caught by Gahanna Lincoln. Coming into this outdoor 4x2, we knew that Gahanna Lincoln got us in the indoor and we were going to have another shot to go after them.
"That is what we did. Everyone ran really well. Brian came out of the blocks well and Dustin always gives us an exceptional leg. Bryce, this year was introduced to the 4x2 and I am super proud of what he was able to accomplish. He fit right in. He has been running his best splits ever.”
McKinley’s third-place 800 relay also featured a junior, Bri’Rell Pinkney, and three seniors, Braizhon Marshall, Colin Ruffin and Caleb Ruffin.
Stow also finished sixth in the boys 1,600 relay with the Turner brothers, Preston and Horner compiling a time of 3:21.74.
Preston's Saturday also included a fourth in the 200 (21.39 seconds) and a seventh in the 100 (10.69). Pickerington Central junior Troy Lane won both sprint titles, setting a state record in the 100 in 10.25 and clocking a 21.09 in the 200.
Stow finished fifth in the boys team standings with 20 points. The top four teams were Pickerington Central (31), Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (30), Loveland (26) and Licking Heights (23).
The top five girls teams were Gahanna Lincoln (47 points), Westerville Central (31), Jackson (24), Pataskala Watkins Memorial (23.5) and Huber Heights Wayne (22).
Elsewhere in the Division I meet, Perry senior Kendal Fisher and GlenOak junior Thomas Rice won state championships.
Fisher, a University of Cincinnati recruit, took first in the girls pole vault at 13-2¼.
"It feels amazing," Fisher said of being a state champion.
Rice crossed the finish line first in the boys 3,200 in 9:05.46. Brunswick senior Evan Jarold was second in 9:06.71 and Beavercreek senior Keegan Souhan was third in 9:07.54.
"I took the lead over there [halfway through the final lap]," Rice said. "I was looking up at video board and I was like 'All right, it's close. It's close.' I made another push, kept thinking, kept thinking and kept pushing, pushing, pushing. I could kind of see my shadow and guys were right on me. At the end, I wanted to finish as hard as I could. ... I got the win and I am still in shock."
Jackson junior Leena Patibandla finished second in two Division I girls events — the discus with a throw of 128-1 and the high jump with a result of 5-7.
Also placing second in individual events were Twinsburg senior Logan Doyle (boys 400, 48.43), Stow sophomore Jayla Atkinson (girls 800, 2:11.55) and GlenOak junior Layne Studer (boys pole vault, 15-2).
"I am happy and a little bit disappointed," said Doyle, a Kent State University recruit. "I didn't have the best start. I got second place, so I am excited."
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Atkinson overcame a tibia injury earlier this season to compete. She said she was "very happy" with her PR performance Saturday, and is excited for her final two years of high school.
"I felt not as energized as I normally am," Atkinson said. "I think the sun took the energy out of me. The first 100 meters I got out, and then on the back stretch I settled in. Once I got to that last 400 I started to pick it up a bit, and then the last 200 I gave it everything I had. ... One of my goals is to become a state champ and possibly go for the record."
Nordonia senior Emily Eterovich placed third in the girls pole vault at 12-8.
"My goal coming into this meet was to get third and to PR, and I did both," said Eterovich, a Miami of Ohio recruit. "I am happy I hit my goals and ended my high school career with what I wanted to do."
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Twinsburg sophomores Bree Banach and Savannah Swanda joined seniors Akira Johnson and Paris Gosha-Foreman to finish third in the girls 400 relay in 48.01. Gosha-Foreman, senior Rana Thornton, Swanda and junior Arriah Gilmer were eighth in the 800 relay (1:42.63).
Jackson's Sofia Istnick finished her senior season fourth in the girls 1,600 in 4:58.6 and sixth in the girls 3,200 in 10:58.66.
Other athletes who placed fourth were Tallmadge senior Riley Murphy (boys high jump, 6-8), Lake junior Jessica Rhodes (girls discus, 125-6), Canton McKinley junior Deleaun Dabney (girls high jump, 5-4), Perry junior Jagger Foxx (boys pole vault, 14-10) and Alliance junior Carter Lewis (boys shot put, 56-8½).
"It was a great day," said Murphy, a Kent State University recruit. "... It didn't go my way in the long jump [with a ninth-place finish at 22-2], so I tried to make up for it in the high jump. I couldn't pull out the championship, but I am glad I got 6-8. We were all jumping the same height. It came down to misses."
Olentangy Orange senior Joel Addo, Mansfield senior Maurice Ware and Warren Howland junior Connor Durig also cleared 6-8 in the high jump finished 1-2-3.
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Beaven on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Twinsburg's Doyle takes finishes as state runner-up in 400-meter dash
