The Big Walnut track and field teams each won conference crowns over the weekend, taking top honors at the OCC-Capital Championship Thursday and Saturday at Olentangy Orange.
The Golden Eagle boys secured the title with 164 points. Canal Winchester finished a distant second with 120 while Newark was third with 76.
Seniors Tim Rumas, Colin White, Brandon Mosher and Will Hefner highlight the boys’ effort.
Rumas won the 100-meter dash in 10.83 seconds and set a new school and league record en route to winning the 200 in 21.81 seconds.
White was a double winner as well, securing first-place points in the 110 (15.21 seconds) and 300 hurdles (41.44 seconds), while Mosher won the discus (166-04) and set a new school and league record on the way to winning the shot put (59-05.75).
Hefner, meanwhile, won the 800 with a season-best effort of 2:01.48.
BW also picked up a win in the pole vault as Josh Halbakken cleared a season-best height of 13-0.
“Our field event guys did an incredible job setting the table for the win, scoring 81 points in the five field events,” BW coach Eric Myers said.
The BW girls, meanwhile, won with 137 points while Canal and New Albany rounded out the top three with respective totals of 126 and 113.
Big Walnut winners included Colbi Borland in the 1,600 (5:20.28) and 3,200 (12:33.41) and Kaley Rammelsberg, who set a new meet record in the high jump (5-06).
The 4×800 relay team of Kaitlin Meade, Becca Bogantz, Adelee Gartner and Borland also wrapped up a conference crown, winning the event for the second straight season with a time of 9:47.50 — a mark just two seconds shy of a school record that’s stood for 23 years.
“What an amazing group of girls,” BW coach Joe Evener said. “Winning the OCC is a huge deal, and they just did it for the second year in a row.”
OCC-Buckeye Championship
Olentangy Liberty picked up a conference title on the girls’ side while the Olentangy Orange boys won their third straight OCC crown to highlight Thursday and Saturday’s OCC-Buckeye Championship at Orange.
The Patriot girls won with 146 points while Westerville Central and Olentangy Orange rounded out the top three with respective point totals of 135 and 126.
Olentangy finished fourth with 61.
Liberty winners included Gracie Sprankle — who set a new league record en route to picking up first-place points in the 3,200 (11:13.15) — Carrie Lawal in the 200 (25.73 seconds) and Nicole Tonetti in the long jump (17-00.50).
The Patriots also won the 4×200 relay as Sydney Reed, Jessica Barna, Brea White and Tonetti teamed up to finish in 1:45.59.
Other area standouts included Orange’s Brenda Agyekum, who won the 100 (12.33 seconds); the Pioneers’ Grace Frye, who won the 300 hurdles (meet-record 45.26 seconds) and discus (126-03); Olentangy’s Holly Nation, who took top honors in the high jump (meet-record 5-04); and the Braves’ Siobhan Szerencsits, who picked up first-place points in the pole vault (13-0).
On the boys’ side, Orange won with 195.50 points while Central closed second with 99 and Liberty finished third with 71.50.
Olentangy finished tied for fifth with 43 points.
The Pioneers’ top point producers included Tyler King, who won the 800 (1:57.51); Andrew Schroff, who won the 1,600 (4:22.29); Jayden Rodgers, who nabbed a league title in the 110 hurdles (14.42 seconds) and high jump (meet-record 6-06.25); and Jaeschal Acheampong, who won the long jump (22-05.50).
Orange also won the 4×100 (43.56 seconds), 4×200 (1:30.11) and 4×800 (meet-record 7:57.34) relays.
Liberty’s Luke Bendick was the area’s other winner, taking top honors in the pole vault (meet-record 14-06).
OCC-Cardinal Championship
The Delaware Hayes girls finished fourth and the boys closed seventh at Wednesday and Saturday’s OCC-Cardinal Championship at Dublin Coffman.
Pacer champions included Ari Avant, who won the girls 300-meter hurdles (46.64 seconds); and Madeline Hayes, who took top honors in the girls pole vault (school-record 11-03).
