Mohawk's Fry wins pole vault title on Day 1 of state meet

WESTERVILLE — Like other athletes who reach the state track meet, Mohawk sophomore Zaiden Fry had goals. And like many athletes who reach the state meet, he wasn't quite able to meet them all.But he did pretty well, considering.Fry twice topped his personal best and wound up topping the field Friday, clearing 14-6 to capture the boys Division III pole vault crown."When I came down here, I had a goal. I'd been really practicing this week and I'd been getting higher heights, so I was, like, 'I want to get 14-6.' That was my goal," he said."And in warm-ups I was clearing the 14-6 bungee and I was, like, 'I want to get 15 today.' I was close but it didn't happen," Fry said. "But I'm so happy with the ending result."The sophomore entered with a personal-best height of 14-1 and missed his first two attempts at 14-2.By then, only four other competitors remained and they also each missed their first two tries at 14-2.Then they each missed again, leaving just Fry with one last attempt."I went in knowing everybody had missed … . I'd gotten over it twice before but I'd just smacked it on the way down, so I moved my steps back and ran a little faster," he said."It was just a massive weight off my chest when I got it," Fry said. "When I was over it I just looked down at it and I was immediately happy because I was 6 inches to a foot over it, so I was happy."He cleared 14-6 in just one try after that but had his day end after brushing the bar off the standard three times when he attempted 15 feet.The 15-foot barrier will have to wait until next year for Fry, but that gold medal for first is a nice consolation prize."This is crazy. I didn't know how to feel," Mohawk's newest state champ said."I'm still in shock, I'm majorly in shock," he said. "I'm so happy right now I don't even know how to describe it. It's all overwhelming."Fry wasn't the only area athlete to place in the pole vault. Seneca East's Kyle Hoepf cleared 13 feet to end eighth.The junior said competing in the year's final meet was an experience after having the entire 2020 season wiped out by the pandemic."It was interesting, missing last year and getting here this year," he said. "I was shooting for it all year. After indoor season, I was ready to get there for outdoor."It was still nerve wracking, especially since it was the first time I'd made it to state," Hoepf said. "I wanted to go higher. I still wanted to go higher, being as 13-6 is my PR. But I got eighth, so I'm alright with that. Make it back next year and go higher."Mohawk senior Taeylor Mullholand was the only other area athlete who placed on the first day of the Division III state meet.She finished eighth in the girls high jump after clearing 5-2, giving her two trips to the podium in three trips to state in her career."I think just being to come down here in general is just a great opportunity. It just makes you feel good," Mullholand said. "You have all the support you need. Being able to place just makes it even better. Putting in all of your work and having it get you somewhere — you succeed — it's the greatest feeling."Not that this year's feeling didn't come with some challenges.The Division III meet was moved to Westerville North High due to the pandemic, and the high jump area proved problematic for several athletes. Competitors had to approach the bar after running from the artificial turf onto the rubberized blacktop surrounding the mat."It was definitely a difference. You could feel it in your feet, you could feel it in a bounciness of how much you could jump," Mullholand said. "It was messing with everyone's approach."It contributed to a tight finish, with fifth through ninth place all going to athletes who went out after clearing 5-2."I think I was really just stressed out about the situation. I'm used to being in the Jesse Owens stadium, and that's a really nice facility, and then we come out here and it's not really up to (state) par.," Mullholand said. "It was basically just me worrying about getting the right steps, so I was overthinking everything and that made me unable to jump well."I was battling my own head today," she said.Three other area entries advanced through the preliminary heats to reach today's finals.Hopewell-Loudon junior Sherron Jones figured in two of them in the boys meet, anchoring the 4x100 and also moving on in the 200.He ran with junior Justin Holland, sophomore George Beucler and junior Nico Garcia to take second in their heat of the 4x100 (44.05) to earn an automatic berth in the finals — the top two in each of the three heats advanced with the final two spots filled by the next two fastest times.It wasn't the group's fastest time this year and they think they can definitely go faster today.Tweaking the handoffs should help, Garcia said."We tried a new formation today, a new way to hand it off, and it didn't go so well," he said.But they still reached the state finals."It was awesome. Felt a little nervous before the race but it felt good running," Garcia said. "It's different when you have higher competition beside you."Jones echoed that sentiment after gaining an at-large berth in the finals of the 200. He took third in his heat (22.67)."I felt good, it's just that my formation, the way I run, wasn't the way it's supposed to be," Jones said, adding he was relieved to move on in both races."Just feel like I wasn't me today when I was running. I just got tired and I just went back to the old way I ran and not the new way, which is 10 times better than my old way," he said.Carey senior Alaina Tiell also made finals in the girls 400, earning an at-large berth after taking third in her heat in a personal-best time of 58.13 seconds."It's really overwhelming because I never would have really expected it. It's just amazing," she said. "My first 400 I ran was a 63 (seconds), and just to get down to a 60 was amazing. But now that I can run a 58, it's amazing."That advancement came after the 4x200 team she runs on didn't find its way to the finals. She and fellow Blue Devils Macy Wentling, Ellison Roark and Lexi Plott ended third in their heat in 1:47.38."Knowing we didn't make it in the relay pushed me because I want to carry more of our school as far as I can, and knowing I was able to do that in the 400 means a lot," Tiell said"We just had girls that were faster than us and our challenges were we had to perfect all our handoffs, and we did," she said. "And we ran our best time and I wouldn't have changed that for anything. We didn't mess anything up and they all gave their hardest (effort) and it was just incredible."A handful of other local athletes also competed, but did not place or advance to the finals.Calvert sophomore Leah Smith ran fourth in her heat of the girls 200 (26.55).Hopewell-Loudon junior Ryan Cook had a throw of 49-1 ½ in the boys shot put.Seneca East's boys ran in both the 4x200 and 4x100 preliminaries but did not advance.Dylan Young, Brock Ferres, Pieter Wise and Korbin Beamer ended fifth in their heat of the 4x200 (1:32.63). Jesse Beckman, Ferres, Beamer and Young took sixth in their heat of the 4x100 (44.96). --------Division II state meetPICKERINGTON — Clyde's Brady Wilson turned in a pair of runner-up efforts in preliminary races Friday to top area efforts on the first day of the Division II state track meet at Pickerington North High.Wilson ran second in his heat of the 110 hurdles (14.77) and the 300 hurdles (36.69).The top two in each of the three preliminary heats and the next two fastest times advanced to today's finals.Bellevue's Trent Curtis, Takota Wobser, Will Hager and Drew Lemaster earned an at-large berth in the finals of the 4x200 after finishing third in their heat (1:30.57).Upper Sandusky's Emery Pahl, Benjamin Patchett, Owen Mawer and Troy Mawer ran the 4x800 (8:15.55). That was the only running event to have a final on the first day of the meet, but the Rams did finish in the top eight.The same group of Rams ended fourth in their heat of the 4x400 (3:27.12).Lakota's Justin Miller ran fourth in his heat of the 110 hurdles (15.9).In the girls meet, Bellevue's Kaylin Howey threw 107-7 in the discus.Clyde's Keira Moris, Brenna Caudill, Cora Liskai and Braylin Caudill ended fourth in their heat of the 4x200 (1:47.07).