Newlove returns, along with several other state track entries in D-I and D-II

After experiencing the Division I state meet a year ago and finishing fourth as a junior, Jack Newlove knew exactly what he needed to do to return to the state meet this season. However, an injury in football that kept him sidelined for pretty much the whole season limited him in his offseason preparation. But not playing basketball and spending time trying to get back on the track really helped. Last week at the D-I regional meet at Port Clinton, it seems the old Newlove has returned to form as he blazed a time of 37.67 seconds in the 300 hurdles, winning a regional crown."We really didn't even mention his injury at all during the season honestly," TC coach John Kihorany said. "This was the most drilling in hurdle form in the offseason up until this point because he was always that three-sport athlete, so it was good for him for that hurdle form and getting back down to Columbus."You see a lot of juniors or underclassmen make it down and then you do wonder if they'll be able to make it back or get back into that form that got them there. Do the stars align so you get to be one of the top 16 or top 8 in the state, but finishing fourth last year showed him just how well-rounded of an individual he is. He's very motivated."Newlove is technically unbeaten this season in the 300 hurdles with two races to go. But this year, he won't be alone in representing Columbian. He will also be running on the 4x200 relay at state this year. The relay qualified for state in fourth at last weekend's regional meet with a time of 1:28.64.He will be joined by DaShawn Russell, Ryan Hook and Xavier Matthewson. Usually, a relay team has had a full season to jell or to make improvements, but this one was just put together a few weeks ago."The 4x2 really came together late in the season. This weekend will only be the fourth time that they will have run together all season long," Kihorany said. "DaShawn Russell has led off the relay the whole season, we've had Jack in different events, Ryan Hook also has been in different events and then Xavier Matthewson has only ran this race three times. "We started in the SBC finals, then they broke the school record. Then at districts, we finished fourth. Will we get out of the regional was the question, and then they break the school record out of Lane 2. It's a game of what-ifs and how fast can they really run because we've only seen it a few times. How much faster can they really go? We know to make it out of the prelims at state we'll have to break the school record again, and we know this race is extremely difficult."A returner to the Division II state meet is Clyde's Damarius Chrisman. Chrisman was fourth in the 400 last year in the state meet, so a return was not unexpected, but he's had a solid season for the Fliers. This year, he will be awfully busy qualifying in the 100 and he is a part of the 4x4 and 4x2 relays. He won the 400 last week at the regional in Lexington in a time of 48.45 seconds."He wasn't content with that finish and it honestly kind of stung for him last year," Clyde coach Jake Jenne said. "So, he came back – this is the only sport he played in his senior year – so back in December he went into indoor meets. At the indoor state meet, he finished second in the 200, but the 400 is his bread and butter."He will be joined at the state meet by Dekin Crockett in the 300 hurdles and those two also run with Hector Garza and Cayden Perkins on the relays.Jenne admitted that Crockett never competed in hurdles before this season, so a trip to state in his first season is a huge accomplishment.For the girls D-II meet, Bellevue's Natalie Littlejohn was third in the regional meet in the long jump (16-6 ¾), while the 4x200 relay team (1:43.94) of Katelyn Turner, Brooke Brown, Hallie McCarthy and Amerie Wagner also was third last weekend.The 4x400 team, who is all the same runners received an at-large bid to the state meet."(Littlejohn) made it to regionals last year, but didn't place, so the goal this year was to make it to finals and see what happens, but she really did well," Bellevue coach Lee Booze said. "We're pretty excited for her this weekend and it'll be good for her to get that state experience as a sophomore."The 4x2 made it to state last year, but didn't make it to finals, so that is the top goal this season for the Lady Red.Two more at-large bids in the D-II girls meet are both from Fostoria as Adori Bishop (discus) and Azhzenet Hatter will both compete this weekend.Bishop was fifth at the regional meet with a toss of 122-7 and Hatter's time in the 300 hurdles was 46 seconds."I'm just really proud of Adori. She's a hard worker and this is her third trip to state, but this is her first time that her teammates will get to support her there," Fostoria coach Kim Cousin said. "For Hatter, there was a two-week stretch where she didn't compete at all due to a quad injury, but she was able to compete at districts, and now here she is a few weeks off of that injury and running at state. It's great."I think she definitely needs to try to get in that 44 (seconds) range, she's right there. The goal is to make it to the finals, so we hope she can do that to get that experience in competing with the top 8 in the state."