By Mark Carpenter-
One of the more memorable Adams County high school track and field seasons came to a close last Friday and Saturday, but came to a close at the highest level of competition. Jesse Owens Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University was again the host site of the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track Meet and no less than nine athletes from Adams County achieved lifelong memories from being part of the competition at the state’s highest level.
Fresh off a Division III regional championship, Coach Tyler Wilson and his Peebles Lady Indians began their work at the state meet on Friday, May 31 and it began successfully as the Peebles 4 x 800 relay squad “made the podium” with a sixth place overall finish. The foursome of senior Jenny Seas, junior Kierra Stone, freshman Katy Seas, and sophomore Lilly Gray crossed the finish line in a time of 9:41.80, good for sixth in the state while setting the Peebles school record for the event, which was won by West-Liberty Salem, the eventual overall girls state champion team.
In the 4 x 200 relay, the Peebles quartet of sophomore Jacey Justice, junior Alisan Behr, Stone, and Gray did not qualify for the state finals, finishing 18th in the preliminary race with a time of 1:49.03.
On Saturday, Adams County had two runners competing in the Girls 1600 Meter Run and though neither reached the podium, both will have very good opportunities to be back in the future, with both being freshman. Peebles’ Katy Seas finished ninth in the 1600 with a time of 5:16.34, while North Adams’ Myla Toole was 16th with her time of 5:32.21.
In the Girls 800 Meter run, the super soph Gray, who will also have a very good opportunity to be back at the state level next spring, placed 14th on Saturday with a time of 2:21.44.
In 2018, Jenny Seas was the state champion in the Girls 3200 Meter run and on Saturday she was back to defend her title in the final long distance race of her high school career, one that will leave an indelible mark as one of the finest and most resilient athletes in the annals of Adams County high school sports. Seas did not make it to the top spot on the podium this time, placing third with a time of 11:03.53, as she now focuses on her college career which will begin soon at Utah State University, after leaving Adams County fans with numerous fond memories of her graceful strides around the track.
In the Girls 4 x 400 Relay, the Peebles quartet of Justice, Behr, Gray, and junior Madison Beekman finished just short of the podium, finishing ninth overall in the state in Division III with a final time of 4:08.39.
Finally, the West Union Dragons were represented at the state meet by senior Conner Campbell, who was closing out a remarkable multi-sport career with the Dragons. Campbell competed at state in the Boys Long Jump and placed 17th, with his final jump measuring 17’11.25”.
All in all, it was a quite successful 2019 spring for local track squads and next spring should be no different with a lot of young talent returning.
