Photos by Steven Wright | Greene County News
Beavercreek junior Kaden Ellerbe celebrates as he crosses the finish line with his teammates awaiting him next to the track. The 4 x 400 relay team for the Beavers with a time of 3:15.25 won the Division I state championship in the race.
At the top of the podium as state champions for Beavercreek in the 4 x 400 relay are senior Lance Caswell (top left), sophomore Aaden Hildebrand (top right), senior Liam Gluck (bottom left), and junior Kaden Ellerbe (bottom right).
Carroll junior Andrew Janson won a second state championship for the Patriots at the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships as he captured the Division II boys 800 meters title with a time of 1:52.61.
Carroll junior Andrew Janson stands on the podium after receiving his medal as the champion of the D-II 800 meters.
Handing off the baton in the D-II boys 4 x 400 relay finals for Carroll is senior Zach Van Meter (right) to senior Neil Tivakaran. The team ran the race in 3:23.28 to finish in fourth place.
Carroll sophomore Anna Thurman pushed ahead on her final lap to make it on the podium in the D-II girls 3200 meter finals. She ran a time of 11:17.93 to finish in seventh place.
Getting the day started for Carroll was senior Logan Arnold in the D-II boys 1600 meter final. His time of 4:19.40 was good for fourth place and a second straight year of making it onto the podium in the event.
A near photo finish in the D-I girls 400 meters final saw Beavercreek junior Kayleigh Keyes try her best to extend across the finish line in time. Cloverleaf’s Riley Evans bested her by .01 seconds as Keyes finished as the state runner-up for the second straight year with a time of 55.57.
Beavercreek freshman Faith Brown (left) made the most of her first year at state with a third place run in the D-I girls 100 meter hurdles running the race in 14.98 seconds.
Beavercreek junior Kaden Ellerbe ran the D-I boys 400 meters in 47.45 seconds to take sixth place.
Beavercreek sophomore Jackson Davis finished the D-I boys 1600 meters in 4:25.62 to take 15th place.
Beavercreek junior Zoe Roll got sixth place in the seated 100 meters with a time of 31.25 seconds.
(Editor’s note: See more coverage and photos from the 2024 OHSAA State Track and Field championships for all Greene County competitors in Tuesday’s print edition.)
DAYTON — Second place was not going to be an option this year for Beavercreek.
The Beavers’ boys 4 x 400 relay team closed out the 2024 OHSAA State Track and Field meet with a state championship win. A final time of 3:15.25 got the team of Lance Caswell, Liam Gluck, Aaden Hildebrand and Kaden Ellerbe to cross the line ahead of the team from Moeller by .54 seconds.
Motivation of not repeating a runner-up finish after nearly prevailing in the race last year was all that was on their minds leading into the race, according to the team.
Caswell and Gluck ran solid two legs to begin the race as the team remained close with the group representing Lexington. Hildebrand made the pass on the back stretch to get in front of the pack before making the final hand off to Ellerbe.
As he approached the finish line, his teammates got in position to join him in celebration. With a track official unsuccessfully able to hold back the celebration, Ellerbe roared out in jubilation on the track as he was greeted by the others who ran over to meet him with the job being done.
“[Last year] was all the motivation that we needed. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for those people behind us so shout out to them,” Ellerbe said referring to his coaches.
Kayleigh Keyes nearly joined them in the girls 400 meters. Her time of 55.57 missed out by .01 seconds as she and Riley Evans of Cloverleaf both stretched to get across the line. It’s the second straight year Keyes finishes the event as the runner-up after winning the title in 2022 as a freshman.
Also making the podium for Beavercreek was Faith Evans in the girls 100 hurdles with a third place run, as well as Ellerbe in the boys 400 meters as he took sixth.
Zoe Roll of Beavercreek completed her weekend with a sixth place finish in the girls seated 100 meters after finishing in 31.25 seconds.
Jackson Davis got 15th in the boys 1600 meters to close out the strong weekend for Beavercreek at the meet.
Division II
Andrew Janson of Carroll won the Division II boys 800 meters race at the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships on Saturday.
Janson came into the event from regionals with the best qualifying time and backed up his prowess at Welcome Stadium. His time of 1:52.61 won the race by a full second over Nathan Strahm of Otsego.
It was the second state championship for Carroll this weekend. The boys 4 x 800 relay team, which Janson also was a member of, won its race on Friday.
Janson ran sixth after the first lap. He began to make a push toward the front as he turned onto the back stretch of the final lap and had made the pass into the lead before getting through the final turn.
“I was a little nervous because I knew I had to make up some ground,” Janson said. “I knew I had a lot left and I was confident I could catch those guys during that second lap and that’s what I did.”
He capped the day and the D-II meet by running the anchor in the boys 4 x 400 relay. Along with Logan Arnold, Zach Van Meter and Neil Tivakaran, the team got fourth with a time of 3:23.28.
Arnold began the day running in the finals of the boys 1600 meters. He reached the podium for the second straight year in the event by also capturing fourth place with a run of 4:19.40.
Anna Thurman made it in to the finals of the girls 3200 meters after getting one of the two wild car spots. She made the most of her opportunity and improved on her performance from last year by running to a seventh place finish in 11:17.93.
The Carroll boys team finished in fourth place in the overall standings after scoring 30 points. Huron was the champion with 40.
Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on X (formerly Twitter) @Steven_Wright_.
