As the OHSAA Track and Field state tournament wrapped up on Saturday afternoon, two more Highland County athletes found their way onto the podium at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, one of them three times.
McClain’s Kaylee Hurley had already won the state championship in the shot put on Friday, and competed in the seated 100, 400, and 800 on Saturday afternoon. First up for Hurley was the 800 which she won with a time of 3:07.21, a full second faster than second place. After getting champion in the 800, Hurley then raced in the 400, which she won in a landslide with a time over five seconds faster than her nearest competitor at 1:21.22 to give her her third championship at the state meet. In Hurley’s final race, the 100, she was just four tenths of a second from getting a fourth first place placing but come in as runner up with a time of 23.86.
Another McClain athlete, Cody Hardesty, competed in the 800 meter run on Saturday afternoon. As Hardesty finished the first of two laps in the 800, it looked as if he kept pace with the other runners, he would be able to podium as he was right in the middle of the pack at fifth or sixth place. But in the final turn of the final lap, Hardesty found another gear and as he went up the final straightaway, pushed himself up into a third place finish for the event. His time of 1:54.62 was just a second behind the first place time of 1:53.38.
Hillsboro’s Mackenzie Conlon also competed in the finals on Saturday afternoon, running in the 300 meter hurdles. Unfortunately, he was unable to make it to the podium, placing ninth in the event with a time of 40.29.
Reach Robert Stegbauer at 937-393-3456 ext. 1679 or on Twitter @RStegbauer.
