Carr battles back for a third-place finish at state
Simply put, the 2023 season for Kaitlyn Carr was more like a roller coaster than a smooth ride down a freshly paved road.
After being sidelined with an illness for a month, the Smithville sophomore not only had to get herself back into racing shape, but also had to get her confidence back.
Carr did just that and then some en route to a third-place finish at the recent OHSAA Division III State Championships.
“I just had to train as best I could and get ready for whatever would happen,” she said. “I just kept remembering the goal of getting back to state. I wanted to do well, so I wanted to keep that focus no matter what.”
That determination was on full display in her state-meet performance as she recorded the second-fastest time of her prep career (18:02.62) and capped off a postseason where she picked up victories at the Wayne County Athletic League and Lorain District meets before a third-place showing at the Boardman Regional.
Those three meets were her first three weeks back in competition after her last meet on Sept. 16.
But that didn’t seem to slow down the motivated Carr, who wasn’t alone at the state meet as fellow locals in Smithies Maryn Erdman, Orrville’s Owen Lacy and the Waynedale boys team all took part in the event at Fortress Obetz.
Carr was as steady as it gets in the biggest race of her season as she solidified herself in fourth place until Reese Landis of New London started falling back from the lead pack. The local harrier then was able to keep herself in the third position.
“I think just believing in yourself and trying to run as best as you can helps,” Carr said. “You need to be mentally strong and ready to run as fast as you ever had. This proves to me that I can do it, even when I don’t think that I can. It’s great motivation and gives me confidence moving forward.”
Erdman placed 65th in her state debut, clocking a 20:04.98 as the freshman was as far up as 60th through the second mile marker.
Also in the Div. III meet, Waynedale’s boys were 16th overall, thanks to an All-Ohio run from Jackson Varner. The sophomore, who was making his second straight state appearance, crossed in 65th with a 16:23.50.
It was a grueling race, but Varner is going to use that for motivation this upcoming track season and beyond.
“It’s tough because everyone is so close together, but you just have to ride with them and hammer down at the end. It was kind of expected; I mean it’s the state meet,” he said. “This definitely does give me some confidence, and I’m really excited for next season. It makes my training more focused, and I’ll keep going at it hard.”
Both Nick St. John (109th, 17:38.35) and Jayden Varner (111th, 17:39.04) also factored in the team scoring, along with Lucas Miller (141st, 18:17.14) and Wyatt Moore (172nd, 18:56.31).
“It’s really fun having your team down here with you,” Jackson Varner said. “We have no seniors, so it was pretty cool to get the whole team down here this year. They have experience now, and it was a lot of fun.”
Lacy earned one of the final state-qualifying spots from the Boardman Regional and placed 104th in his state debut with a time of 17:17.82.
The sophomore said the finish was far from where he wanted to be, but he was happy to make his first trip to state and can’t wait to come back.
“Heading into the stadium, I still gave it everything I had,” Lacy said. “It felt like every time I would pass someone, I would get passed by two more people. It was a little demoralizing, but this is just more motivation to come back from it.
“Getting to state for the first time was definitely a great experience. I look forward to doing it again, in both track and cross country, and putting on a better performance.”