JZ breaks two minutes to win 800
Jared Zollars broke the two-minute barrier in the 800-meter dash, finishing his two laps around the track in 1:59.66 to win the event, earning the lone championship for the Knights at the Ohio Cardinal Conference track and field meet Friday, May 14, at Ashland High School.The senior distance specialist also anchored the 4x800 relay team of Grant Strouse, Brett McClain and Joey Alexander that finished second (8:27.83), and helped the 4x400 relay team of Luke Morris, Jeremy Anderson and McClain to a third-place run in a time of 3:34.53.
Other outstanding performances were turned in by Morris, who took third in the 110-meter hurdles (15.54) and a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash (23.59).
The young Knights squad finished seventh overall. Lexington took home the team title with 141 points. Wooster was second at 116 with Orrville right behind at 108.5. Clear Fork was fourth at 80.5, followed by Ashland (73), Mansfield Senior (69), the Knights with 46, and Madison, 28.
McClain got a sixth-place in the 400-meter dash (54.13). Grant Strouse finished seventh in the 800-meter (2:08.23). Freshman Andrew Rose picked up a seventh in the discus (120-06).
Also scoring for the Knights were Cully Gordon with an eighth-place finish in the 3200-meter run (10:51.95).
Nate Frank finished eighth in the 300-meter hurdles (44.06). The junior also ran a leg in the 4x200 with Joey Alexander, Quin Strouse and Nick Wolff. That quartet finished eighth (1:42). Frank also joined Joey Alexander, Jeremy Anderson and Morris for an eighth-place finish in the 4x100 relay (47.45).
The Lady Knights also finished seventh at the OCC meet. Ashland girls ran away with the team trophy, scoring 150.25. Mansfield Senior was a distant second with 94.25, followed by Orrville (84.75), Lexington (80.5), Wooster (75.5), Clear Fork (75.25), West Holmes (57) and Madison (43.5).
Jasmine Troyer scored a second in the 100-meter dash (12.96) and a third in the 200 (27.98). The senior speedster also ran a leg in the third-place finishing 4x200 relay, teaming up with Lorraine Strouse, Kendra Martin and Nichole Peterman. The foursome clocked in at 1:53.71.
Troyer also teamed up with Morganne Fair, Martin and Peterman to finish fourth in the 4x100 (52.70).
Peterman scored a second in the 300-meter hurdles (49.30). The speedy sophomore teamed with Strouse, Fair and Martin to finish sixth in the 4x400 (4:30.83).
Strouse turned in a personal best long jump of 16-feet, 0.5 inches to finish fourth in the event, and Haley Polen picked up a fourth in the high jump, clearing 4-8.
Macy Adkins finished seventh in the 3200 (12:40.15) and added an eighth-place showing in the 1600-meter (5:44.90).
Martin finished seventh in the 100-meter hurdles (17.41), and Amy Boyd was seventh in the pole vault (8-6). Rebecca Chamberlin added a seventh in the discus (93-3), and Natalie Abraham finished eighth in the shot put with a heave of 28-10.5.