When: Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2
Where: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at The Ohio State University
Parking Map: http://www.ohsaa.org/Portals/0/Sports/Track-Field/2018/FacilityDiagram.pdf
Broadcast Info: https://boxcast.tv/channel/ohsaa?channel_id=g4pkhif3is8iwqfxiihj (pay per view)
Live Results:
http://live.finishtiming.com/#/results/meet/201800192
Follow on Twitter: @SIHSSports / @IgnatiusXCTF
Over the course of Friday and Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, 359 student-athletes from 116 schools will compete at the 2018 OHSAA State Track & Field State Tournament.
A loaded field with plenty of talent awaits the Saint Ignatius track and field squad at The Ohio State University. But tough competion has never deterred the men of Chuck Kyle '69.
The Wildcats enter the State Meet on a definite hot streak. The team won both the District Meet in definitive fashion and captured the Regional title amongst a pack of ferocious contenders.
Who's to say the Wildcats can't do the same and make noise this weekend?
The Wildcats are tied for second in the state with a whopping 11 representatives this weekend. (See below for a complete list.) Only Olentangy Orange, with 12 competitors in 8 events, beat the Wildcats in the number of student-athletes scheduled to compete. Solon is tied with Saint Ignatius for 11 athletes in 8 events.
With 8 events / opportunities to score points, the Wildcats will have plenty of chances this weekend. Even if the Cats don't win an event, scoring points at every turn will be key to rack up enough to win.
Below is a list of competitors, organized by time of the event:
4x800 Relay Finals
Runners: Nick Saul, Matt Blouch, Andrew Biehl, Liam McGuire
Qualifying Time: 7:51.79
Day/Time: Friday at 5 pm
Preview: The Wildcat quartet clinched a spot in Columbus with an at-large bid at the Amherst Regional. The Cats enter at 8th of 18 relay squads in the event in terms of seed time. However, four of those teams have a time less than a second better than Saul, Blouch, Biehl, and McGuire. The Cats could play spoiler here.
110m Hurdles Prelims
Runner: John Wetula
Qualifying Time: 14.21
Day/Time: Friday at 5:25 pm
Preview: With an incredible personal record at Regionals, Wetula upset other runners to earn a spot in Columbus. The junior stands at fourth of nine, based on his previous time, in his heat and fifth of 18 overall. If Wetula can duplicate his feat, he has a strong chance to score points in the finals on Saturday.
100m Dash Prelims
Runner: Phil Zuccaro
Qualifying Time: 10.95
Day/Time: Friday at 5:40 pm
Preview: The fastest event in sports is always a tough one to score in, but if anyone can do it, it's Phil Zuccaro. The Wildcats' powerful senior will look to overcome a loaded heat, as Zuccaro sits at sixth out of nine in the second heat based on prior times. Zuccaro finished ninth at States last year.
4x100m Relay Prelims
Runner: Jack Kennedy, Connor Kennedy, Dominic Devengencie, and Phil Zuccaro
Qualifying Time: 42.08
Day/Time: Friday at 6:10 pm
Preview: The speedy Wildcat quartet has a strong chance at advancing to the finals. The Wildcats' talented relay squad enter with the best time in the heat and the third fastest overall. Solon and Warren G. Harding will be the other teams to beat for the two fastest times and spots to the finals in the heat.
200m Dash Prelims
Runner: Phil Zuccaro
Qualifying Time: 21.68
Day/Time: Friday at 7:05 pm
Preview: The Wildcats will rely heavily on Zuccaro this weekend, especially in this event. The quick senior will have to pull his usual magic to advance to finals. Zuccaro enters with the fifth best time in his heat, and ninth of 18 racers. Don't count out Zuccaro.
Shot Put
Runner: Darian Kinnard and Tommy Eichenberg
Qualifying Throw: Kinnard: 58'09.75; Eichenberg: 56'
Day/Time: Saturday at 12:00 pm
Preview: The Ring Cats will be well-represented in the shot put. Saint Ignatius two-sport stars Darian Kinnard and Tommy Eichenberg will hope to make assistant coaches Ryan Franzinger '02 and Tom Flandera '63 proud in an important event for the Cats. Kinnard will look to duplicate or improve on last year's second-place finish with his typical glide approach. Only Rocky River's Michael Shoaf and Madison's Nolan Landis had better throws than Kinnard at Regionals. Eichenberg will also look to power his way to the finals and some points after an impressive effort at Amherst last weekend.
Discus Throw
Runner: Darian Kinnard
Qualifying Throw: 174'02"
Day/Time: Saturday at 3:00 pm
Preview: At the biggest moments, Darian Kinnard seems to produce the largest results. The Wildcats' towering 6'7" lineman and thrower will need a clutch performance to beat talented competitors this weekend. Kinnard enters with the third best throw of his heat, behind Rocky River's Michael Shoaf and Medina's Thomas Supan. Also watch out for Andrew White of GlenOak, who hurled a throw of 196'09" at Regionals.
1600m Run Finals
Runners: Nick Saul
Qualifying Time: 4:19.58
Day/Time: Saturday at 5:15 pm
Preview: The Wildcats' dedicated distance runner, Nick Saul, enters high hopes of helping the Cats. The junior will have his work cut out for him against a stacked field of experienced candidates. Saul holds the No. 14 seed time out of 18 runners, so Saul will look to thrive in the role of underdog.