Cincinnati area track and field teams made a strong showing on the opening day of the Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
The meet introduced a five-division format, with local competitors from Division IV and Division V earning top spots on the podium.
Summit Country Day Wins Division IV 4x100 Relay
The quartet of Maddy Amend, Brielle Bryant, Alaina Williams, and Ama Karikari secured a state title for Cincinnati by winning the Division IV 4x100-meter relay.
They set a new division record of 48.59 seconds.
Karikari, running the final leg, overtook the leading team from Girard to claim the first track state championship for the Silver Knights since their boys 4x200-meter relay victory in 2022.
"We knew the whole season that we were really close to winning and yesterday during prelims, we were 0.05 (seconds) away, so worked really hard on our handoffs and knew that if I got the stick in first or second, we'd definitely win," Karikari said.
The junior also contributed to a fifth-place finish in the 4x200-meter relay and placed sixth in the individual 200-meter dash.
Despite operating without an on-campus track facility, Summit Country Day finished as the highest-placed local girls squad, tying for 12th place overall with 17 points.
"We have really hard-working coaches and staff that help us get ready before meets and train before the season starts.
It just shows how hard work pays off," Karikari added.
Gockerman Guides CHCA to High Finish
Wyatt Gockerman assumed the primary leadership role for the Eagles following season-ending stress fractures suffered by his twin brother, Nate.
The lineup adjustment led Gockerman to focus on the 3,200-meter run, where he achieved a personal record of 9:13 to finish in third place.
"It honestly helped propel me and give me more motivation because I was able to really have a breakthrough race in the two-mile at regionals," Gockerman said.
Gockerman and senior teammate Jagger Dollenmeyer previously assisted the Eagles in securing seventh place in the 4x800-meter relay.
Both athletes later raced in the 1,600-meter run, where Gockerman placed sixth in 4:18.93, while Dollenmeyer finished his high school career in 13th place with a time of 4:22.41 before moving on to Wright State.
"I feel pretty exhausted, especially with how late in the season it is," Dollenmeyer said.
CHCA concluded the meet as the top local Division IV boys program, earning 17.33 points to finish 13th in the team standings.
Fenwick and Short Sprint Standouts Deliver Podium Results
Senior captain Samantha Long guided a young Fenwick squad, which brought ten athletes including seven freshmen to the state competition.
Long secured fourth place in the 300-meter hurdles and anchored the Falcons' 4x400-meter relay team to another fourth-place finish.
"I passed people early on because I wanted to start out fast and then just tried to maintain it for the rest of the race," Long said of the relay.
In the hurdles, Long maintained her positioning through the final turn to place ahead of Hannah Watson of Columbus School for Girls and Malayna Wilson of Mineral Ridge.
"A lot of the freshmen we have have never run track before. I feel like they definitely look up to the upperclassmen.
I was team captain this year and, hopefully, I get to do it again next year because it's really fun, trying to help the coaches," Long said.
In Division V, Cincinnati Christian senior Serena Cyprien earned third place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.73 seconds while battling a headwind.
"It really is all about the start, getting out of your blocks and running through the rest," Cyprien said.
Cyprien followed with a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash in 25.68 seconds, concluding a season where she lowered her times significantly before moving on to Wittenberg University.
"I've never been at a meet with this many people, ever. It's really nice.
The support is amazing, all the girls are super sweet and it was a really good opportunity," Cyprien said.
Jimere Furr of Cincinnati College Prep Academy secured second place in the boys 100-meter dash with a time of 11.37 seconds into a strong wind, recovering from a relay disqualification the previous year.
"Everything was feeling good. I made sure I locked in, made sure I stayed focused.
My coach told me that the wind would be crazy so he said to make sure my drive phase is longer than usual so, that way, I can cut through the wind," Furr said.
"To come out here and get second means a lot."
2026 OHSAA Championship Second Day Results
Multiple local athletes secured podium placements during the second day of the state meet across various divisions.
- DIII Boys 3,200m: 5. James O'Driscoll (Indian Hill), 6. Silas Baird (Madeira)
- DIII Boys 4x800m Relay: 6. T. Martin, J. McGrath, H. Hong, J. O'Driscoll (Indian Hill)
- DIV Girls 4x200m Relay: 5. B. Bryant, M. Amend, A. Williams, A. Karikari (Summit Country Day)
- DIV Boys 4x200m Relay: 8. R. Griffin, D. Newman, D. Hendrix, M. Hicks (North College Hill)
- DIV Girls 1,600m: 6. Lucy Folger (Madeira), 7. Allie Tolle (Georgetown)
- DIV Boys 1,600m: 6. Wyatt Gockerman (CHCA)
- DIV Girls 4x100m Relay: 1. B. Bryant, M. Amend, A. Williams, A. Karikari (Summit Country Day)
- DIV Boys 4x100m Relay: 8. N. Hedges, M. Brown, T. Sellers, T. Sayers (Deer Park)
