The boys team made history. With two seniors, six juniors, and four sophomores, these twelve were the first of the boys team to ever compete in the Ohio Indoor Track and Field State Championships.

Winter Track has only been going to the state meet for two years, both qualifying with only the girls team. The 2015 girl qualifiers are three seniors: Lisa Ruffin in the high jump, Rose Menyhert in the 3200 meter run, and Victoria Swart in the pole vault.

The team left for Wadsworth, Ohio after school on Fri., March 6, taking a Buckeye Running Company bus, driven by distance coach Steve Nester. They stopped halfway through the four-hour ride for dinner at an Olive Garden.

“The stop at Olive Garden was one of the highlights of the trip. Everyone had a great meal and it was an awesome team bonding time. Just about everyone was asleep the rest of the way to the hotel,” junior Jonathan Hedrick said.

Once they reached the hotel, the team spent the evening taking a dip in the hot tub, preparing themselves mentally, and meeting with Coach Hank Ray for a pep talk that featured a whispered “Go Aves” so as not to disturb other hotel guests.

“I visualized the track and went over it in my head how exactly I would run the race. In the open 400 meter run and the 1600 meter relay, I just wanted to beat someone,” sophomore Joshua Glauser said.

The next morning was the State Competition itself. The 800 meter relay was first to compete, in which they placed tenth overall. After came the 60 meter dash, where junior Jeremiah Hunter ran in the preliminaries, and then the 3200 meter relay.

“In all my years of track, I have never personally witnessed a distance runner throw up, but at that meet, two of the 3200 relay runners threw up and one was tasting blood,” Ray said to the team the following Tuesday.

“It was because of that that I knew they had given their all, and that’s all I could ask for.”

The 3200 meter relay team placed third, dropping their combined time by six seconds and breaking their own school record. As for Glauser, he ran his 400 meters in 51.6 seconds- the fastest on the team and a personal record by a full second.

“I already knew with 100 meters left that I would finish second. It felt like an eternity, though, running past the stands toward the finish line. After the race, I felt pretty much like collapsing on the spot,” Glauser said.

Hedrick also ran a personal record of 52.8 seconds in the 1600 meter relay. Hunter injured his quad during the 800 meter relay, so sophomore Andrew Schrantz ran in his place.

“I was relieved when I heard my time from Nester because I thought I was facing a plateau at 53 seconds. After so many meets of running a 53-second 400, hearing that I hit 52 was quite nice,” Hedrick said.

For the girls, Menyhert finished sixth in the 3200 meter run, and Ruffin and Swart both tied for fifteenth in their respective events. Junior Benjamin Pendergast tied for twelfth in the boys pole vault.

“It was exhilarating, seeing the whole entire seating area filled to the brim. The atmosphere was incredible, seeing some of the best athletes in Ohio and in the nation,” Hedrick said.

“It truly one of the most amazing track and field experiences I’ve had. Being able to represent SHS at the State level was something I’ll never forget.”

For complete results, visit oatccc.com .