Oberlin High School's girls track and field team won the Division IV indoor state championship for the second year in a row on March 7 at Spire Institute in Geneva. The Phoenix scored 58 points to finish 23 ahead of runner-up Smithville.
The Oberlin girls track team claimed the Division IV indoor track and field state title on March 7 at Spire Institute in Geneva, scoring 58 points to win by 23 over Smithville. This marks their second straight championship; last year, they scored 42 points to edge Rittman by eight.
Coach Rodney Hooks noted the team's preparation: “We knew we had a good chance, but everybody had to do their part. We knew, but you don’t want to be too arrogant or cocky. But the kids really stepped up.”
Senior Olivia Hudson led with victories in three events. She won the 400-meter dash in 57.29 seconds. Hudson anchored the winning 4×200 relay team with Aubrey Abeyta, Cayman Noble and Alyssa Webb, finishing in 1:42.86—nearly seven seconds ahead of second place. She also ran on the victorious 4×400 relay with Abeyta, De’Shyana Freeman and Hailey Petzak, clocking 4:10.00, more than six seconds faster than the runners-up.
The day started strong with Noble's fourth-place long jump of 16 feet, 8½ inches, an indoor personal best. Noble placed fifth in the 60-meter dash (8.02 seconds), while Webb was fourth (7.92 seconds, with a 7.88 preliminary personal best). The team placed two athletes in the finals of the 60, 200 and 400-meter dashes. Abeyta finished seventh in the 400 (60.99 seconds); Hudson was third in the 200 (25.63 seconds) and Webb fourth (26.07 seconds).
Hooks highlighted the depth: “We knew we could score twice in the individual events because we had two people in each event and they were seeded in the top eight. But they still had to do what they needed to do that day. And they did.”
The success sets up the outdoor season, where Oberlin aims for a first state title since 1985. Last year, they placed second in Division III outdoor. This year, they compete in Division V outdoor.
Oberlin's boys 4×800 relay team of Grant Abeyta, Peter Caldwell-Kepner, Brandon Bertoni and Collin Boardman finished fourth in 8:44.60. Hooks called it “one of my biggest accomplishments as a coach. It meant a lot to us, and I know it meant a lot to them.”
