Host Spartans run away with girls sectional track title

Sophomore Ahniyah Bennett broke two meet records and won four events to help lift the Connersville Lady Spartans to the sectional title, ran on the Connersville track on Wednesday, May 15. 

Bennett won the 100-meter, establishing a new sectional record time of 12.22, and she won the 200-meter, also establishing a new sectional record with a time of 25.21. Bennett also won the high jump and the long jump. 

Wayne County athletes won several events and advanced several athletes to the regional. 

Sara Swinney from Seton Catholic flirted with the sectional record in winning the 400-meter. Kaylynn Wolfal from Centerville won the 800-meter, and she won the 1,600-meter in school record time. Keena Barker won the 3200-meter. Hattie Hobbs from Hagerstown won the 100-meter hurdles.  

The 4 x 100-meter relay team of Kashawn Farris-Craig, Rosalinda Colaj, Katie Mathena and Akailyn Hogg from Richmond took first place. 

The 4 x 400-meter relay team of Bella Cornell, Kaydence Burkhardt, Gwynie Falcone and Sara Swinney from Seton Catholic took first place. 

The 4 x 800-meter relay team of Kendra Shipman, Lily Black, Anna Nevels and Kaylynn Wolfal from Centerville broke the school record time in winning the event. 

Event winners plus top five finishers from Wayne County schools (Top three advance to Regional):

100-meter — Ahniyah Bennett (Con) 12.22, 2nd Akyailyn Hogg (NE), 3rd Bella Cornell (SC), 4th Kasiti Ferriell (HHS), 5th Kashawn Ferris-Craig (RHS) 

200-meter — Bennett (Con) 25.21, 2nd Hogg (NE), 3rd Sara Swinney(SC), 5th Ferriell (HHS) 

400-meter — Swinney (SC) 59.92, 2nd Cornell (SC), 3rd Amiyah Davis (NE), 

800-meter — Kaylynn Wolfal (CHS) 2:30.22, 2nd Elizabeth Graham (RHS), 4th Jacqueline Orihuela (RHS)

1600-meter — Wolfal (CE) 5:25.75, 2nd Keena Barker (RHS), 4th Gwynie Falcone (SC), 5th Anna Nevels (CHS) 

3200-meter — Barker (RHS) 12:26.46, 2nd Nevels (CHS), 3rd Jackie Clemente (SC) 

100-meter hurdles — Hattie Hobbs (HHS) 17.32, 2nd Bryn VanVleet (SC) 

300-meter hurdles — Trisha Morgan (Rush) 49.91, 2nd Kendra Shipman (CHS), 3rd Hobbs (HHS), 4th Kaydence Burkhardt (SC)

4 x 100 meter relay — Farris-Craig, Rosainda Colaj, Katie Mathena, Hogg (RHS), 3rd Taylor Anderson, Serenity Hunt, Addie Butler, Julie Carter (CHS), 4th Lindsey Golliher, Hobbs, Clare Bowen, Ferriell (HHS), 5th Lara Zavata-Nogueira, Hashanna Clark, Kaedynce Lakes, Juztice Slick (NE)

4 x 400-meter relay — Cornell, Burkhardt, Falcone, Swinney (SC) 4:22.77, 2nd Brooke Jordan, Julie Carter, Shipman, Adanech Jarvis (CHS), 3rd Graham, Orihuela, Craig-Farris, Hogg (RHS)

4 x 800-meter relay — Shipman, Lily Black, Nevels, Wolfal (CHS) 10:29.53, 3rd Graham, Katy Peacock, Allison Stout, Orihueala, 5th Logan Klein, Nora King, Havana Harris, Izabella Thalls (HHS)

High Jump — Bennett (Con) 4’10”

Long Jump — Bennett (Con) 16’ 9.75”, 3rd Farris-Craig (RHS) 

Pole Vault — Gabby Pavey (Rush) 9’, 5th Evelyn Lerner (RHS) 

Discus — Jenna Lawler (Rush) 106’ 5”, 4th Abigail Sangster (CHS)

Shot Put — Lawler (Rush) 38’ 1.5”, 2nd Jenna Johnston (RHS).      

Final team standings: Connersville 120, Rushville 106, Richmond 95, Centerville 79, Seton Catholic 69, Hagerstown 47, Tri High 41, Union County 29, Northeastern 24, Lincoln 1.