TROTWOOD, Ohio— Bellefontaine’s boys track and field team turned in a strong showing Friday night at the Division II district meet at Trotwood-Madison High School, finishing fourth overall with 72.75 points and some qualifying for the regional round next weekend.
Tipp City, Butler and host Trotwood-Madison took the top three team spots, but the Chieftains showcased their talents despite the difficult weather conditions, highlighted by multiple podium finishes and late-race surges.
Bellefontaine advanced nine athletes to the Troy Regional in individual events and relays, with several others narrowly missing qualification.
Leading the way was the Chieftains’ 800-meter relay team of Kyrus Cobb, CJ Butler, Dillon Jones and Kaiden Foulk, which raced to a 1:32.55-second place finish to secure a regional berth. Foulk added a fourth-place finish in the 400 meters (51.34) to qualify individually, while also contributing to the 1600m relay team that advanced with a fourth-place time of 3:39.51. That foursome included Cobb, Butler, Hayden Maus, and Foulk.
Distance standout Hayden Maus delivered a runner-up finish in the 1,600 meters, clocking 4:31.23 to earn a regional spot. While teammate Jack Wilson turned in a personal-record performance in the same race, finishing fifth in 4:39.88 and just missing the cut for regionals.
Terrance Hayes qualified for regionals in the 300 hurdles, placing fourth in 41.98. He also took sixth in the 110 hurdles (17.36) and added a seventh-place finish in the high jump at 5 feet, 8 inches.
Bellefontaine saw further strong efforts across the track. In the 400 meters, Cobb placed seventh (54.38), while in the 200, Foulk (23.62) and Jones (23.62) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, just outside automatic qualification.
Landon Gerwels recorded a sixth-place finish in the 800 meters (2:08.43), and Marek Frazier placed eighth in the shot put (39-6).
In addition to Friday’s qualifiers, Bellefontaine will also send its 3,200 relay team and distance runner Hayden Maus in the 3,200-meter run, both advancing from Wednesday’s preliminary competition.
Despite rainy and challenging conditions, the Chieftains maintained a positive approach throughout the meet.
“The boys embraced the miserable weather day and had fun celebrating each other,” The team said in a Facebook statement. “There was much enthusiasm and final surges to the finish. We qualified nine to the regional meet with several other near misses.”
Bellefontaine will now turn its focus to the Division II regional meet in Troy, where it will look to build on its momentum and compete for spots at the state championships.
