COLUMBUS, Ohio — Friday was day two of three for Logan County competitors at the State Track and Field meet in Columbus. The Finals for divisions four and five concluded while Division three kicked off action.

West Liberty-Salem High School concluded a great year with another strong showing at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division IV state track and field meet, highlighted by multiple podium finishes and a school-record performance in the boys 4x800-meter relay. The Tigers sent an abundance of athletes to Columbus, and were rewarded for their efforts.

The Tiger girls were led by all-Ohioan Chloe Griffith, who earned a third-place finish in the girls 100-meter dash with a time of 12.81 seconds after finishing as state runner-up a year ago. Griffith also anchored the girls 4x100 relay team of Tori Douthwaite, Lea Brickerson and Gwen McCullough to a third-place finish, adding another All-Ohio performance.

On the boys side, West Liberty-Salem’s 4x800 relay team delivered one of the program’s top highlights. The quartet of Zeke Longshore, Brayan Gullett, Caleb Larson and Asher Cole placed among the top teams while setting a new school record with a time of 7:54.36.

Sam Kidd paced the boys sprinters, finishing fifth in the 200-meter dash in 22.89 seconds. Kidd also contributed to two relay teams, helping the 4x400 unit of Kidd, Brevin Louden, Jake Lauck and Taryn Bradley place seventh, and teaming with Jackson Henry, Tanner Myers and Bradley for a sixth-place finish in the 4x100 relay.

Bradley added an individual placement in the boys 110-meter high hurdles, taking seventh in 15.30 seconds.

Distance runner Caleb Larson added another performance for the Tigers, placing 13th in the boys 3200-meter run with a time of 9:53.54.

The girls distance relays also saw action, with the 4x800 team of Malia Miller, Gwen McCullough, Isla Leichty and Arianna Weaver finishing 15th in 10:00.58. The girls 4x200 relay squad of Douthwaite, Brickerson, McCullough and Griffith also placed 15th in 1:46.57.

In field events, West Liberty-Salem earned points in the girls pole vault, finishing eighth with a clearance of 11 feet.

In the throws, Ava Poppe advanced to the finals in the shot put but narrowly missed earning All-Ohio honors; the senior finished 13^th, capping a season in which Poppe rewrote portions of the West Liberty-Salem record book.

West Liberty was joined by Calvary Christian, which capped its season off with two performances at the state tournament.

The Spartans set a school record in the Boys 4x800 with a time of 8:14.03 but did not earn all-Ohio status in the event. Senior John Gaertner was able to secure his spot on the podium with a 7^th-place finish in the open 800 meter run.

As the Tigers and Spartans closed their Tournaments, Bellefontaine, Benjamin Logan and Indian Lake all saw their state meets begin.

Benjamin Logan’s opened up day one when Carter Daniels delivered one of the top highlights of the day, earning a third-place finish in the boys pole vault. Daniels cleared 15 feet, 2 inches to reach the podium and establish himself among the state’s elite in the event.

Also for the raiders, Abby Vance advanced through the girls 200-meter dash preliminaries, posting a time of 25.81 seconds to place 11th overall and remain in contention heading into Saturday’s finals. Kyla Goodwin added a 14th-place finish in the girls discus with a throw of 109 feet, 8 inches.

Bellefontaine saw multiple competitors finish in the top half of their events. All-Ohioan Kelsie Snapp placed seventh in the girls shot put with a mark of 38 feet, 10 inches, while also competing in the discus and finishing 17th at 108 feet, 6 inches. Distance runner Grace Brown turned in a strong effort in the girls 3,200-meter run, crossing in 11 minutes, 27.81 seconds to finish 12th in a competitive field.

Indian Lake athletes also contributed solid performances. Christopher Timms recorded an eighth-place finish in the boys shot put with a throw of 54 feet even, earning a podium position. Gavin Henry placed 15th in the boys 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.38 seconds. Addison Beck also represented Indian Lake in the high jump competition.

With preliminary rounds completed in several running events and field finals underway, Logan County athletes remain poised for additional success as the meet continues Saturday and Sunday.