REGIONAL TRACK: Perkins' Schirg, Buga qualify for state

PIQUA — Perkins senior Gabriella Schirg won the shot put competition at the Division III regional meet at Piqua High School on Thursday. Those finishing in the top-5 of field events moved on to the state meet next week. Schirg had a top throw of 42 feet, 8 inches, advancing to her second straight state meet. Teammate Elizabeth Green just missed out on moving on, finishing sixth with a top mark of 37-2. Also for Perkins, Danny Buga won the boys discus competition with a heave of 182-9. Paul Keys just missed out on advancing in the long jump, taking sixth with a jump of 20-7.5. Fostoria's Daishaughn Settles claimed the fifth and final spot with a jump of 20-10. Bellevue's Kaitlyn Turinsky advanced in the high jump, finishing second with a top mark of 5-4. There were some finals on the track while top eight finishers in prelim races advanced to Saturday's finals back at Piqua. Similar to field events, only those in the top-5 of finals move on to state. The Clyde 4x200 relay team of Mitch Newsome, Dane Aldrich, Reese Rex and Dekin Crockett took second in 3:22.95, advancing to Saturday's final. They'll be joined by Bellevue's Evan Bova, Justin Boucher, Jeremiah Tuttamore and Owen Hancock, who were fourth in 3:24.44. Crockett was second in the 300-meter hurdles, finishing in a time of 38.62 seconds. Roger Bacon's Rhys Jacob had the top time in 38.41. Crockett will also race in the 200 final as he was eighth in 22.45. Bellevue's Amerie Wagner was fifth in the 400, finishing in 56.67 seconds. She was followed by Vermilion's Brooke Whisenant, who was sixth in 57.23. Wagner nabbed the final qualifying spot in the 200, crossing in 26.08. Bellevue's Hallie McCarthy was fifth in the 300 hurdles, finishing in 46.17. Bellevue's quartet of Peyton Taylor, Natalie Littlejohn, McCarthy and Wagner were sixth in the 4x200 in 1:44.16. Vermilion's Brady Parker grabbed the last qualifying spot in the boys 100, taking eighth in 11.14. In the girls 100, Whisenant was 10th (12.66) while Bellevue's Ava Jakubcin-Theis was 11th (12.74). Bellevue's Bella Slater just missed qualifying for the 100 hurdles final. She was ninth in 16.45. In a final, Perkins' Joel Smelcer advanced to state in the 3200, finishing second in 9:21.11. Division V FOSTORIA — Danbury's Jordan Ritz finished third in the high jump at the Division V regional meet at Fostoria Memorial Stadium. Ritz qualified for state with a top jump of 5 feet, 3 inches. New Knoxville's Addison Albers won with a mark of 5-4. Those finishing in the top-5 of field events moved on to the state meet next week. The Lakers' Taytum Benyak nabbed the final spot in the shot put by less than an inch. Benyak had a mark of 37-1.75 while Van Buren's Easton Wymer was hot on her tails at 37-1. There were some finals on the track while top eight finishers in prelim races advanced to Saturday's finals back at Piqua. Similar to field events, only those in the top-5 of finals move on to state. Margaretta's Lillian Belak had the fifth-best time in the 100 hurdles in 15.87 seconds. She'll be joined in Saturday's final by Danbury's Viktoriya Skeans, who was seventh in 16.38. Belak had the seventh-best qualifying time in the 300 hurdles in 46.94. Danbury's Zoe Uhnick just missed on moving on in the 200, taking 10th in 27.31. The Margaretta 4x100 quartet of Belak, Amyra Ruffing, Mariska Farlow and Kenadie Saylor were 11th in 52.16. The same group was 12th in the 4x200 in 1:50.93. In finals action, Margaretta's 4x800 of Farlow, Lucy Hartman, Ruffing and Tenlee Hammer saw their season end by taking ninth in 10:28.09. SMCC's 4x800 quartet of Gio Torres-Cortes, Eli Etchill, Jackson Grimm and Ben Jones were 11th in 8:43.36. Etchill's season ended in the 3200 as well, finishing 14th in 10:32.83. In a Division V regional at Cuyahoga Heights, St. Paul freshman Deanna Vazquez advanced to Saturday's final in the 400. She had the fourth-best time in 59.44. The Flyers' 4x200 advanced, as well. The group of Brooklyn Cassidy, Aubrie Bogard, Vazquez and Scarlett Ross finished fifth in 1:48.37.