Perkins' Mason caps career with bronze

DAYTON — With the injuries Olivia Mason dealt with in her first two high school seasons, trips to the state podium seemed far away. But she overcame and made the climb, going one step higher as a senior than she did as a junior to cap her Perkins career. "I'm really grateful," Mason said. "With my injuries and stuff, I told my coach, this is just a bonus. I'm proud of what I've done throughout high school, and I'm really fortunate to be able to go to the next level." Mason ended her Pirates tenure as Division II's third-place finisher in the girls shot put on Friday in Dayton. A year after coming in fourth, Mason earned the bronze medal. The strong right-hander's placing throw: 41 feet, 1.75 inches. "I'm a little disappointed, but I have no reason to be upset," Mason said. As a freshman, a finger on Mason's throwing hand snapped at the indoor state meet, requiring a bone graft. The same hand dealt with knuckle issues as a sophomore. Last spring in Columbus, Mason threw 40-7 to come in fourth. Lately, Mason has dealt with some of the same knuckle issues she had earlier in her career. She avoided mentioning them to her coach, knowing the only option was to do whatever she could to finish out her high school career. "My coach doesn't really know this, but my hand has been hurting all season long," Mason said. "I've just kind of been toughing it out." Mason sat in second for five of the six rounds Friday before being passed by one competitor in the final throws. She put up her 41-1.75 on her fourth toss, a distance that wound up being the difference between repeating in fourth or grabbing third. There was nearly much more. On Mason's penultimate throw, she unleashed a huge one, the best of her life. But she foot faulted, meaning no mark on the foul. "It was really far out there," Mason said. "That's probably the most disappointing, knowing I would've won and had the school record. Everything kind of comes together like a puzzle, and you just throw it out there." The competition was won by Norton senior Morgan Hallett, a three-time state champion now in the shot put along with a couple discus titles. She'll throw at Ohio State, and her winning mark Friday was 44 feet even. "Morgan is very good," Mason said. "She's just amazing, really good competition. She's gonna do great things at Ohio State." Mason will go on to Youngstown State to throw at the Division I level herself. She made something special of a high school career that had taken a while to truly get off the ground, and she's still got more to go with the Penguins. In the meantime, she'll reflect back on all the special moments — not just the podium trips, but plenty of the smaller memories made along the way. "Just the days at practice, we're just having a good time," Mason said. "This stuff means a lot, but I'm a little things type of person. I like the little things."