District champs strive to reach D-II state track meet

Audra McClain
Correspondent
Nicole Bryant, left, and Cassidi Bookless turn the first corner during the 400, as River View rolled to a team title in the Wayne Clark Invitational at Zanesville's John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium earlier this season. Bookless highlights several River View athletes competing in the Division II regional meet at Muskingum University.

COSHOCTON - District champions from Coshocton and River View are ready to take on the Division II regional track and field meet in hopes of reaching state.

Five field finals (boys pole vault, long jump and discus; girls high jump and shot), the 3,200 relay finals and running preliminaries will be held on Thursday, at Muskingum University, and the remaining field and running finals are on Saturday.

Thursday's meet starts with field events at 5 p.m. with running at 6 p.m., and Saturday kicks off with field events at 11:30 a.m. and running at 12:30 p.m.

The Ridgewood boys also have several competitors in this meet.

After getting third at last year's district meet, River View senior Cassidi Bookless made it her goal to win a district title in her last year, and that was exactly what she did, placing first in the 400 with a time of 1:00.27.

Bookless plans to use her competition at the regional to push her to run faster so she can make it to state.

“I knew this year I had a shot to win it, it was one of the goals I had for myself,” she said. “I feel accomplished but I still want to do more.”

River View junior Alicia Lonsinger also placed third in last year’s districts, but came out victorious this year with a time of 26.41 in the 200. She credited her success to her hard work in the offseason, when she ran indoor track, as well as her coaches and good genetics.

To get to state, Lonsinger said she needs to stay focused, drink water and listen to the critiques from her coaches.

“It was very satisfying to win a district title, it was one of my goals,” she said. “I am really blessed with good coaches and a good team.”

For Bookless and Lonsinger the district meet was nothing new, but for freshman Kelsey Hartsock is was completely foreign. This was Hartsock’s first year participating in track, yet she came in first in the 100 with a time of 12.94.

“I thought it was pretty amazing,” Hartsock said about winning a district title. “This is my first year so it was first time even going to districts so I was pretty pumped.”

Bookless, Lonsinger, Hartsock and senior Skyler Stewart make up the 400 relay, which also placed first at the district with a time of 50.82. Lonsinger, Hartsock, Stewart and senior Jesse Vandenbark run the 800 relay, which was first with a time of 1:47.47.

Bookless credited the relays' success this season to Hartsock.

“I think having Kelsey as that addition was something we were needing. She fills the gaps we’ve had, and now we are complete and our times are there,” she said.

From the River View boys track team, senior Grant Gunn was the district champ in the 100 for a second straight year, posting a time of 11.36. Gunn felt his success comes from hard work off the track and in the weight room.

Gunn said winning the district title meant a lot since he was not pleased with how he performed. “I ran one of my worst races of the year, so to come back and still win is pretty awesome.”

In order for Gunn to improve at the regional and make it to state, he said he'll need to stay composed.

Senior Sawyer Neal was another district champ from the River View boys, running the 3,200 in a time of 10:10.19. Neal said he will need to push himself in the last few laps of the race when the competition starts to pick up to place well in the regional.

“It was pretty huge,” he said about his success in the race.

He said Steven Scheetz was a huge inspiration when he was  freshman and someone he looked up to. “It meant the world to me to be able to feel like I am carrying on what he taught me, it was pretty impactfull.”

The lone district champ and female high jumper from Coshocton’s track team, Kennedy Haley, placed first with a jump of 5-foot-2. Haley did not decide to try out high jump until the end of her freshman. Since then, it has been the event she has focused on the most.

“I remember going into my sophomore year watching the older girls do so well and striving for that,” she said.

Coshocton head track coach Keith Matz said Haley’s success at the district and what will allow her to make it to state is her composure.

“She’s learned to control her emotions, she’s learned to be calm,” he said.

Haley echoed her coach's words. She said placing first in the district meet gave her the confidence she needed to do well in the regional and hopefully make it to state.

“Some days I would get so frustrated with myself that I wanted to quit, but my coaches wouldn’t let me,” Haley remarked. “They believed I could when I didn’t.”