Steubenville’s Faulks wins Ohio D-II state title in low 300 hurdles race marked by controversy | News, sports, jobs

Photo by Kim North Steubenville Savior Faulks barely clears the final hurdle in the low 300 meters during Saturday’s Division II state finals at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Faulks was declared state champion after a three-competitor repeat failed to beat his time of 37.74 seconds.

DAYTON – Savior Faulks had to wait longer than usual to receive his gold medal for winning the Ohio Division II men’s 300-meter low hurdles during Saturday’s state track and field finals at the University of Dayton’s sunny Welcome Stadium .

During the finals, one runner, 2023 champion Brayden Richards of Perry in lane 6, finished first, but broke the last hurdle and inadvertently went into other lanes, blocking the path of two other competitors. Faulks, in lane 3, was unaffected and finished second in 37.74 seconds, but red flags went up when several riders ended up on the track surface, including Faulks, who had a good-sized abrasion on his back. top of his left shoulder.

After a lengthy discussion with meet officials and the eight coaches and runners involved, it was determined that Richards would be disqualified and the remaining seven runners were given the option to race again at the end of the meet. Only three of the runners opted to run again, as the other four earned personal bests in the finals, including Faulks.

About 30 minutes later, Huron’s Beau Harkleroad; Fairfield Union’s Chayse Lipscomb and Lima Bath’s Ethan Cole ran in the same lane as in the final, but neither beat Faulks’ time, sparking a celebration between Faulks and the Steubenville contingent in the stands.

“I was looking at the clock as they came down the stretch. It was 36, 37 and when he got to 38 I knew he had won,” Faulks said. “It was definitely worth the wait.”

He said the decision not to run again was simple.

“I had just beaten my personal best by almost a second. I was satisfied with my time.

“Being a state champion feels amazing. I am very grateful for all the memories I have created in my career. Now is the time to take it to the next level.”

Faulks will attend West Virginia University in the fall.

Steubenville head coach Andy Kidwell couldn’t be prouder of his athlete.

“We are very proud of Savior. He does everything well, on and off the track, the football field and the wrestling mat. He is also a great student.”

Several other Ohio Valley athletes reached the podium, with Steubenville’s Sabria Jones earning a pair of all-Ohio certificates and medals in the 100- and 200-meter races on the women’s side. The West Virginia University recruit ran 25.18 to place fourth in the 200 after placing seventh in the 100 in 12.54. He was also part of Big Red’s 4×100 relay that placed eighth in 49.46. The other three members of the team were Laila Reed, Sarah Allen and Aniyah Warner.

“I’m very happy with what I accomplished today,” Jones said. “I was able to compete in four events, something I hadn’t been able to do since my freshman year. “I was glad to be here and be healthy regardless of the outcome.”

St. Clairsville had a pair of state runners-up: Emma Henry and Ben Shields, both seniors. Henry finished the 100 meters in a time of 12.19, while Shields ran 9:17.30 in the 3,200.

“It was like deja vu,” Henry said of finishing second to Toledo Catholic Central’s Nyla King for the second year in a row. “It was a tough race because I still have a little strain in my (left) hamstring. Hey, it was the state finals and I was honored to be able to compete.

“It was a good race. I am proud of myself.”

Shields said racing in the prestigious Penn Relays helped prepare him for this type of atmosphere.

“I will take second place. It was a good race. Everything turned out the way I thought it would,” Shields said. “I ran almost as much as I wanted to.”

The Martins Ferry sophomore placed seventh in the women’s 800 with a time of 2:16.35. She was in 11th place after the first lap, but she regained the spot to get on the podium.

“It feels good. I knew I had to pick up the pace on the second lap,” she said. “I gave it everything I had.”

LAST LAPS

– Three former Ohio Valley track standouts, all in D-III, continue to hold or share state records for their gold medal performances. Bridgeport’s Brittany Hocker ran the 100 meters at the 2004 state finals in 11.81; Denver Williams, of Cadiz, shares the state record and the state meet record in the men’s 100 meters, as she clocked a time of 10.55 in 1995; and Barnesville distance star Stephanie Morgan ran the 800 in 4:45.21 in 2007.

– Former U.S. Olympian and world record holder in the 400 Butch Reynolds of Ohio State University helped present the medals Saturday.