WESTERVILLE, Ohio – First-year sensation King Jeju debuted at the All-Ohio Championships with one of the most dominant performances in meet history, as the Fighting Scots' star won three events, broke three school records, and earned four All-Ohio honors to lead the way for The College of Wooster track and field program. In all, 13 Scots earned All-Ohio status and five school records went down on Saturday at Otterbein University.
Jeju was more than up for the challenge at championship meet number one, leading the field in the 60-meter dash (6.85), 200 meters (22.25), and long jump (23 feet, 8.75 inches). The fourth All-Ohio honor came from a runner-up showing in the triple jump (45 feet, 5.75 inches). Jeju took down Sky Green's triple jump school record of 45 feet, 1 inch that stood since 1993.
Jeju, who already held Wooster's 60-meter dash record, went 6.93 in prelims to lead the field. The 6.85 in finals is tied for 12th nationally in the event, and he is still fifth with a season-best long jump of 24 feet, 1 inch from his collegiate debut on Jan. 13. Jeju's 200 time on Saturday took down the school record that was held since 2000 by three-time All-American Reggie Ray (22.46) and it gives the first-year three top-30 marks nationally this season.
Junior Drew Robertson, senior Joe Shilts, sophomore Zane DeMercurio, and junior Will Callender made a statement in the first track event of the championship, winning the distance medley relay with a time of 10:30.05. Senior Dylan Garretson continued his dominance at conference and All-Ohio meets with the first-place clearance of 16 feet, 1 inch in the pole vault. Garretson's winning mark was more than 18 inches higher than the runner-up height.
Other scorers for the men included junior Echo Kidd (fifth, high jump, 6 feet, 2.5 inches) and sophomore Essaie Mezmur (seventh, high jump, 6 feet, 2.5 inches). Shilts, junior Cam Ray, DeMercurio, and Robertson capped the meet with a 3:35.56 in the 4x400 relay, which ranked seventh.
Wooster's women were equally as impressive with three first-place finishes. Daysia Hargrave lowered the 60-meter hurdles school record in finals to 8.86, and that moved the junior up to a tie for 11th nationally in the event as of posting time. Hargrave's 8.86 was 26 hundredths of a second faster than a prelims time of 9.12, which also led the field.
Senior Ainsley Wiesner upped the weight throw school record to 56 feet, a mark within the top-20 nationally. Wiesner's winning effort marked her second time upping an already-held school record this season.
On the track, junior Igna Mendez, sophomore Amy Gabrovsek, first-year Zanna Anderson, and senior Athena Tharenos followed suit in the distance medley relay, with the Scots' 12:57.13 winning the event. Senior Drew Patterson, first-year Claire Davis, junior Maia Doescher, and sophomore Izzy Cozzie just missed on All-Ohio laurels in the 4x200 relay. Wooster's 1:49.84 was the fourth-place time.
Patterson did score All-Ohio honors as the runner-up in the high jump (5 feet, 3.75 inches), while Tharenos collected a second All-Ohio laurel in the 800 meters, finishing as the runner-up at 2:22.40.
Davis went 33 feet, 10 inches to place fourth in the triple jump. First-year Ellie Fox backed that up with the seventh-place measurement of 33 feet, 10 inches. Tharenos, Mendez, junior Emily Munson, and Cozzie capped the scoring. They stopped the 4x400 relay clock at 4:18.79 and took seventh.
Wooster's men scored 69.5 points to place fourth. The Scots ranked behind the University of Mount Union (118 points), Baldwin Wallace University (100.5 points), and Otterbein University (96.5 points). On the women's side, Wooster's 60 points rounded out the top-five teams. Mount Union (120 points), Case Western Reserve University (101.5 points), Ohio Northern University (89.5 points), and Denison University (62 points) were ahead of Wooster.
Next, Wooster competes at Kenyon College's Classic. The meet starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16.