The Mount Vernon girls bowling team got a well-rounded effort, with three bowlers rolling in the mid- to high 400s to help the Yellow Jackets placed 10th at the Division I district bowling meet on Monday, Feb. 22, at HP Lanes in Columbus.
Chelsea King led the Jackets with a three-game series of 483 to finish 32nd out of 104 total bowlers, behind Delaware’s Hannah Halstead (675).
King was followed closely behind by Jace Kyle and Katrina Wells, who each rolled a 444 to finish tied for 45th. Izzy Moore was also solid with a 417 to finish tied for 62nd.
Gahanna Lincoln (3,938) took the title, followed by Jonathan Alder (3,691), Delaware (3,414) and Olentangy (3,411), which all qualified for the state tournament on March 5 at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl.
The Jackets (3,258) qualified for district by finishing fifth out of 35 total teams at the two-day sectional tournament. Alder took top honors with a score of 3,580.
Mount Vernon, which bowled on the second day on Thursday, Feb. 18, at HP Lanes, was led by Kyle, who rolled a 534 to finish 10th out of 214 total bowlers, behind winner Danielle Phipps (598) of the Pioneers.
King (506) was 17th and Moore (475) was 32nd for Mount Vernon.
Jacob Tucker (532) led the boys team at sectional, finishing tied for 73rd out of 250 total bowlers, behind Marion Harding’s Gage Warren (708) on Friday, Feb. 19, at HP Lanes.
The Yellow Jackets (3,307) finished 27th out of 44 teams, behind the Presidents (4,316).
The top 16 teams and 16 high-scoring individuals not on qualifying teams advanced to district.
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Mount Vernon’s Erich Rhodeback, Centerburg’s Ben Riegel and Highland’s Juliette Laracuente led their respective indoor track and field teams at Mount Vernon’s third indoor meet at Energy Fieldhouse.
Rhodeback took first place in a couple of events to lead the Mount Vernon boys team. He was first in the 60-meter hurdles (8.34 seconds) and teamed with Ethan Young, Damion Blubaugh and Dylan Dowell to take first in the 4x400-meter relay during the two-day meet that took place on Friday, Feb. 19, and Saturday, Feb. 20, in Mount Vernon.
Riegel took top honors in the shot put with a throw of 55 feet, 5.00 inches for the Trojans.
Laracuente led the Highland girls team, placing second in three events and third in another. She took second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.69 seconds, the high jump at 5-4.00 and the long jump at 17-3.50 and finished third in the triple jump with a distance of 35-4.75.
The Yellow Jacket boys team was fourth out of 21 teams with a score of 50 points, behind winner Granville (102 points). Centerburg (29) placed eighth, East Knox (13) was 15th, Fredericktown (11) was 16th and Highland (4) finished 20th.
The Fighting Scots finished eighth out of 18 girls teams with a score of 33 points, behind winner Huber Heights Wayne (107.50).
Mount Vernon (14) was 15th, Fredericktown (11) was 16th and Centerburg (6) was tied for 17th.
Also for the Trojans, Abigail Dickhoff placed third in the 800-meter run (2:33.42) and Gavin Wilson was fourth in the long jump (19-10.00).
Nathan Streby placed second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:02.39 to lead the Bulldogs.
SWIMMING
Joel Conrad swam a time of 22.38 seconds to finish second in the 50-yard freestyle at the Division II Central, East and Southeast District meet on Thursday, Feb. 18, at the Bowling Green State University Student Recreation Center in Bowling Green.
Conrad’s effort earned him the lone qualifying bid for the Mount Gilead swim team, which scored 98 points to finish 10th out of 33 competing teams, behind Dover (218.5 points).
The top two individuals in each race along with at-large qualifiers advanced to the state tournament, which will be held on Thursday at the CT Branin Natatorium in Canton.
Michael Snopik (23.23) finished sixth in the 50-yard freestyle for MG.
Conrad was also seventh in the 100-yard freestyle (49.77) and sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:31.50) with Snopik, Eric Mowery and Mason Kidwell.
