MOUNT VERNON – Mount Vernon coach Kathy Thayer let athletic director Justin Sanford know that Yellow Jacket Stadium may need a bigger long-jump pit after Erich Rhodeback shattered the Mount Vernon News SpecTRACKular record with a leap of 23 feet on Friday, May 7.
Rhodeback broke a pair of meet records in winning four events to capture the SpecTRACKular’s Most Valuable Competitor award in the boys meet.
Rhodeback smashed his hand on the back side of the pit in breaking the record that stood for 29 years, doing so just as the wind was picking up right before the start of a heavy downpour.
“I did it a few times in practice,” Rhodeback said of his feat. “Every time I did it, I (dragged) a hand or foot or something. This time, I just got it. I guess it just clicked. I slammed my hand on the back and that hurt really bad. It’s still numb and blue. I jumped 23 feet, so it’s OK.”
The rain would not not dampen Rhodeback’s night. The senior flew by the competition in the 110-meter hurdles, breaking former teammate Sam Bethea’s mark of 14.5 seconds with a time of 14.47. Highland’s Landon Remmert (16.61) was second.
Rhodeback came within 1/10 of a second of former teammate Cory Berg’s mark of 38.16 in the 300-hurdles with a time of 38.26.
“I slipped a few times and didn’t run my best time (in the 100-hurdles), but still I got the record,” Rhodeback said. “I PR’d in the 300-hurdles and was super-excited about that. I was so close to the record and didn’t realize it. I stumbled on a few hurdles. In my mind, I thought I had a bad run so I didn’t run that hard at the end. If I would have pushed harder, I would have gotten that record too.”
Rhodeback’s fourth win came in an event he didn’t even try until Senior Night. He leaped 6-4 in the high jump to beat out Johnstow’s Josh Potter (6-2).
“I was really excited about that,” Rhodeback said. “I started jumping that Senior Night — just to jump — and I jumped 6-1.”
Centerburg’s Ben Riegel made a clean sweep of the throwing events with a 154-7 in the discus and a 54-5.5 in the shot put.
“It was alright,” he said. “I didn’t PR or do anything crazy; but it was a good, solid meet. I’ve been consistently over 150 in disc and 50 in shot, so that’s good (that I kept it up).”
Riegel, who will throw at Miami University next year, finds guidance and inspiration from his coach and father, Alan.
“My dad has loved track and field his whole life,” Ben Riegel said. “He tried to walk on at Ohio State and they told him he was too small. He’s like 6-1 and probably 250 pounds. He’s a real big guy. But he’s kept up with the sport this whole time and learned how to do it pretty well.
“So he started teaching me at home. I’d go to practice and then come home and he’d show me how to do the right things.”
Ben is also smaller than a lot of throwers. He was listed at 6-3, 225 pounds in football last fall.
“I would come to these indoor meets over the winter and I would see these great, towers of high school (athletes),” the senior said. “But I would beat them most of the time because I developed a better technique than they did. (My dad) drove me to beat those bigger, stronger guys.”
Mount Vernon’s Matthew Salvucci (1:58.62) edged Fredericktown’s Thomas Caputo (1:58.63) in the 800-meter, breaking the meet record of 1:59.3 set by Clear Fork’s Chris McClelland in 1999.
Highland’s Landyn Albanese had a solid meet with wins in the 100-meter (11.27), the 200-meter (22.5) and the 4x400 meter with Landon Remmert, Joel Roberts and Mason Duncan (3:38.48). Albanese was second behind Rhodeback in the long jump (21-9).
Northridge’s Elijah Carpenter won the 400 (51.34) and the 4x800 with Nick Houck, Braden Yutzy and Logan Knerr (8:36.4); narrowly defeating the East Knox team of Nathan Streby, Dillon Moreland, Seth Madden and Samuel Whitney.
In relays, Centerburg’s Mason Turske, Gavin Wilson, Ethan Barton and Tyler Johnson won the 4x100 (46.48); edging out Danville’s Nathan Butts, Aiden Bell, Dillon Looney and Jackson Loyd (46.58). Johnstown’s Aidan Cocoran, Bird Stanley, Lawson Sidner and Josh Potter took the 4x200 (1:35.06).
In distance running, Utica’s Jay Figgins won the 1,600 (4:41.53), and Centerburg’s Alex Hayden took the 3,200 (10:10.64).
In the pole vault, Clear Fork’s Ethan Staley (14-6) beat out Fredericktown’s Steven Tumbleson, who came back from a nasty spill to leap a mark of 13-0.
