LEXINGTON — Lillian Freundlich may want to invest in some duct tape before next week’s state track meet in Columbus.
Lexington’s distance ace may need to tape her shoes to her feet after nearly running out of them on a steamy Saturday afternoon.
A senior, Freundlich finished fourth in the 3,200 meter run in 11:35.16 to punch her ticket to Columbus during the final day of the Division II regional meet on her home track. She ran the final mile with an untied right shoe.
“It came undone on lap three or four,” a still out-of-breath Freundlich said after collecting her medal. “I felt that it was getting looser and I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ It happened to me at districts last year. I just have unfortunate timing.
“The only time I ran the four-by-four (hundred meter relay) this year, my shoe flew off and I ran the whole thing without one shoe. It’s just my luck.”
Freundlich already had qualified for the state meet as a member of Lexington’s regional champion 4×800 relay team Thursday along with teammates Mackenna Curtis-Collins, Abby Miller and Dominique Clairmonte. She spent the early portion of Saturday’s 3,200 trying to chase down a field that went out fast in an attempt to keep pace with regional champ Hannah Campbell of River Valley. Nobody was going to catch Campbell, who turned eight laps in a time of 10:49.03, shattering the regional mark by almost nine seconds. The former record had stood since 1986.
“I’m just glad I made it out,” Freundlich said. “I wish I would have gone a little faster. I don’t know if it was the heat or if I psyched myself out. I just felt so far out of it at the beginning. I wish I would have placed a little higher.
“I’m thrilled I get to compete at state. It really is an honor. I’ve never been able to race track at state. I’m so excited.”
Freundlich finished eighth at the state cross country meet last fall.
“I talked to other people who have gone. (Former Lex standout) Mattie Moncayo said it was much more dignified,” Freundlich said. “At cross country, everyone’s running around with body paint and streamers.
“It’s (going to be) nerve racking, but the best kind of nerve racking.”
A sophomore, Clairmonte flirted with the regional record in the 1,600 run. She broke the tape in 5:03.12 — about four seconds off the record — to win the regional title.
“I kind of sat back for a while,” Clairmonte said. “I knew the third lap is usually the toughest for people and I kind of took off then.
“I’m happy I got first but I don’t think I did what I wanted time wise. But I have next week, too.”
Clairmonte has her sights set on cracking the five-minute barrier. She has been close all season.
“That’s what I’m really aiming for. I hoped to be able to get it (Saturday),” she said. “I was kind of disappointed I didn’t get it today, but I’m happy with first place.”
The area produced two other individual regional champs and two gold medal-winning relay teams. Shelby’s Cody Stine (high jump) and Ontario’s Brett Cortelletti (3,200 run) and the Clear Fork girls 4×200 relay team and Galion’s girls 4×100 relay team all reached the top of the podium Saturday.
After winning gold at the Mehock Relays in April, Shelby’s Stine won a regional crown with a leap of 6-7. The junior is headed for Columbus for the first time.
“I felt pretty comfortable today,” Stine said. “The ultimate goal is to win the state championship, but the first thing I’ve got to do is get on the podium.”
Ontario’s Cortelletti was a runner-up at the Mehock in the 3,200 and a regional runner-up last year. The junior led virtually wire-to-wire to win in 9:45.71.
“This has been my goal for a while,” Cortelletti said. “I went out a lot faster than I wanted to. I think everyone did on that first lap.”
Lexington’s Nick Stricklen came from deep in the field to finish runner-up to Cortelletti. He finished in 9:46.87 after a strong finishing kick, knocking 10 seconds off his personal record.
“I had a feeling he would do that,” Cortelletti said. “I race against him all year long and we’ve become friends. We’re kind of like a team.”
Stricklen found himself near the back of the 15-man field early in the race.
“I was not expecting to get second,” Stricklen said. “I was not expecting to be that far behind. I wanted to conserve a little bit, but I didn’t realize I’d be that far behind after the first two laps.
“I was just hoping the other guys up front would start to die toward the end.”
A sophomore, Stricklen didn’t make it to the regional tournament last spring when Lex was still in Division I. He finished fifth at the Division II state cross country meet last fall and also qualified for the Division II state swim meet this year.
“The (previous state experience) will definitely help a little bit,” Stricklen said. “My only goal was to get there, so I don’t really have any goals for the state meet. Maybe get another PR.”
The Clear Fork 4×200 relay team of Deijah Swihart, Brittney Hart, Samantha Basham and Jordyne Helinski finished first in 1:44.18.
“It was awesome. I love my team,” Basham, the unit’s lone senior, said. “We just went crazy fast.”
Basham, Swihart and Helinski teamed up with Elizabeth Staab to finish second in the 4×100 relay in 49.66. The Galion team of Laura McElligott, Michaela Slone, Sydney Hunt and Clair Erlsten won in 49.24.
The Galion girls will have company as the Galion boys 4×100 realy team of Jacob Fryer, Drake Barnett, Khnennter Hughes and Alex Armistad finished fourth in 43.26. Armistad also qualified in the long jump on Thursday.
Clear Fork’s Eric Jackson, who punched his ticket to Columbus in the discus on Thursday, will also compete in the shot put competition at the state meet after finishing second with a throw of 56-9.5.
“I’m very honored,” said Jackson, who broke the school record and established a new PR. “I knew I had something in me, but I wasn’t expecting that.”
Ontario’s Cole Gehrisch and Bronson Krull finished third and fourth, respectively, in the shot to earn state berths. Both Gehrisch and Krull had throws of 55-1.5.
Ontario will be well represented in Columbus. In addition to Cortelletti, Gehrisch and Krull, Lenell Shelby, Cameron Mack and Rachel Miller all qualified for the state meet. Shelby finished fourth in the 110 high hurdles (15.05) and third in the 300 hurdles (38.22), while Mack was second in the 200 (22.42) and Miller was second in the 400 (58.31).
Shelby dove for the finish line at the conclusion of the 300 hurdles in an attempt to move up to second.
“That’s how bad I wanted it,” he said. “It wasn’t my best. Toward the end my legs started burning.
“I wanted second place but my legs gave up on me.”
Like Shelby, Mack is making a return trip to the state meet after qualifying last year.
“My time was better last year, but I’m running more consistent,” Mack said. “I have (state) experience, but I’m still only in my second year of track.”
A freshman, Miller showed no signs of stage fright Saturday afternoon. She shaved more than a full second off her preliminary time.
“I came out fast, which is what I’ve been struggling with, and it worked well,” Miller said. “I’ve always been pretty good at finishing strong.
“It feels great. Both my brothers ran track and my brother, Jake, runs track in college. It feels awesome to know that I’m following in their footsteps.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
