ONTARIO — Lenell Shelby collected his medal, posed half-heartedly for the obligatory photos, then quickly exited the awards stand without so much as a smile.
If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought Ontario’s hurdling specialist had finished off the podium.
The Richland Source Athlete of the Week, Shelby qualified for this weekend’s Track and Field State Championships in both the 110 meter hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles. He finished fourth in the 110s at last week’s Division II regional meet at Lexington High School and third in the 300s. The top four finishers in each event earned berths at the state meet.
His time of 38.22 seconds in the 300s is the fastest in Richland County this season and fourth fastest qualifying time in Division II headed into Friday’s preliminaries at The Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. He will try to improve on his eighth place finish last spring.
Yet for someone who qualified for the state’s showcase event in two events, Shelby was disheartened Saturday at Lexington.
“It wasn’t my best,” Shelby said after being edged out for second in the 300s by Pemberville Eastwood’s Devin Snowden, who crossed the finishing line in 38.22 seconds. “Towards the end my legs started burning. I wanted that second place but my stupid legs had to give up on me.”
As he neared the finish, Shelby launched himself across the line. He landed face-down on the track and remained there for a few moments while he caught his breath. He eventually got to his feet, none the worse for the wear.
“One of the officials thought I lost my footing and fell. He was worried that I had hurt myself,” Shelby said. “I actually dove for the finish line. That’s how bad I wanted second place.”
Shelby and Snowden, who is also a junior, have developed a rivalry over the past few weeks. Snowden won the Oak Harbor district title in the 300s in 38.76 seconds with Shelby taking second in 39.18. Last year at state, Shelby was eighth in 39.48 and Snowden was seventh in 39.43.
Even though his third-place time at last week’s regionals was 1.26 seconds faster than his showing at state last spring, Shelby was still less than pleased with his performance. He is notoriously critical of himself.
“I have my mind set on a higher goal. I don’t want just eighth place or just seventh place,” Shelby said. “I want to get at least fourth or higher.
Shelby is part of a strong Ontario contingent headed for Columbus. Five Warriors will be in action when competition begins Friday morning.
“Lenell did a great job,” said senior teammate Cameron Mack, who is headed for the state meet for a second straight year after finishing second in the 200 dash. “To get there is two events is a great accomplishment.”
The duo helped lead Ontario’s basketball team to a Division II poll championship and a share of the Northern Ohio League crown with Division II state champ Norwalk. Mack was a Northwest District second team pick, while Shelby was a third team selection.
In addition to Shelby and Mack, juniors Brett Cortelletti, Cole Gehrisch and Bronson Krull and freshman Rachel Miller all qualified for state. Cortelletti is one of the favorites in the 3,200 run, while Gehrisch and Krull should both be in the hunt for medals in the shot put. Miller qualified in the 400 dash.
“It’s more exciting to have a lot of teammates going down,” Shelby said. “Hopefully last year’s state experience will pay off. I know what to expect and I will be able to block out some of the distractions and just concentrate on what I have to do.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
