COLUMBUS — Audrey Mahon wasn’t going to be denied.
Ontario’s 4×400 relay team anchor runner, Mahon out-dueled Dayton Oakwood’s Katherine Erwin as the Warriors won a Division II state championship Saturday afternoon at sun-splashed Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State University.
Ontario finished in 3 minutes, 52.39 seconds. Oakwood was second in 3:52.63.
“We just made history,” said Mahon, who had a hard time hiding her emotion at the finish line. “We’re the first relay team to bring home a first-place (trophy). I’m so proud of my team for everything we’ve done this season.
“It feels amazing. Being the anchor and being the one to cross that line … it’s a lot.”
Leadoff runner Arialyn Bischak was the only senior on the team that included sophomore Mahon and juniors Tessa Crum and Sasha Bulakovski.
“I’m just so proud of us because we put in so much work and we just continued to surprise ourselves,” Bischak said. “Knowing we have the best coaches and I have the best teammates by my side, it’s just an amazing feeling.”
The same foursome finished second in the 4×200 relay in 1:40.66. Beachwood won in 1:39.40.
“We went in seeded second and we ended up getting second but we wanted to get first (in the 4×200),” Crum said. “Us not getting first, I think it just set us off. We were going to leave it all out on the track.
“This was our last chance ever running together since Arialyn was a senior. We had to give it our all.”