ASHLAND — Madison senior Kari Eckenwiler and freshman Nevaeh Lewis put on a show Friday night.
So did Ashland’s Dylan Hickey.
Eckenwiler and Lewis each won four events and Hickey swept the distance events at the Ohio Cardinal Conference Meet at Ashland University’s Ferguson Field.
Madison won the girls title with 172.5 points. Lexington (140.5) was runner-up, followed by Wooster (93), Ashland (89), West Holmes (78.5) and Mount Vernon (76.5).
On the boys side, Ashland won its fifth straight OCC team title with 143 points. Mount Vernon (129) was second, followed by West Holmes (94), Lexington (90), Wooster (75), Mansfield Senior (74) and Madison (50). Eckenwiler was selected the combined female athlete of year after striking gold in the long jump (16 feet, 9.5 inches), 100 meter hurdles (15.46 seconds) and 300 hurdles (47.27) and running a leg of Madison’s winning 800 relay. She was joined by Montana Walker, Mylah Davis and Alexsia Davis, winning in 1:45.70.
“It’s just crazy to me,” Eckenwiler said of winning four events. “As a freshman I think I got two firsts and a second but it never sank in.
“Today I felt a lot of pressure and to come out and do it, it felt amazing.”
Lewis was selected the female runner of the year after sweeping the sprints, winning the 100 (12.47), 400 (59.68) and 200 (26.31). The freshman sensational helped Madison put an exclamation point on the evening by anchoring the winning 1,600 relay team. She teamed with Walker, Callie Cyrus and Taylor Russell to win in 4:09.84.
“It’s fun to watch them,” said Madison coach Andrew Saris, the OCC female coach of the year. “It’s great to come back and get this victory. The kids worked really hard this season. They deserve it.”
Hickey was selected the male runner of the year after a grueling evening in which he won the 1,600 (4:36.78), 800 (1:59.54) and the 3,200 (10:01.99). He turned around and ran a leg of Ashland’s winning 1,600 relay, joining Luka Will, Grant Vance and Josh Hawley.
“We knew coming in that some of our guys were going to have to run more than they were used to,” Hickey said. “It’s a sacrifice that we’re willing to make to have the success as a team.”
The win was the fifth in a row for Ashland, who claimed OCC titles in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 before the 2020 season was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These guys just keep fighting. They believe in our training and what we do. The proof’s in the pudding and they performed awesome today,” said Ashland coach Dan Fuller, the OCC male coach of the year. “That’s five in a row. It never gets old.”
Mount Vernon’s Erich Rhodeback was selected the combined male athlete of the year after bringing home three gold medals. Rhodeback swept the hurdles, winning the 110s in 14.32 and taking the 300s in 38.55. He also won the long jump with a leap of 20-11.5 and was third in the high jump.
“I could have done better. My high jump was not good today,” Rhodeback said. “For me it’s about confidence. I know I can do better. I just haven’t yet.”
The female field athlete of the year award went to Wooster’s Cassidy Brown, who won the pole vault (12-0). West Holmes’ Layne Graham was the male field athlete of the year after sweeping the throws. He won the discus competition with a toss of 165-4 and captured the shot put title with a throw of 58-10.5.
