Sun staff
While many of their classmates were getting their summer vacations underway last weekend, Milford’s Clare Cartheuser and Glen Este’s Austin Snyder were wrapping up their junior track and field seasons in style at the state meet held at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of the Ohio State University.
The pair of Eastern Cincinnati Conference champion discus throwers advanced round by round through the district and regional rounds of competition before putting their talents on display on Saturday, June 6 in the throwing ring.
While neither was able to climb the seven-person podium at day’s end, both performed admirably under the brightest lights in scholastic track and field.
“On the big stage, I think that (Cartheuser)’s confidence went with her into the throw ring,” Milford girls track and field head coach Tracy Adams said.
“(Snyder) practiced just about every day (last week), throwing in the 150s and 160s,” Glen Este head coach Ray Prueitt said. “He was a little nervous (at state). He got all of his throws in bounds and they were all in the 150s, so he was pretty excited about that.”
The state meet brings in the top-16 throwers from around the state by virtue of the top-4 finishers at each regional tournament from the week prior. Each competitor gets three throws before the top-nine advance to the finals, where competitors are given three additional throws to try to best their previous long. The standings are determined by the best throw of each competitor.
Cartheuser had a solid opening throw of 113 feet, 7 inches, putting her into 10th place through one attempt. On her second toss, Cartheuser broke her own personal and school record (122 feet, 4.5 inches) with a throw of 122 feet, 5 inches.
“I was sitting by her father and both of us knew it was a good throw when we saw it,” Adams said of the record-breaking throw. “It was fun when they announced, ‘122-5’ because we all looked at each other and knew she had set another school record and a new PR. That was exciting.”
Cartheuser fouled on her third throw. With her best throw three inches behind ninth-place-finisher Ann Marie Trissel of Canton South, Cartheuser’s state tournament was over, but not before she gained some invaluable experience.
“I think it’s a confidence thing with her,” Adams said. “(Going forward), she’s knows she’s been there, she’s been on the big stage and she realizes the level of competition. At that level, you tend to throw to the level of your competition. When she’s competing with the best, she performs her best.
“I think that whole experience of being up there with the best is something you can’t teach and it will only help her. Now, she has that under her belt, which is pretty exciting for her.”
For Snyder, he was able to advance through to the finals as the eighth of nine finals qualifiers with his third throw of 158 feet, 7 inches. Given three more tosses, the best the Trojan junior could muster was two inches shorter than his qualifying throw.
Nate Jackowski of Wester Central qualified in the ninth position and threw his fifth attempt 162 feet, 5 inches to move into fourth place and bump the remaining competitors down a spot, dropping Snyder to ninth place overall.
“(Snyder) was pretty disappointed that the guy in ninth place was able to overtake him,” Prueitt said. “But, the coaches and his parents were all supportive. We felt like throwing in the 150s, being really consistent, we were really happy with that.”
The culmination of a solid junior campaign for Snyder has extended nearly immediately in to an offseason that will find him trying to repeat his success from last year’s Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships and Junior Olmypics.
Snyder is competing in the district round of AAU in the next week and will be traveling to the Junior Olympics in Norfolk, Va. later this summer.
While Snyder will continue to ply his craft in competition, Cartheuser will work with Milford’s throwing coach, John Harper, in the offseason, competing in a number of events before making a final run at a state podium place next fall.
Complete state track and field meet results can be found on the Ohio High School Athletic Association website at ohsaa.org.