ASHLAND — Lexington ended Ashland’s seven-year reign Friday.
Latrell Hughes won the 400-meter dash and anchored the 4×200 relay to a record-setting victory as the Minutemen won the Ohio Cardinal Conference meet at Ashland University’s Ferguson Field.
Lexington piled up 162.5 points to dethrone Ashland (130). The Arrows had won seven straight team titles dating to the 2016 season.
Lexington won seven straight from 2006 to 2012, but hadn’t won since — until Friday.
“The kids bought in,” Lexington coach and OCC Boys Coach of the Year Mike Moore said. “We had 30 kids in the off-season coming in and working in the weight room. I’m proud of those guys.
“Hard work really paid off for those guys.”
Hughes won the 400 in 49.27 seconds and teamed with Coen Queen, Bryston Hess and Carter Newman to win the 4×200 in an OCC meet and school reocrd 1:29.41. Lexington’s only other individual championships came from Chance Basilone in the 1,600 (4:17.71) and Will Perkins in the 200 (22.20).
“We’re a very balanced team,” Moore said. “(Points) were kind of spread out.”
Other area individual winners were Mount Vernon’s Luke Mullins in the discus (154-4), Ashland’s Dakota Kruty in the long jump (21-4.75), Madison’s Gavin Baker in the 110 hurdles (15.08), Ashland’s Jacob Holbrook in the 100 (11.06) and Ashland’s Braydon Martin in the 300 hurdles (38.27).
Ashland’s 4×100 team of Kruty, Holbrook, Ayden Behrendsen and Martin won in 43.46.
Ashland’s Martin was selected the Boys Track Athlete of the Year. Madison’s Jaxin Stancombe and West Holmes’ Grant Miller shared the Boys Field Athlete of the Year award, while Ashland’s Holbrook was the Boys Combined Athlete of the Year.
On the girls side, Lexington won its third straight team title with 168 points. Mount Vernon (111) was second and Ashland (104) was third.
“I really feel like our field events set the tone for the entire evening,” said Lady Lex coach Michelle Smith, the OCC Girls Coach of the Year. “Then we had a lot of double-placing. It was a great meet.
“You sacrifice some points so you can get double-placers in other individual events. There’s a little bit of strategy that goes into it.”
Lexington’s Elyana Weaver claimed a pair of individual titles. She struck gold in the high jump (5-1) and won the 800 in 2:19.26.
Lady Lex’s Olivia Stoots won the long jump (16-2), while Brailey Slone won the 1,600 (5:15.35). Stoots teamed with Allison Laury, Makenna Arnholt and Emily Thomas to win the 4×200 in 1:45.76.
Madison’s Nevaeh Lewis and Mount Vernon’s Marissa Rutter each captured a pair of individual titles. Lewis won the 100 (12.37) and 200 (25.33), while Rutter swept the 100 hurdles (14.83) and 300 hurdles (45.04).
Other local winners were Mount Vernon’s Kennedy Howard in the pole vault (10-3), Madison’s Alisha Hill in the discus (118-3) and Madison’s Callie Cyrus in the 400 (1:00.12).
Mount Vernon’s 4×100 relay team of Rutter, Nadia Nougi, Savannah Rose and Amaris Middleton won in 50.10. The Madison 4×400 crew of Cyrus, Lillian Delong, Estella Koppert-Smith and Lewis won in 4:08.15.
Mount Vernon’s Rutter was the Girls Track Athlete of the Year. Madison’s Hill was the Girls Field Athlete of the Year and Lexington’s Weaver was the Girls Combined Athlete of the Year.
