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| Mitch Johnson of West Jefferson placed eighth in the long jump at the state track and field championships. |
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| Johnson stands on the medals podium. |
In addition to 300-meter hurdles champ Ethan Freet of London, three other Madison County athletes competed at the State Track & Field Championships on June 6-7.
Freet’s classmate, junior Alyssa Edley, placed 13th in the Div. II long jump competition. She qualified for state by finishing fourth at the Dayton regional meet on May 31, where she broke the school record with a jump of 17 feet, 4.25 inches. The former record was 16 feet, 2 inches. Her personal best coming into regionals was 16 feet, 1 inch.
At state, Edley competed in the first of two flights of long jumpers. Her best jump of the day, 16 feet, 0.25 inches earned her seventh place in her flight. The jump did not qualify her for the finals.
“I am very proud of Alyssa for accomplishing this goal of qualifying to the state meet that only 16 female long jumpers have the opportunity to do each year,” said London Head Coach Kristy Call. “I just hope she is proud of herself and understands what a great accomplishment it is to compete on the final weekend of the Ohio High School track and field season.”
Also this season, Edley finished second in the long jump at the South Central Ohio League meet and first at the Central District meet.
West Jefferson junior Mitch Johnson finished eighth in the Div. III long jump competition with a leap of 20 feet, 7.75 inches.
“He was extremely focused. He kept hitting his spot every time, and he adjusted for the strong winds,” said West Jefferson Head Coach Nate Koerper. “We couldn’t ask for a better performance.”
Johnson made it to state in long jump as a freshman, then worked through an injury and surgery as a sophomore. This year, he was “extremely consistent through the season,” Koerper said.
In addition to long jump, Johnson competed in the 4×100-meter relay, 4×200-meter relay, 200-meter dash and high jump. He plans to attend camps this summer to improve his long jumping skills.
“Track is his sport. He knows what he needs to do,” Koerper said.
Emily Morris, a resident of London and freshman at Bishop Ready High School, placed 13th in the Div. II shot put competition with a throw of 36 feet.
The trip to state was icing on the cake for the young athlete, who broke Bishop Ready’s shot put record on May 3 at the Franklin Heights Invitational with a throw of 36 feet, 3 inches. She broke it again at regionals with a throw of 37 feet, 6.5 inches.
Morris said credit for her success as a freshman is due in part to Tom Fry, her middle school track coach at St. Patrick School in London. Besides shot put, Morris competed in discus this spring.
