Sunday, June 06, 1999
Two Cincinnati boys win track titles
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
Enquirer contributor
DAYTON — Drew Walter had no doubts, and Mason Ward left no doubts.
“I knew that I would win today,” said Walter, an 18-year-old Moeller senior. “I wrote the height (15 feet, 6 inches) on my wrist, because that's what I thought it would take to win.”
Walter captured the Division I pole vault championship Saturday at Welcome Stadium, with Fairfield's Adam Klotzbach (15-3) second and Moeller's Shawn Higgins fourth.
A Colerain junior, Ward took command early in the 1,600 meters and easily went on to capture the Division I state championship in a career-best time of 4:12.04.
Although Ward and Walter were the only champions, Har rison's Brady Morris, Hamilton's Andy Mignery, Fairfield's Adam Klotzback and Lakota East's Brian Godsey also turned in impressive performances.
Walter, who will pole vault at Miami University next year, learned after last season that a ligament in his spleen was torn, resulting in a month of rehabilitation.
Determined to win the state title, Walter remained active in vaulting throughout the winter.
Walter cleared the bar at every height without a miss to beat Klotzbach.
Klotzbach went a career best 15-0 to finish second. His previous best was 14-6.
WINNING WARD: In winning the 1,600, Ward was pressed early by Josh McAdams of Brecksville, but with about 400 meters remaining, the race was essentially won.
“I didn't think that many guys (six) would be with me early in the race,” Ward said. “I went out as planned and then ran my guts out the last lap-and-a-half.”
Ward looked back to last year's third-place finish as the motivation for this year.
“That was the best thing that happened to me,” said Ward, Colerain's first male state track champion. “I was a sophomore and a little cocky. This taught me I'm not invincible, and I knew I could be beaten today.”
GODSEY SECOND: Godsey, the defending state 3,200-meter champion, was beaten by Abraham Habte of Columbus Eastmoor.
“I figured that he would be there,” Godsey said. “I've run against him three times and beat him all three until today.”
MORRIS RUNNER-UP: Although Morris finished second in the shot put, the Harrison senior may have been the happiest athlete.
A second-place finisher at the district with a personal- and school-record throw of 57-31/2, Morris exceeded it with a heave of 57-113/4.
“My dad (Don) held the school record of 55-101/2 since 1967, and it held up for 32 years,” Morris said. “Dad gave me a lot of pointers, but coach Greg Zuleger was the one who worked with me the past few years.”
PAYNE THIRD: David Payne, a Wyoming junior, took third in the 110 high hurdles and sixth in the 400. With two hurdles remaining, he was a half-stride off the lead but stutter-stepped ap proaching the hurdles and faded to third.
KIDD STUFF: After watching the state track meet from the grandstand the past three years, Reade Kidd of St.Xavier was a participant for the first time. Running with the pack early, Kidd closed strong to take fourth place in the 800 meters in a personal-best time of 1:55.31.
MIDDLETOWN THIRD: A third-place finish in the 1,600-meter relay had Middletown junior Gaylon Vinson smiling.
“We were second in the regional and didn't perform like we should of until this race,” Vinson said. “This is more like Middletown track.”
Senior Clint Planck, a member of the relay team, took fourth in the high jump with a leap of 6-8.
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