19 Athletes from Scioto County Set to Compete in OHSAA Track and Field State Championships

From June 4 to June 6, 19 talented athletes from six high schools in Scioto County will showcase their skills at the 2026 OHSAA Track and Field State Championship Meet. This prestigious event will see these local competitors face off against the best athletes from across Ohio.

Leading the charge is Wheelersburg's Ella Hochstetler, who has earned the top seed in both the discus and shot put events in the OHSAA Division IV category. Hochstetler, who secured her spot by winning the OHSAA Division IV, Region 13 Championship in both disciplines, boasts a discus throw that surpasses the next best competitor by over 14 feet, and her shot put mark leads by more than two feet. She will begin her quest for state titles on June 4 at 4 p.m. in the discus and will compete in the shot put on June 5 at 9:30 a.m.

Another standout from Wheelersburg, Kenyon Evans, is set to compete in the long jump and high jump events. Evans is ranked second in the long jump with a personal best of 23 feet, eight inches, and he stands eighth in the high jump with a record of six feet, five inches. He will take to the long jump pit on June 5 at 4:30 p.m. and the high jump on June 6 at 9:30 a.m.

The Wheelersburg boys 4-by-100 and 4-by-200 meter relay teams, consisting of Canaan Arthur, Braylon Rucker, Clark Weller, and Logan Whitt, also qualified for the state meet with strong regional performances. They will compete in the preliminaries for both relay events on June 5, starting with the 4-by-200 meters at 10:42 a.m. and the 4-by-100 meters at 11 a.m.

Minford's Peyton Caudill, who clocked a regional-winning time of 10.69 seconds in the 100 meter dash, is another athlete to watch, as he aims for a state championship in this highly competitive event. His race is scheduled for June 4 at 1:25 p.m. Additionally, Marley Rhodes from Minford will run in the girls 400 meter dash preliminaries on June 4 at 2:05 p.m. after securing her spot with a time of 58.31 seconds.

Notable distance runners include Portsmouth’s JJ Purcell, who is set to participate in the 3,200 meter run on June 5 at 12:10 p.m., and his sister Ryan Purcell from Notre Dame, who will compete in the 1,600 meter run on June 5 at 5:20 p.m. Both siblings are looking to make their mark in their respective events.