By Cort Reynolds
TIFFIN - The Bluffton boys track and field team finished an impressive fourth at the Div. III regional meet Friday at Tiffin.
Liberty Center won the girls team title with 64 points, well ahead of second-place Colonel Crawford with 46. Defiance Tinora ended up third (43).
Columbus Grove captured the boys regional crown with 104 points, doubling up second place Archbold (52). Hopewell-Loudon was third (51), while Bluffton finished a strong fourth with 50 points.
Winning the regional title was senior Simon Derstine in the 800 meters. Pirate sophomore Eden Antrim finished second in the 1600 while senior Jonathan Schriner took third in the 400.
Sophomore Landon Armstrong also finished fourth in the 800.
The Bluffton boys won the 4 x 800 relay race, and crossed the line third in the 4 x 400 relay as well.
A top four finish in an event qualifies an individual or relay team to the state meet.
Sophomore Erik Nygaard took sixth in the 3200, while junior Ethan Bogart crossed the line seventh in the 300 hurdles. Bogart came in 12th in the 110 high hurdles.
Bluffton freshman Brianna Tabler ended up ninth in the pole vault. Senior Clara Matthews took 11th in the 1600 meters.
The Pirate girl quartets took 13th in both the 4 x 800 and 4 x 100 relay events.
The Div. III state meet will be held at Westerville North High School June 4-5. Competition begins Friday at 10 a.m., and resumes Saturday at 10 a.m. as well.
Bluffton regional finishes:
Boys 800 Meter Run
1st Simon Derstine 12 Bluffton 1:57.19
4th Landon Armstrong 10 Bluffton 2:01.29
Boys 1600 Meter Run
2nd Eden Antrim 10 Bluffton 4:29.29
Boys 400 Meter Dash
3rd Jonathan Schriner 12 Bluffton 51.63
Prelims-3rd Jonathan Schriner 12 Bluffton 51.16Q
Boys 3200 Meter Run
6th Eric Nygaard 10 Bluffton 10:03.16
Boys 300 Meter Hurdles
7th Ethan Bogart 11 Bluffton 41.89
Prelims-5th Ethan Bogart 11 Bluffton 41.26q
Girls Pole Vault
9th Brianna Tabler 10 Bluffton 9-0
Girls 1600 Meter Run
11th Clara Matthews 12 Bluffton 5:39.93
Boys 110 Meter Hurdles
Prelims-12th Ethan Bogart 11 Bluffton 16.86
Boys 4x800 Meter Relay
1st Bluffton 8:05.17
1) Eric Nygaard 10 2) Landon Novak 10
3) Landon Armstrong 10 4) Eden Antrim 10
Boys 4x400 Meter Relay
3rd Bluffton 3:31.48
1) Eden Antrim 10 2) Ethan Bogart 11
3) Josh Mehaffie 12 4) Jonathan Schriner 12
Prelims-2nd Bluffton 3:31.51Q
1) Ethan Bogart 11 2) Eden Antrim 10
3) Josh Mehaffie 12 4) Jonathan Schriner 12
Girls 4x800 Meter Relay
13th Bluffton 10:27.52
1) Clara Matthews 12 2) Ella Armstrong 9
3) Skyler Scoles 12 4) Sami Scoles 10
Girls 4x100 Meter Relay
13th Bluffton 54.84
1) Olivia Setzer 12 2) Riley Eachus 10
3) Sami Scoles 10 4) Skyler Scoles 12
