BLUFFTON__ The Bluffton Sardines summer swim team hosted and won a West Ohio Aquatic League triangular meet with Ada and Shawnee on Monday evening, June 30.
The host Sardines won the boys meet decisively. They dunked Shawnee 382-96 and drowned the Ada boys, 328-151. The Gator males beat Shawnee, 243.5 to 144.5.
The Bluffton girls defeated Shawnee Tides, 293-211. Shawnee then beat the Ada females, 312-115.5. The Sardine girls hammered the Gator girls, 418-85.
JUNE 27 MEDIA RELEASE__More than 500 swimmers and their families will descend on Wapakoneta July 11-12, 2025, for the annual Western Ohio Aquatics League (WOAL) Swim Champs. WOAL is for swimmers aged 5-18 who are members of one of the league’s teams.
Wapakoneta Village pool is the host site for the 2025 Swim Champs and will host seven teams: Ada Gators, Bluffton Sardines, Findlay Frogs, Kenton Stingrays, Shawnee Tide, Wapakoneta Waves, Westside Wave and Van Wert Marlins. Teams will compete for the 2025 league title.
Over my 32 years behind the camera, one truth has become clear: it’s not just about the action. It’s about the relationships—the quiet moments behind the scenes, the camaraderie between competitors, the traditions and quirks that make each athlete unique. The way an athlete bites their necklace for comfort. The lucky socks. The verse on their spikes. The pre-race prayer.
These are the moments you don’t see from the stands—but they are the soul of the sport.
FROM THE EDITOR: The Icon is fortunate to have a number of excellent sports photographers in the community. In 2025 Jamie Nygaard and Marvin Foster offered to take photos of the OHSAA DII State Track Finals. We asked them both for some of their favorite pictures and an account of their experience.
CLICK gallery to enlarge and view at your own pace
By Marvin Foster
I believe this is the 14th time I have had a credential for State Track. Most of those years have meant grabbing a spot in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium locker room turned media room, and calling it home base for the next two days. It is always interesting to see how the professional photographers and newspeople go about their job, and I will often be grateful that I am not trying to scratch out a living doing the same.
PHOTOS by Marvin Foster / CLICK to enlarge and view at your own pace
Stackhouse 2nd in 200, Wright 3rd in 400
By Cort Reynolds
COLUMBUS – Bluffton senior Marek Donaldson won the 800-meter run in the Div. II OHSAA Track and Field State Tournament on Saturday, June 7, at Ohio State University in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Donaldson crossed the finish line first in the 16-runner race with a time of 1:52.41, nosing out second-place London junior Cameron Carn by .06.
BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL EMAIL UPDATE__Good Luck to the Pirate Track & Field Athletes competing today at the OHSAA Division 2 State Track & Field Championship
Tickets are available at ohsaa.org/tickets. Adults $15, Students $10, Children aged five and up require a ticket. Event programs and ticket sales are credit card ONLY.
