Miller, Matthews each win 2 races / PHOTOS by Roselove Jebsen

By Cort Reynolds

ADA __The Bluffton High School girls track and field team won the annual Ada Invitational meet on a sunny Saturday, May 9 at War Memorial Stadium.

The Pirates captured the girls team crown with 124.08 points. Spencerville finished a distant second at 75, just ahead of third-place Riverdale at 74.83 and Van Wert (70.75).

Arlington claimed the boys team title with 103 points, followed by Allen East (92) and Bluffton (84).  

GIRLS RESULTS
Pirate sophomore standout Maelee Miller won the girls 400-meter run in 57.02. The athletic Miller also crossed the line first decisively in the 100 hurdles (15.55), 1.11 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

Pirate junior Nora Matthews captured first in the 800 meters in 2:23.36. Sophomore teammate Phoebe Edwards-Leeper came in third in 2:25.95.

Middle distance ace Matthews doubled up with a win in the 1600 meters (5:14.91). Freshman teammate Tessa Tarplee ended up fifth in 5:56.08.

Junior Bekah Rehm captured first in the pole vault at 10-0, a foot better than second place.

Senior Lizzy Suter came in second in the shot put with a best toss of 32-6.

Sophomore Xandra Gatchel took third in the 3200 meters (13:14.14).

Freshman Liliana Fleming ended up third in the 300 hurdles (47.74).

Senior Aubrey Burkholder took fifth in the 100 hurdles (17.24). She also came in fourth in the 300 hurdles (49.16).

The Bluffton did very well in the relay events.

The Pirate girls 4x200 relay team of Gracie Warren, Fleming, Burkholder and Miller took second in 1:48.11.

The Bluffton girls 4x400 quartet of Fleming, Matthews, Lauren Dearth and Miller also finished second in 4:15.68.

The 4x100 relay team of Mallory Blackburn, Carli Wise, Dearth and Warren crossed the line third in 52.66.

The 4x800 relay squad of Tarplee, Georgia Hagen, Edwards-Leeper and Chloe Nycz also came in third with a time of 10:28.44.  

Riverdale junior speedster Marissa Bonham took second in the 200 and 400-meter races, in the high jump and also in a relay.

BOYS RESULTS
On the boys side, Pirate senior speedster Kain Wright won the 100-meter dash in 11.15, a good .25 ahead of the second-place finisher.

Junior Tayte Giesige captured first in the long jump with a best leap of 22-0.25. 

Junior Owen Scoles finished third in the shot put (45-8.5). Scoles also came in fourth in the discus with a best toss of 144-0.

Junior Kizer Young took fifth in the 200 meters (23.45). Classmate Lleyton Miller came home right behind him in fifth (23.66).

Freshman Kohen Anderson ended up fifth in the 400 meters in 54.65.

Senior Calvin Derstine took fifth in the 800 meters in 2:08.27.

The Bluffton boys dominated the relay events.

The Pirate 4x200 relay foursome of Young, Anderson, Miller and Giesige won with a time of 1:31.95.

The Bluffton 4x400 relay quartet of Young, Wright, Derstine and Anderson also crossed the finish line first in 3:30.07.

The 4x100 relay team of Young, Miller, Keatyn Shaffer and Giesige ended up third in 45.10.

The Pirate 4x800 relay squad of Owen Shoemaker, Will Steiner, Carter Steinmetz and Derstine also took third in 8:37.01.

Bluffton competes in the annual Northwest Conference championship meet at Spencerville on May 13/15.