Rian Johnson entered her final weekend as a high school track athlete with a humble promise.
“I’ve been thinking about it,” said the North Hagerstown senior. “I just know I’m going to leave everything on the track because it will be my last races.”
That she did. And she picked up a few souvenirs and photos along the way., along with signing her name in the record book.
Johnson capped her prep career by winning the Class 3A 1,600-meter run in state record time on Saturday at the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Track and Field State Championships at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland.
It was one of the two events she won – to go along with a second-place finish – and finished second in a third event in her final appearance in a North uniform.
Johnson broke a 30-year-old record by .32 seconds with a personal best 4:45.88. That beat the old standard owned of 4:46.20 by Kristen Nicolini of Annapolis High in 1995.
She doubled up on the gold-medal finishes by also winning the 3,200 in 10:25.47, another personal record and capped the performance by finishing second in 2:12.73, another personal best.
The victory kept the distance event title in the possession of the Hubs for a fourth straight year. Teammate Laura Stine was the three-time defending champ in the event.
Stine, also making her last appearance for the Hubs, finished fourth in the 3,200 (10:25.74 and fifth in the 1,600 (5:02.71) to cap what she called a challenging spring.
“This season has been kind of disappointing for me. I haven’t run as well as I have in the past,” she said on Wednesday before the state meet began. “So, I think for states, I’m hopeful to try and hit some personal records and try to end on a strong note.
“It’s definitely bittersweet. It’s going to be the last race, but I’m really excited for the future.
Stine will be attending Penn State in the fall, while Johnson heads to Temple. Both will continue their running careers at the college level.
Anna Chamberlain also recorded a second-place finish for the Hubs, tying for the spot with a 5-2 leap in high jump.
Johnson’s big day was the only thing that could overshadow the Smithsburg girls track team.
The Leopards repeated as Class 1A team champions, defending the 2024 title, and did it in what coaches would call “a total team effort.”
Smithsburg won all four of the relay events on the way to a team-score of 100 points to top Western Tech by nine points. It was the Leopards’ 17th state title, including eight straight from 1996-2003.
The Leopards clicked off the relays like clockwork:
*4X100 – Melyssa Bard, Jenna Howe, Taylor King, Alaina Pate in 50.26.
*4X200 – Lilian Hade, Taylor King, Jenna Howe, Pate in 1:45.70
*4×400 – Grace Ellis, King, Kayla Hawbecker, Howe in 4:04.01.
* 4×800 – Ellis, Ella Fisher, Cora Gentzel, Hawbaker in 9:41.48
Besides the four relays, Smithsburg added three individual second and two thirds to pave the way to the title.
Gentzel produced a second in the 3,200 with a personal best 11:37.52 and a third in the 1,600 (5:19.89) to pace the individual efforts.
Howe took second in the 200 (58.21) and also took sixth in the 100 (12.71). Alexanderia Spithaler was second in the pole vault with a personal best of 10-feet even. Hade was third in the pole vault (9-6).
Clear Spring’s Daniel Apiou also stood at the top of the podium by winning the Class 1A Triple Jump with personal-best 46-4.75 effort. He also tied for sixth place in the high jump (5-10) The Blazers boys finished 18th with 15 points.
Other second-place finishers from Washington County were:
Clear Spring’s Kailyn McCauley with a 36-2.5-foot throw in the shot put. She also finished 12th in the discus (93-4). The Blazers girls finished 13th with 22.3 points.
Clear Spring’s Hadley Elwood and Hancock’s Madison Booth were part of a three-way tie for second in the high jump (4-10). Hancock finished 22nd in Class 1A with 6.3 points.
For the Clear Spring boys, Nick Cullember took second in the discus with a throw of 142-1. He also took ninth in the shot put (44-9.5)
Boonsboro’s Sarah Mohler took second in the Class 1A discus with a throw of 111-2 and seventh in the shot put (33-5).
Boonsboro’s Derrick Jones was second in the 1A high jump (6-10). The Warriors boys finished 18th with 15 points.
A third-place finish came from Smithsburg’s 4X880 relay team of Camilo Mellott, Dylan Lowe Luke Gentzel and Tyler Younker (8:24.54)
The following is the list of other finishers in the state meet.
Girls
CLASS 3A
(PR – personal record)
North Hagerstown (fifth place 44 points)
Dayanah Brunson – 300 hurdles, ninth, 48.52 (PR)
4X400 relay – Stine, Chamberlain, Ella Hajel, Johnson, 13th, 4:09.75
4X800 relay – Hajel, Anna Ramanan, Chamberlin, Anabelle Myers, 14th, 10:29. 62
South Hagerstown (25th Place, 6 points)
Chloe Gieka – Long Jump, seventh, 16-9.5;
Triple jump, 5th, 37-0.25
CLASS 1A
Smithsburg (State Champs, 100 points
Alaina Pate – 100, 7th, 12.89
Hade – 400, 7th ,1:01.83
Grace Ellis – 800, 9th, ,2:23.48
Taylor King – 300 hurdles, 13th, 47.98
Emma Joyal – Triple Jump, 14th ,30-5.5
Cora Gentzel – 800, 10th ,2:25.48
Kayla Hawbecker – 800, 8th ,2:23.06; 1600, 4th ,5:23.25; 3200, 4th ,11:58.70
Ella Fisher – 1600, 7th ,5:36.40;
3200, 8th, 12:17.97
Jada Tyler – High Jump, 14th, ,4-6
Emilia Spithaler – High Jump, 12th, 4-6
Samatha Nieman – Shot Put, 10th, ,31-7.5
Clear Spring (13th, 22.3 points)
Katelyn Moffitt – Shot Put, 5th, ,35-2
Audrey Roberts – Pole vault, 5th , 9-0 (PR)
4×400 – Bailey Fletcher, Anna Kehr, Haylee Williams, Juliet Hodge, 13th ,4:27.68
Boonsboro (17th, 10 points)
Abigayle Fluharty – 400, 16th ,1:07.70
Sydney Turner – Shot Put, 15th, 28-5.25
4X100 – Alaina Barnhart, Heather McLean, Fluharty, Marcie Horton, 12th, 52.01
4X200 – Barnhart, McLean, Shey Melton, Macie Horton, 16th ,1:54.31
4×800 – Katherine Lord, Alivia Marquis, Lillian Ross, Melton, 16th, ,11:37.51
Boys
CLASS 3A
North Hagerstown (33 place, 1 point)
Walker Mason – 1600, 15th, 4:30.67;
3200, 8th, 9:46.89
Bradley Helman – 1600, 16th, 4:30.86;
3200, ninth ,9:48.04
Damean Thomas- Shot put, 13th,, 42-7.25
Sydney Smith – Shot put, 15th, 41-3.75
Garrett Forrest – Discus, 11th, 128-00
4X100 relay – Amauri Murray, Emmanuel Myers, Antonio Tolliver, James Jackson, 13th, 44.13
South Hagerstown (33rd place, 1 point)
4X100 – Cahauri Alford, Cassius Freeman, Jameir Simms, Felix Annan, 8t , 43.52
4X400 – Simms, Torin Sitter, Annan, Cassius, 20th, 3:30.34
CLASS 1A
Smithsburg (13th 21 points)
Carter Nesbitt – 300 hurdles, 17th , 50.51;
Pole Vault, 5th ,13-00; Long Jump, 10th, 19-4.25
Luke Gentzel – 800, 16th ,2:05.64
Tyler Younker -1600, 6th ,4:36.88
Michael Wynkoop – 1600, 10th ,4:39.41: 3200, 4th ,9:57.46
Dylan Herbest – 3200, 19th, ,10:28.35
Camilo Mellottt – 800, 15th ,2:04.82; 1600, 5th ,4:35.69 (PR); 3200, 18th ,10:23.29 (PR)
Michael Jackson – High Jump, 14th, ,5-8
Rittenhouse Shuster – Triple jump, 13th ,40-2
Walker Hughes – Shot Put, 10th ,44-01 (Season best)
4X400 – Alex Bachtell, Dylan Lowe, Benjamin Jones, Younker, 16th ,3:41.45
Clear Spring (8th place, 27.5 points)
Gage Crampton – 800, 17th ,2:08.42
Dean Edwards – Pole Vault, 15th ,10-6
Benjamin Myers – Shot put, 7th ,45-5.75; Discus, 4th ,134-4
Boonsboro (18th place, 15 points)
Justin Prenger – 800, 13th ,2:04.14
Jakob Davidson – 1600, 15TH ,4:51.04; 3200, 8TH ,9:58.55 (PR)
4X100 – Naythan Bwana, Derrick Jones, Nathan Bosnick, Wyatt Hegedus, 7th ,44.70
4×200 – Bwana, Derrick Jones, Bosnick, Hegedus, 14th ,1:34.29
4X400 – Hegedus, Prenger, Bwana, Nathaniel Ingram, 8th ,3:31.53
4×800 – Prenger, Davidson, Anthon Rudy, Ingram, 5th ,8:32.97
Hancock (no score)
Logan Trumpower – High jump, tied 12th ,5-8
CLASS 2A
Williamsport (27th place, 4 points
Richard Sanon – 110 Hurdles, 5th ,14.93
