Gibsonburg girls bring back SBC title

The Gibsonburg girls track team won the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division championship, scoring 112 points to edge second place Danbury (110½). 

It is Gibsonburg’s first league title since 2015, but the Golden Bears were regional runner-up in 2013, district champions in 2015 and district runners-up in 2013 and 2014 under coach Glenn Owens, now in his 13th year. The River Division championship was an improvement on last year’s third place finish.

Old Fort (97) was third, followed by Tiffin Calvert (92½), Hopewell-Loudon (92), Fremont St. Joseph (75), Lakota (33), Sandusky St. Mary (31), and New Riegel (16).

The 4x800 relay team of juniors Emelia Simmons and Brianna Montgomery, sophomore Sophia Paul and freshman Mary Myerholtz won in 10:27.33 to defeat a second-place team from Old Fort (10:32.44).

Montgomery won the 300 hurdles, finishing in 47.42 to edge Old Fort senior Kristin Baker (47.58) by less than one-fifth of a second.

Gibsonburg hosted the Division III district meet and the girls team finished fifth out of 18 teams.

Liberty Center (151½) won the championship, followed by Margaretta (121), Woodmore (87), Old Fort (47) and Gibsonburg (44).

Montgomery finished fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.82) and second in the 300 hurdles (49.16). Jenna Spanfeller was third in the high jump (four feet, nine inches).

The Golden Bears’ 4x800 relay (Montgomery, Myerholtz, junior Amelia Simmons (1600 school record holder), and sophomore Sophia Paul) was third (10:21.27) and the 4x100 (senior Morgan Albanese, juniors Jessika Foster and Malani Halbeisen, and sophomore Vonaija Harris) was fourth (53.36).

The Gibsonburg boys team placed second with 110 points to trail champion Hopewell-Loudon (145). Danbury (101) was third, followed by New Riegel (82), Calvert (74), Lakota (73), Old Fort (44), St. Joseph (19), and St. Mary (11).

Gibsonburg senior Austin Rodriguez won the high jump, clearing six feet, two inches to defeat second place H-L sophomore Evan Kreais (6-0). It was Rodriguez’s second straight high jump title.

Gibsonburg sophomore and school record holder Cole Owens won his second consecutive pole vault title, clearing 13-9 to easily outdistance second place Old Fort freshman Evan Combs (13 feet).

Ottawa Hills won the 18-team district meet, scoring 99 points, followed by Norwalk St. Paul (93), Liberty Center (91 ½), Margaretta (79.3), Maumee Valley (65) and Gibsonburg (46).

Gibsonburg distance runner Anthony Caprera was fourth in the 1600 (4:55.65) and in the 3200 (10:46.6). Rodriguez was third in the high jump (5-10) and Owens second in the pole vault (13-4), allowing them to advance to regionals.