Photo by Brian Dulik

Medina's Sam Chester, Walter Bailey, Malik Tuck and Jason Suggs (left to right) won the OHSAA state Division I championship in the boys 4x100-meter relay. The Bees ran a sizzling time of 41.71 to win the school's first title since 1988.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Buchtel senior Nathaniel Harris and Medina's 4x100-meter relay stood tall atop the podium Saturday at the OHSAA boys state track meet.

Harris successfully defended his Division II championships in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, while the Bees' quartet of seniors Malik Tuck, Jason Suggs and Sam Chester, and junior Walter Bailey won their school's first Division I event crown since 1988.

“The worst thing that could happen is to be the defending champion and not win it again,” Harris said. “Now, I’ve done what I came here to do -- and that's keep my titles."

Despite battling a right quadriceps injury that forced him to pull up late in both races, Harris was relatively unchallenged down the homestretch. He completed the 100 in 10.88 (beating Cincinnati North College Hill's Lamar Hargrove by 0.09) and the 200 in 21.90 (by 0.19 over Canton South's Eric Thompkins).

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"I wasn't going to lose, it's that simple," Harris said confidently. "When I was rounding the curve (in the 200), I saw somebody catching up to me peripherally, so I knew I had to pick it up. But I was not going to lose today."

Medina, meanwhile, put together a breathtaking race in becoming its school's first-ever sprint relay champs. Tuck ran the anchor leg on the unit that clocked a sizzling 41.71 one day after posting the fastest time in the prelims.

"The whole race played out in slow motion for me," Tuck said. "I saw Sam and Jason and Walter all running so well, when I took the baton it hit me, 'Oh my gosh, I can be the state champion right now if I can finish the job.' "

How awesome were the Bees during the two-day event at Jesse Owens Stadium?

Their prelim time of 42.12 was the second-fastest clocking at the meet, signifcantly ahead of the 42.22 that state runner-up Columbus Beechcroft ran in the final. And yes, you read that right, Medina won the state D-I championship race by more than a half-second.

"Everyone did what we had to do at state: We peaked at the right time and we ran our best race today," Chester said.

The Bees also did it in their final time together on the track -- becoming the first-ever Medina County boys sprint relay to win a state title.

Ace hurdler Chester will continue his career at Miami (Ohio), sprinter Tuck is headed to Tiffin, and Medina County football MVP Suggs will be toting the pigskin at Lehigh. Only Bailey has one more year to run for Medina's stellar coaching staff of Bob Jenkins and assistant Tom Fasko.

"You can dream about things as much as you want, but when they actually happen, it seems kind of surreal," Suggs said. "We're so happy for each other right now. Dreams do come true."

St. Vincent-St. Mary also took home a ton of hardware, winning the team title in Division II, along with event crowns by Jacob Swords (800) and the 4x100 of Sae'Von Fitzgerald, Doran Grant, Parris Campbell and Mark Murphy.

Grant added a second in the 110 hurdles, joining Copley's Roosevelt Dotson (high jump), Woodridge senior Vibushan Sivakumaran (800), and Revere senior Josh Sabo (1,600) as runner-ups from Summit County. Dotson and Sabo competed in Division I.

"We knew we were going to be in great shape to win it all today," Grant said. "Everyone just had to score points in their best races."

Brunswick senior Jesse Braun (shot put) -- headed to Cornell University to study engineering on a track scholarship -- finished third in Division I, as did Copley's Nick Pupino (3,200).

"I came in here just hoping to place, so I'm very satisfied," the muscular 5-foot-10, 180-pound Braun said. "I'm a lot smaller than the other guys, but with my technique and my speed, I can get a lot of momentum which really helps."

The Blue Devils' 4x400 broke their school record in the prelims with a 3:21.00, then moved up one spot in the final to snare eighth place in 3:21.95.

That effort by Alex Hendricks, Keith Yohman, Cody Smith and Nick Owens allowed Brunswick to finish third among SportsInk.com schools in the D-I team standings (behind Medina and Copley), and sixth in the coverage area overall (also behind St. V-M, Buchtel and Woodridge).

On the first day of the meet Friday, Woodridge's 4x800 set the Ohio all-time record in winning the D-II title in 7:37.43. Sivakumaran, Jimmy Charles, Drake Sulzer and Jacob Onifer comprised the team that finished ahead of runner-up St. Vincent-St. Mary (Sean Poholski, Patrick O’Brien, Ian Walsh and Swords).

+++ DIVISION I STATE PLACERS +++

4x100: 1. Medina (Sam Chester, Jason Suggs, Walter Bailey, Malik Tuck), 41.71.

High jump: 2. Roosevelt Dotson (Copley) 6-11; 5. Aaron Macer (Twinsburg), 6-7.

1,600: 2. Josh Sabo (Revere), 4:12.48.

3,200: 3. Nick Pupino (Copley), 9:24.72; 4. Tony Howkins (Walsh Jesuit), 9:25.35; 7. David Knack (Medina), 9:34.77.

Shot put: 3. Jesse Braun (Brunswick), 58-5.

110 hurdles: 4. Sam Chester (Medina), 14.54.

Pole vault: 4. Eliott Tedquist (Cuyahoga Falls), 15-6.

200: 7. Malik Tuck (Medina), 22.16.

400: 7. Nick Owens (Brunswick), 48.93.

Long jump: 7. Nate Chronister (Highland), 22-1.

4x400: 8. Brunswick (Alex Hendricks, Keith Yohman, Cody Smith, Nick Owens), 3:21.95.

4x800: 3. Nordonia (Troy Mulhall, John Ciocca, Patrick Osborne, Sal DelGiudice), 7:47.93.

Top 5 teams and SportsInk.com schools: 1. Cincinnati LaSalle 36; 2. Centerville 34; 3. Berea 28; 4. Massillon Washington 21; 5. Cleveland Glenville 20; 6. Medina 19; 13. Copley 14; 29. Brunswick 9; 30. Revere 8; 38. Nordonia 6; 43. Cuyahoga Falls 5; 43. Walsh Jesuit 5; 53. Twinsburg 4; 69. Highland 2.

+++ DIVISION II STATE PLACERS +++

100: 1. Nathaniel Harris (Buchtel), 10.88.

200: 1. Nathaniel Harris (Buchtel), 21.90; 8. Sae’Von Fitzgerald (St. Vincent-St. Mary), 22.98.

800: 1. Jacob Swords (St. Vincent-St. Mary), 1:51.44; 2. Vibushan Sivakumaran (Woodridge), 1:53.45; 4. Sean Poholski (St. Vincent-St. Mary), 1:54.74; 8. Billy Darmon (Field), 1:58.34.

4x100: 1. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Sae’Von Fitzgerald, Doran Grant, Parris Campbell, Mark Murphy), 42.42; 6. Southeast (Garrett Lavigna, Ravonne Lawrence, Mike Coontz, Damian Pennington), 43.03.

110 hurdles: 2. Doran Grant (St. Vincent-St. Mary), 14.22.

4x200: 4. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Parris Campbell, Tyler Bischof, Sae’Von Fitzgerald, Mark Murphy), 1:29.33.

4x400: 5. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Sean Poholski, Patrick O’Brien, Ian Walsh, Jacob Swords), 3:22.80.

300 hurdles: 5. Ravonne Lawrence (Southeast), 38.96.

High jump: 6t. Carlton Watkins Jr. (Buckeye) 6-5.

3,200: 8. Kyle Cochrun (Woodridge), 9:49.40.

4x800: 1. Woodridge (Jimmy Charles, Drake Sulzer, Jacob Onifer, Vibushan Sivakumaran), 7:37.43 (Ohio all-time record); 2. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Sean Poholski, Patrick O’Brien, Ian Walsh, Jacob Swords), 7:47.30.

Long jump: 8. Damian Pennington (Southeast), 21-6 3/4.

Top 5 teams and SportsInk.com schools: 1. St. Vincent-St. Mary 51; 2. Dayton Dunbar 44; 3. Steubenville 25; 4. Versailles 23; 5. Buchtel 20; 5. Cincinnati North College Hill 20; 5. Collins Western Reserve 20; 5. Columbus Bishop Hartley 20; 9. Woodridge 19; 24. Southeast 8; 64. Buckeye 2.5; 71. Field 1.

+++ DIVISION III STATE PLACERS +++

None

Top 5 teams and SportsInk.com schools: 1. McDonald 44, 2. Anna 34; 3. Archbold 33; 4. Garfield Heights Trinity 29; 5. Gahanna Columbus Academy 20; 5. Defiance Tinora 20.