Caldwell’s Gwyn Lori stands atop the podium after winning the Division III state title in the shot put Thursday in Dayton. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

DAYTON, Ohio — Last year’s state track meet is a sore subject for Caldwell’s Gwyn Lori.

Fortunately on Thursday, the Redskin junior replaced those bad memories with some good ones.

Lori claimed the Division III state championship in the girls shot put at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. She was also third in the discus.

“I’ve been trying to go after this for a while now,” Lori said. “It does kind of feel like redemption. It takes a lot of work and sacrifices. There’s things I don’t get to do, but there’s a lot of opportunities I get from it that I’m thankful for. I’m very thankful for all my coaches that have helped me get to this point. And my family.”

It all comes a year after failing to reach the podium in either event.

Fort Frye's Kyndal Buchanan celebrates with coach Pat Wigal after securing All-Ohio honors in the Division III state pole vault Thursday in Dayton. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

“Last year is kind of a hard subject,” she reflected. “I didn’t make it to finals. Wasn’t my best year. It wasn’t my time yet is how I look at it. This year I just wanted to do better. I’m just really happy and excited. I was really emotional once it happened. I finally got to do it and win. It was just a release of all the emotions.”

In the shot put, Lori’s last throw was her best, reaching 44 feet, 10 inches to secure the top spot. Dixie’s Sierra Brinson was the runner-up, coming in at 42-10.25.

In the discus, Lori recorded a top throw of 131-6 to place behind only Brinson (140-4) and East Canton’s Shanaray Kager (135-1). Reedsville Eastern’s Emma Hayes joined Lori on the podium in the event, placing seventh with a throw of 126-9. Hayes also came in 15th in the shot at 35-1.25.

Lori’s classmate and fellow thrower, Ethan Crock, finished 16th in the boys discus with a top throw of 143-6.

In the girls pole vault, a pair of Mid-Ohio Valley athletes found their way onto the podium.

Federal Hocking’s Annamarie Montle competes in the pole vault at the Ohio High School State Track and Field Meet in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Federal Hocking’s Annamarie Montle was the runner-up, while Fort Frye’s Kyndal Buchanan finished eighth to earn the final All-Ohio spot.

Buchanan cleared 11-0 to finish tied with four other girls for eighth. However, Buchanan cleared 9-6, 10-0 and 10-6 with ease, while her competitors all had misses prior to attempting 11-0, giving the tiebreaker to the Cadet junior.

“I jumped my PR to end up making it,” Buchanan said. “I was like, ‘I’ll take it.’ I didn’t know at first if I had made it through.”

Buchanan, after posting 10-8 at regionals, got 11-0 on her second attempt. She went 0 for 3 at 11-6 and then had to play the waiting game. She watched as her competition bowed out one by one, eventually realizing she had clinched eighth place and sharing an emotional embrace with her pole vault coach, Pat Wigal.

“I was like, ‘Whatever, I have next year,'” she said. “‘I’m still a junior.’ I was sitting by my friend Annamarie over there and she let me know, ‘Hey you made it.’ I just looked down and laughed, and then the tears started coming. I can’t tell you how excited I am.”

Caldwell's Gwyn Lori competes in the shot put. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Wigal has coached many talented vaulters from the area over the years, including Buchanan and Montle.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without him, and I know I will continue to get better with him,” Buchanan said. “I wouldn’t be the person I am, I wouldn’t be the vaulter I am without him coaching me.”

Buchanan qualified for state as a freshman but battled injuries last season and ended up missing out. That served as motivation in the offseason.

“Last year I tore my hamstring,” Buchanan recalled. “I was out the majority of the season and it just didn’t go my way at all. I didn’t do very good after I came back in. This year, I just kind of took it. I trained in the offseason. I trained really hard this season, I would say probably six to seven days a week at least. I just made it work.

“I’m really excited. I knew today was about a 50-50 chance, so I’m really excited I was able to go with that 50% chance and bring it home.”

Shenandoah's Braxton Barnett competes in the 300 hurdles. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Montle, a sophomore for the Lancers, cleared 12-2 for a new PR and finished behind only the defending state champ, Lehman Catholic’s Katie McFarland (12-6), to earn all-state status for the second year in a row.

Speaking of earning All-Ohio honors, Shenandoah’s Braxton Barnett clinched a spot on the podium in all four of his events Thursday.

Barnett placed fourth in the high jump (6-5) and seventh in the long jump (21-2.25) to earn his first two medals. He also came in fifth in the 110 hurdles preliminaries (14.96) before coming in second in the 300 prelims (38.74). He’ll run in the finals of those events today with a shot winning a state title in the 300.

Barnett wasn’t the only Zep competing Thursday, as Shenandoah’s 4×1 team of Mackenzie Williamson, Brenna Leach, Rachel Haga and Mya Leach clocked in at 50.79 to finish 12th in the prelims. Mya Leach also ran in the 200 prelims, where she was the 14th girl to cross the finish line with a time of 26.12, a PR for the SHS senior.