PHOTO by Jamie Nygaard

By Cort Reynolds

COLUMBUS __Ada High School senior speedster Kayleb Hickman finished second in the boys 400-meter finals on a warm day two of the Div. V state track and field meet at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University on Friday, June 5.

Sporting a personal-best time of 49.45, Hickman finished .77 behind first place in the nine-man 400-meter finals race early Friday evening. The Bulldog surged with his sprint speed over the last 100 meters to kick past three runners and vault into second place.

King Wilson, Jr. of Oregon Cardinal Stritch won the race in 48.68. He also edged out Hickman in the Fostoria regional finals. Russia’s Elias Courter took third in a time of 49.61. 

Hickman also set a school record in the 400, breaking the 24-year old mark set by Ada head coach Tyler Craig, who also made the all-state podium in the 400-meter finals. 

Hickman won heat two of the preliminaries Thursday with a time of 49.91 to automatically earn the second seed at Friday’s final. Wilson, Jr. won the first preliminary heat in 49.34. 

Hardin Northern senior Riley Newton came in sixth in the 400-meter finals in 50.03. Convoy Crestview’s Hayden Perrott finished seventh in 50.12.

The top two finishers in each preliminary heat, plus the next five best preliminary times, qualified to compete in the 400-meter finals. 

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