Previewing the state ranked athletes that are headed to the Region 35-4 track championship

HILLSDALE — This year, the Division 4, Region 35 championship is headed to Hayden Park in Hillsdale, hosted by Hillsdale Academy. As with every season, nearly all of the Hillsdale County track and field teams will be present for this event, including Camden-Frontier, Hillsdale Academy, Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy, Litchfield, Pittsford, Reading and Waldron.

Amongst the returning teams are several returning regional championship athletes and state title contenders. Several athletes are state-ranked heading into the regional championships, and this is a preview of each team and the ranked athletes that will look to help them repeat their success from 2023.

In addition to these athletes from Camden-Frontier, Will Carleton Academy, Pittsford and Reading, a host of Hillsdale Academy state-ranked athletes will look to contend for regional titles and state qualification. A separate story covering those athletes can be found at hillsdale.net.

2023 Recap

The Reading track team won the regional title for the boys finals and ended up taking runner-up honors at the D4 state finals. Pittsford girls track was runner-up at regionals and took 10th at the state finals as a team. In addition, Colts relay teams won state titles and one Ranger athlete brought home the 110 hurdles title.

Camden-Frontier

Camden-Frontier senior and Bluffton football commit Ethan Wickham took second at last year's regionals to qualify for states in high jump, the RedHawks only qualifier from that season. He ranks 24th in the state this season in D4 standings.

Kenton Clark is tied for 35th in the state pole vault rankings.

Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy

Girls

Hillsdale sophomore Madison Recob was a state qualifier in shot put last season and ranks 25th in this year's D4 standings.

Boys

Tyler Barnes was a regional champion last season and state qualifier. He sits outside the top 50 rankings.

Pittsford

Girls

Ava Mallar is the highest ranked Wildcat athlete in the sprints 400 meters or less. In the 400, the junior is ranked 34th. Mallar is also ranked 14th in the 100 hurdles. Mallar qualified for states last season in that event. Mallar earned all-state, third overall, last season in the 300 hurdles. This year, Mallar is currently eighth in the standings.

Senior Brooke Smith, all-state in the 800 last year, is ranked fifth in the 800 this year. Smith did not run in the 1,600 or 3,200 dashes last regionals, but she is ranked 14th in the state in the 1,600 and 22nd in the 3,200 this season.

Pittsford's 4x200 team of Ana Camila Salazar, Breana Probst, Halle Clark and Anna Newell is ranked 20th.

Their 4x400 team of Clark, Smith, Embach and Mallar is ranked 12th. The team took all-state honors at last year's state finals.

The 4x800 team of Mallar, Riley McCumber, Clark and Smith ranks ninth. This team took second at last year's D4 finals to earn all-state.

Junior Chloe Fowler was a state qualifier and regional champion pole vaulter last season. This year, Fowler ranks sixth in D4 standings.

Boys

Pittsford senior Bryce Williams is the highest ranked Wildcat in the shorter dashes. He is 19th in the 800 standings. He qualified for the state finals last season.

The 4x400 team of Gavyn Carden, Brendon Nave, Teagan and Bryce Wiliams ranks 18th.

Junior Teagan Williams is fourth in the pole vault rankings.

Girls

Sophomore Abigail Spencer is ranked in multiple events. The Ranger is 36th in the 100 dash, 21st in the 200 and 31st in the 400.

The 4x200 team of Caylee Whinnie, Bria Wiler, Paige Santi and Spencer is ranked 21st. Last year's Ranger 4x100, 4x200 and 4x800 teams qualified for the state finals.

In shot put, Ranger junior Abigail Affholter is ranked 10th. She is ranked 21st in discus. Teammate Sydnee Mauk is ranked 25th in discus.

Boys

Sophomore Brayden Wright is currently 10th in 100-meter standings. Senior Tayshawn Bester is ranked in multiple events. The first is the 100, where he is 15th overall. Bester is ranked seventh in the 200. Wright is 16th. Wright was a state qualifier for the 200 last year.

Senior Brady Kling sits outside the top 30, 39th, in current 400-meter dash standings. Kling qualified for states in the 400 last year.

Bester won the state championship in the 110 hurdles last year. The returning state champion is ranked first in this year's D4 standings. He is eighth in the 300 hurdles standings. He qualified in the 300 for the state finals last season but did not run the event.

Reading's 4x100 team of Bester, Connar Rudy, Kling and Wright is ranked fourth in the state. Bester and Wright were members of the all-state and regional title 4x100 team last season.

The Rangers are also ranked fourth in the 4x200 with the team of Bester, Kling, Rudy and Colton Hoover. Kling was a member of the regional title and all-state team last year.

The 4x400 team of Hoover, Kling, Wright and VanAken is ranked seventh. The all-state team from last year were all seniors.

The 4x800 team of Hoover, Kutter and Case VanAken and Jeremiah Bedford is 25th. Last year's Ranger 4x800 team was all-state.

Senior Austin Neely is 26th in discus standings. Bester was a state qualifying high jumper last season but has not recorded a jump this season.