No rain, no gain: Newark's Bidwell secures OCC-Buckeye discus title

LANCASTER ― It began early in the season when they hosted the Newark Invitational and carried all the way into Saturday's Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division meet.

The Wildcats have gotten used to dealing with the wet stuff this spring, so they weren't daunted when steady rains greeted them early at Lancaster Fulton Field.

The worst of it came when senior Ayden Bidwell was competing for a discus title in the morning, but he delivered 141-4 on his third try, right after Reynoldsburg's Josiah Montgomery had thrown 140-5. Rising five places higher than last year, he can now call himself a league champion.

"Pressure makes diamonds, and I love the pressure," said Bidwell. "Every meet, I come under pressure. Everyone had to throw in the same conditions today. I'm trying to follow in Sophie's (his older sister and former Newark All-Ohioan) footsteps. She's at the Big 10 meet (with Ohio State), but she came home and we worked on my technique."

Throwing coach Mark Salina said the best is ahead for Bidwell, who is in just his second year of throwing and likely to attend Ashland University after visiting there. Bidwell has also been competing in the hammer at select meets, just like his sister. He is ranked in the top 10 in the state in that event after throwing nearly 161 feet, and will attend the state hammer meet in June at Wilmington College.

"He's improved 20 feet in a year (in the discus)," said Salina, noting that the indoor All-Ohioan threw 125-11 in last year's OCC meet and upped his PR to 144-7 this season at Big Walnut. "I wish I had him for another year."

Bidwell's efforts have rubbed off on freshman Zion Scott, who had a 121-2 PR last week at Mount Vernon and placed sixth on Saturday at 115-2.

"He pushes me the most," Scott said. "He sees my potential."

What is that potential? Bidwell believes Scott can get 130 this season. Beyond that? "I think he can go 170 or 180," he said.

As for himself, Bidwell has been throwing in the high 140s in practice.

"If I show up and stay consistent, I can get high 140s or low 150s in a meet," he said. "Around 155 would be comfortable if I'm going to make the state."

Bidwell said freshman Mitchell Chavis is another promising young thrower.

Observed Salina: "We're peaking, and everyone is PR-ing. It's been a great couple of weeks."

While Bidwell and Scott were throwing, senior Aubree Murphy was clocking a PR :17.28 in the 100 hurdles and placed second, a half second faster than last year's third-place finish.

"It was raining pretty hard," she said. "It definitely made it tough in the hurdles. I didn't want to slip and fall, but my mind just went blank and I pushed through. Just knowing it was my last year, I had to push hard. My PR today is thanks to the amazing girls I ran against."

Murphy was also part of both the 4x200 (:1:52.35) and 4x100 (:52.73) relays that placed third and helped the Newark girls place third out of the six teams with 52 points, following Lancaster's 203 and Pickerington Central's 145. Freshman Ky Shumate, senior Sophia Walters and junior Cadi Gordon ran with her on both relays.

Sophomore Meredith Pyle placed second in the 3,200 (12:50), while the 4x800 relay of freshman Ava Sumner-Morrison, junior Sarah Warner, sophomore Katie Sites and senior Grace McCray ran third in 11:58. Freshman Emma Ray cleared 9-6 to finish third in the pole vault.

Newark has an abundance of promising young athletes, head coach Marc Montella pointed out. Freshman Payton Taylor leaped 20-9 Thursday, taking third in the long jump.

"Twenty feet was his PR, and he had four jumps over 20 feet Thursday night," Montella said. "We have a girl competing at the middle school state in the 100 hurdles, and (former Newark All-Ohioan and coach) Bill Nutt is coaching our middle school throwers."

Freshman Roy Price, who started at defensive end in football, ran the fastest 40 of all defensive players at a combine in Dayton, and qualified for the U.S. Army Bowl National Combine at Dallas in December. In his first year of the 110 high hurdles, he placed fourth Saturday in :15.8.

"Compared to where I was at the start, with 19, that's pretty good," Price said. "I've been running track since the seventh grade, and I'm not going to stop. Nothing is better for football. I went to get to state (in the hurdles), get it down into the 14s and place high."

Sophomore Sean Brechbill won the second of three heats in the 400 Saturday in :52.7, and he beat two of the runners in the fast heat, placing fourth overall. He also ran on the third-place 4x800 relay (8:36.58) with junior Luca Stukey, senior Jacob Brechbill and freshman Brayden Dowell.

Sophomore Darnell Cleaves, who moved into the district in October, finished fourth in the 300 hurdles in :42.27.

Newark's boys placed fifth with 46 points. Lancaster dominated with 205 and Reynoldsburg was runner-up at 106.

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: No rain, no gain: Newark's Bidwell secures OCC-Buckeye discus title