Westerville Central's Olivia Pace is Dispatch regular-season girls track athlete of year

The high school track and field season is nearing its conclusion, with athletes competing this week at regional. On the line are berths to state May 30-June 1 at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.

Athletes prepare for the postseason by sharpening their skills during the regular season, including the 14 whom The Dispatch featured in a poll for the central Ohio high school girls track and field regular-season athlete of the year.

Your votes have been tallied, and the winner is senior sprinter and long jumper Olivia Pace of Westerville Central.

Pace, a Southern California signee, established program records in the 100 meters (11.32), 200 (23.96) and long jump (19-3 ½) and ran on the program-record 400 relay (47.19). She won the 100, 200 and long jump in the OCC-Ohio meet.

“Olivia is very committed to her craft as a sprinter, and obviously very gifted,” coach David Mentlow said. “She is also a great person and an extraordinary student. Anytime a high school program can have a generational talent like Olivia, it will improve your program and push other athletes. ...

“Olivia does not carry herself as if she is above her teammates. She comes to practice and meets ready to go to work just like everybody else and her teammates appreciate that.”

Pace received 20.4% of the vote and was followed by Olentangy Liberty’s Sophie Sampson (18.9%), Hilliard Davidson's Anna Wile (14.6%), Bexley’s Jenna Plank (9.1%), Olentangy Orange’s Brooke Chapman (6.2%), Independence’s Lillian Hurd (5.7%), Dublin Coffman’s Kylie Feeney (5.7%), Hilliard Darby’s Gianna Lane (5.4%), Pickerington Central’s Gracie Alls (4.6%), Columbus School for Girls’ Jameson Pillifant (3.9%), Worthington Kilbourne’s Mirabelle Thornton (2.8%), Grove City’s Leah Boswell (1.9%), Columbus Academy’s Allison Klinefelter (0.8%) and Dublin Jerome’s Helen Randolph (0.3%).

All of these athletes are candidates to make our All-Metro girls track and field team , which will be revealed as part of the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards . The live show is June 20 at Mershon Auditorium .

fdirenna@dispatch.com

@DispatchFrank

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Westerville Central's Olivia Pace is Dispatch regular-season girls track athlete of year