Pearson is seeded No. 1

Mara Pearson needed only two jumps to make her feel comfortable that she would win the district championship.

Her effort has her atop the regional qualifier list as well.

Pearson, a Fort Recovery High School junior, is the No. 1 seed for the long jump as the Indians prepare to compete Wednesday and Friday in the Division III regional meet at Troy.

Nine other FRHS athletes, including returning state qualifier Trevor Heitkamp, will join Pearson at the regional meet. The top four finishers in each event earn automatic state berths, with the next two best times/distances/heights statewide filling out the field.

Pearson, who finished seventh in the state last season, won the district meet with a leap of 17 feet, 5 1/4 inches,which has her as the top seed for the long jump in the regional meet. The No. 2 seed is Tri-Village’s Adalynn Hines at 17 feet event.

Heitkamp is a top-five seed in a pair of events for the regional meet after winning district championships in the boys 1,600-meter run and 3,200 run. He is the No. 3 seed in the longer of the two races with his time of 9 minutes, 52.33 seconds, trailing only Kellen Reichert (9:40.85) of Jackson Center and Asher Knox (9:51.87) of West Liberty Salem in the 3,200 run. He is the No. 5 seed for the 1,600 run in 4:33.23, just 0.7 seconds behind John Young of Anna.

The girls 4x400 relay team of Anna Roessner, Kiana Matsuda, Ellie Will and Megan Diller is projected to earn a state berth as it enters the regional seeded third. The group’s time of 4:13.72 trails only Minster (4:09.75) and Fort Loramie (4:13.48) and is nearly 1.5 seconds faster than fourth-seeded New Knoxville.

Natalie Brunswick is in position to compete for a state berth as she is seeded fifth in the girls 3,200 run. Her district time of 11;53.7 has her just over a second behind No. 4 seed Malia Miller of West Liberty Salem.

Brunswick will also join Kennedy Muhlenkamp, Will and Diller to compete in the 4x800 run at the regional. They own the No. 5 seed at 10:03.65 while New Bremen is seeded fourth at 9:57.62.

After finishing tied for second at the district meet, Lucas Acheson is among five athletes tied for the No. 6 seed in the boys high jump. He cleared the bar at 5 feet, 10 inches, leaving him one inch behind the four athletes tied for the No. 2 seed. Fort Loramie’s Ryan Hoelscher is the top seed at 6 feet, 1 inch.

Kiana Matsuda is the No. 7 seed in the 300 hurdles at 47.9. Sophia Hardwick of West Liberty Salem holds the No. 4 seed at 47.38.

Anna Roessner, Paige Guggenbiller, Pearson and Matsuda are seeded seventh for the 4x100 relay at 51.57 seconds, just 0.19 seconds slower than No. 4 seed Anna.

FRHS has two individuals seeded 10th — Roessner in the 400 dash and Will in the 1,600 run.