Amy Weybrecht '24 of the Gilmour Academy girls track and field team, concluded a fantastic freshman year by winning an individual state title as the Lancers competed at the OHSAA Division II State Championship this past weekend at Pickerington High School North.
Weybrecht won the 800-meter run with an amazing, come-from-behind effort. She passed the race leader on the closing homestretch, and her sprint to the line gave her the slightest edge in a photo finish. Weybrecht's winning time of 2:13.48, less than one-tenth of one second ahead of the runner-up, was a new personal best.
With the rookie leading the way, Gilmour finished in a tie for fourth place in the team standings with 27 points. It was the best showing for the program at the state meet since a runner-up showing in 2010.
Weybrecht became the first Lancer freshman to win an individual state title in program history. She was one of just two freshmen to win an individual girls title at the meet, and the only one to win a running event.
Karah Henderson '22 just missed adding a second state title for GA in the meet. Nevertheless, she had a strong runner-up showing for Gilmour in the 100-meter hurdles. Henderson crossed the line in second place in 15.22 seconds.
Both Henderson and Weybrecht also played key roles in helping a pair of Lancer relays score at the meet.
Gilmour's 4x100 relay squad placed fourth in the state as Bella Lasecki '22, Henderson, Kaleigh McNamara '22 and Mariyah Moore '24 comprised the group. The Lancers improved dramatically over the course of the postseason—Gilmour ran the race in 49.33 seconds in the state final after having posted a time of 51.79 seconds in its 2021 postseason debut at districts.
The Lancers' 4x400 relay claimed a fifth-place finish at the state meet, two spots higher than their seed. McNamara, Moore, Mary Lombardo '22 and Weybrecht combined to finish in a season-best 4:01.99 in the state final. The quartet combined to drop more than 11 seconds off their time from the first time they ran the race during the postseason.
Gilmour had two additional top-10 showings at the meet.
Weybrecht, Mia Polisena '22, Clare Valenza '23 and Lombardo took ninth place in the 4x800 relay in a season-best 9:36.41.
Mackenzie Palinski '21 finished in 10th place in the state in the shot put in her final competition as a Lancer. She posted a distance of 37 feet, 8 inches.
Weybrecht's title is the 18th in program history, when including individuals and relays, but the first since 2010. She is the first freshman to win the Division II girls 800-meter state title since 2005.
While the loss of Palinski, a school record-holder and a Division I signee, is significant, the future for the program appears bright. Every other Lancer that helped score points at not only the state meet, but also the regional meet, is set to return for the 2022 season.
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