Huron's Matthews wins 110 hurdles

As a freshman, Treyvon Matthews was unsure about running the hurdles for Huron. He thought the event wasn’t for him because he, in his own description, wasn’t very good at it.

There are a handful of others this weekend who ran against Matthews in the 110 hurdles who might be hard-pressed to believe him after Matthews won a Division II state title Saturday afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.

Easy to spot with his ear-to-ear smile and reflective sunglasses, Matthews was first in 14.3 seconds in his first and only trip to the state meet.

It’s been almost a decade since anyone from Huron could call themselves a state track and field champion. Matthews became the school’s first to stand atop the podium in the sport since 2003, when the Tigers’ 4x800 all-senior relay of Laura Lindsley, Kristen Erne, Sarah Wilber and Amy Renner won a Division II title.

It’s been even longer — almost a quarter century — since a male athlete was a track and field champion. Jim Springer won a high jump title in 1989 for the program.

Also placing Saturday from the area were: Perkins’ Aaron Mawhirter second Division II discus; Vermilion’s Emily Cunningham third 200, fourth 100, Abbey Bodeker, Hannah Bartlome, Mallory Morris and Cunningham second 400 relay and Aubree LaForce, Bartlome, Morris and Cunningham third 800 relay — all Division II; Sandusky’s Mike Brown fifth shot put Division I; Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic’s Lindsay Kaatz sixth Division III 1600; Perkins’ Bill Fial sixth Division II 300 hurdles; Clyde’s Adam Turner sixth 400 Division II; New London’s Jon Albaugh seventh Division III 3200; Sandusky’s Heather Gruhlke seventh high jump Division I; SMCC’s Lydia Yeckley, Kaatz, Bridget Murphy and Armelle DeRiso eighth Division III 1600 relay; Western Reserve’s Carli Patrick eighth Division II 400 and Bellevue’s Laiken Tester eighth Division II long jump.

Read more in Tuesday’s Sandusky Register and Norwalk Reflector.