COLUMBUS – Katie Reiser enhanced her already impressive résumé Saturday.
The Elmwood junior added two more All-Ohio finishes to her list of accomplishments during the Division
III state high school track and field meet.
Reiser finished second in the 100 and 200, breaking her own school record in the 200 at Ohio State
University’s Jesse Owens Stadium. (SEE
PHOTO GALLERY)
She had a time of 24.94 in the 200 and 12.32 in the 100, finishing as the runnerup to Gates Mills Gilmour
Academy sophomore Candace Longino-Thomas in both races. Longino-Thomas won the 100 in 12.05 and the 200
in 24.53 after finishing second in both last year.
The All-Ohio honors – which go to the top eight finishers in each event – were the third and fourth in
the last two years for Reiser. She was fifth in the 100 and sixth in the 200 as a sophomore. The top
eight finishers stand on the awards podium.
"I was hoping, but not expecting that," Reiser said of her second-place finishes. "Candace
is just amazing. She’s one of the best sprinters in all three divisions. She really pushed me to get my
(personal records). I like running against her because I knew she could push me. I’m happy to get
second. It’s very exciting."
Reiser nipped Sidney Lehman Catholic sophomore Gretchen Walter at the finish line in both races as Reiser
closed with strong finishes. Reiser beat Walter by nine one-hundreths of a second in the 100 and seven
one-hundreths of a second in the 200.
"I guess I had a little extra gear at the end," Reiser said.
Reiser’s time in the 200 broke her own Elmwood record of 25.02 set a week ago when she won the Tiffin
regional.
She lowered her school record in the 100 Friday when she ran a time of 12.11 in the semifinals. Her
previous best was 12.21.
In the semifinals, Reiser had the second-fastest time in the 100 and the third-fastest time in the 200.
Reiser’s efforts gave Elmwood a ninth-place finish as a team.
"I’m very happy with the weekend," Reiser said.
Reiser said the experience of being a returning state qualifier helped her this season.
"It was amazingly more relaxed," she said. "Last year, I was so nervous. But this year, I
felt like I was almost at home. It was a lot more relaxing and exciting."
Ottawa Hills junior Katherine Jamieson finished fourth in the 100 and the 200 – meaning the top four
finishers at state are eligible to return next season. Reiser is hoping to battle Longino-Thomas for
both state titles.
"I’m going to train hard and my goal is to beat her," Reiser said. "She’s definitely going
to be here unless something drastic happens. I’m just hoping to make it back here. It’s exciting and fun
to be be here."
Reiser was one of four athletes from Wood County high schools to earn All-Ohio in the Division III meet.

The others were Lakota senior Jacob Smith and Northwood senior Kyle Gunn, who were third and sixth,
respectively, in the 110 hurdles; and Lakota senior Roger Guerra, who was seventh in the 100.
Smith made the most of his third trip to state as he finished third in 14.89 after missing the finals the
last two seasons.
"This is my greatest accomplishment," said Smith, who had the third-fastest time in the
semifinals Friday. "I was hoping for the top three, so I knew I had a chance to win.
We had a head wind and I hit a few hurdles, that slowed me down. But I’m really, really satisfied with my
time."
Gates Mills Hawken senior Tyler Nichols won in 14.64, while Delphos Jefferson senior Tim Sanders was
second in 14.85. Gunn’s time was 15.16.
"It took a lot of hard work, but it paid off," Smith said. "The last two years really got
me motivated and I worked hard to get to this point."
Gunn was third until he hit the next-to-last hurdle and nearly fell, but he kept his balance and still
managed to finish sixth. He had the fourth-fastest semifinal time.
"I’m upset with myself because I would have done better if I wouldn’t have tripped," Gunn said.
"I was on one leg going sideways, but at least I didn’t fall.
"My goal was to win, but that didn’t happen. I’m glad I’m on the podium and I’m glad I’m at state,
but I wish I could have finished better."
Guerra was seventh in the 100 with a time of 11.39. Garfield Heights Trinity senior Jonathan Bobak won in
11.11. Guerra had the eighth-fastest semifinal time.
"It feels good. I was hoping for better, but I came out hard so I’m happy," Guerra said.
"I felt good with my start, but there were guys around you the whole race. There were a lot of fast
boys out there."