Defiance sweeps WBL track titles

OTTAWA - For one Defiance track and field coach, winning a Western Buckeye League title did not take very long.

For the other Defiance coach, it was well worth the wait.

Defiance took both the girls and boys titles at Friday's WBL meet at Ottawa-Glandorf.

Defiance boys coach Steve Rittenour garnered a league crown in just his first year as the head coach when his team fought off a pesky Celina squad, 114-111. Wapakoneta was third (88) while Van Wert finished fourth (57) in a 10-team field.

On the girls side, Defiance staved off Celina for a 135-120 victory. Ottawa-Glandorf was third (94) while Van Wert finished fourth (45).

Rittenour, a former Defiance track athlete (1991-1994), said the victory for him was bittersweet.

"Back when I was running track here (Defiance), Celina was always one of the teams to beat," Rittenour said. "They're always a good program.

"This was a total team effort. We had some guys step it up (Friday)."

For the Defiance girls, it was the first WBL title for their program. Steve Wahl, who is in his 11th season as the girls coach, said it was the balance of his team that shined through.

"We knew our top girls would do well for us," Wahl said. "But, it was our second's (second-best girl in each event) that really stepped up for us.

"Megan (Vogelsong) in the 1,600 really got us going. Her third-place (finish) kind of got us fired up."

Vogelsong's teammate, Lauren Fett, won the 1,600 in a time of 5:16.71.

Celina senior standout Julie Snyder shattered four records en route to four first-place finishes.

Snyder broke the long jump mark by more than a foot, leaping 18 feet, 7 inches. Her teammate, Eryn Langenkamp, finish second with a mark of 17-1.

Snyder also won the 100-meter hurdles (14.72), 200-meter dash (25.94) and the high jump (5-2).

Snyder said at the beginning of the season, jumping 19 feet did not seem realistic.

"I just wanted to beat my old record," Snyder said. "I think with the conditions ... being the league meet ... it all helped. I'm also fired up about our team this year.

"Nineteen (feet in the long jump) seems beyond me ... but, we'll see."

Shawnee distance runner Chase Violet broke the 34-year-old WBL meet record in the 3,200, clocking a 9:35.88. Violet reeled off back-to-back 72 seconds in his sixth and seventh laps to pull away from Defiance's Zach Wiles (9:52).

Earlier in the evening, Violet executed the same game plan in the 1,600, when he outkicked Wiles in the final lap to win in a time of 4:26. Wiles finished with a time of 4:28.36.

Violet said he could sense Wiles on his heels in both races.

"My goal was to break the (meet) record (3,200)," Violet said. "When I went through the first two (laps) in 2:11, I could feel them behind me. So, I knew it was going to be a race."