By Courtney Taylor
news@wbcowqel.com
The New Balance Indoor Nationals for track took place at The Armory in New York City, New York on March 10-12, 2017. Three teens from Crawford County alone qualified: Marissa Gwinner, 16, of Galion; Bri Streib, 17, of Galion; and Chad Johnson, 17, of Colonel Crawford.
Gwinner and Streib are the only two athletes to ever qualify from Galion. At the state meet, Gwinner qualified in high jump with a personal record of 5’7”, when only a 5’4” jump was needed. Streib qualified in weight throw with a personal record of 44 feet, when only 42 was needed.
Unfortunately, Gwinner was ill during the national meet and placed 33rd out of 39. Streib, however, threw a 41’7” and placed 20th out of 31. Gwinner competed in the Championship Division, and Streib competed in the Emerging Elite Division.
Chad Johnson, who also competed in the Championship Division, qualified for nationals when he ran the 3,200-meter race at the State Indoor Meet in 9 minutes and 15 seconds. At nationals, he ran the 5K in 14 minutes and 57 seconds, earning him All-American status.
Johnson led the race at the nationals for a time before finishing fourth overall. Johnson won the Division III state cross country meet last fall and last spring earned All-Ohio honors at the state track meet.
Gwinner and Streib would like to give a special thank you to their coaches Michael Moore, Kyle Strauch, and Todd Roston. As indoor track is not technically a school sport, the track coaches handled the registration, transportation, lodging, and costs.
Johnson wanted to give a shout-out to his best friend, Trevor Shawver, for supporting him and being a great friend.