The Chillicothe Hornets turned in an outstanding performance at the 2026 MEC Track and Field Championships on Monday at Maryville High School, finishing second in both the girls and boys team standings against a strong conference field.
In the girls standings, Maryville claimed the conference title with 208 points, followed by Chillicothe with 134 and Savannah with 131. Benton finished fourth with 81 points, Lafayette was fifth with 65, Cameron sixth with 59, and Bishop LeBlond seventh with 13.
On the boys side, Maryville again took first with 217 points, while Chillicothe placed second with 151. Savannah finished close behind in third with 147, followed by Benton (66), Cameron (59), Lafayette (40), and Bishop LeBlond (27).
The Hornets were especially dominant in the distance events. Luke Thompson captured conference titles in both the boys 800-meter run and 1600-meter run, winning the 800 in 2:02.61 and the 1600 in 4:46.41. Teammate Mason Walter added a fifth-place finish in the 1600, while Jace Collins placed sixth in the 800.
On the girls side, Chillicothe swept the top two spots in the 800-meter run as Lydia Bonderer won the conference championship in 2:27.28, narrowly edging teammate Hope Donoho at 2:27.88. Donoho later added a runner-up finish in the 1600-meter run.
The Hornets also shined in relay competition. The boys 4×400 relay team of Landen Longo, Joshua Ojeaga, Luke Thompson, and Brennen FitzPatrick claimed the conference title with a winning time of 3:29.57. Chillicothe’s boys 4×800 relay team of Jace Collins, Mason Walter, Zephaniah O’Berry, and Brody Norris also captured the top spot, finishing first in 8:42.88.
FitzPatrick added another conference championship individually, winning the boys 400-meter dash in 52.69, while teammate Ezra Leppin finished sixth. FitzPatrick also placed third in the triple jump.
In the hurdles, Landen Longo earned a third-place finish in the boys 300 hurdles, while Leon Nickell placed fourth in the 110 hurdles and seventh in the 300 hurdles. On the girls side, Mya Oliver took fourth in both the 100 and 300 hurdles, with teammate Ellyott Ramsey placing fifth and seventh respectively.
Chillicothe’s field event athletes also delivered big performances. Jayden Martin was one of the top throwers of the meet, finishing second in both the shot put and discus while adding a fourth-place finish in javelin. Landon Bailey took third in shot put, and Tyler Lehmann added a third-place finish in discus.
For the girls, Lexy Smith won the conference championship in javelin with a throw of 36.83 meters, while teammate Rylee Davis placed sixth. Emerson Staton finished runner-up in both shot put and discus, and Maddie Robinson added points in both throwing events as well.
In the jumps, Mya Oliver earned runner-up honors in the triple jump, while Isabel Nagel finished fifth. Emelia Ramsey and Hadley Ramsey placed third and fourth in pole vault, and Natalie Graupman earned sixth in high jump.
Overall, the Hornets showcased impressive depth and versatility throughout the meet, with conference championships, relay victories, and strong finishes across nearly every event category helping Chillicothe secure runner-up finishes on both the girls and boys sides. The Hornets and Lady Track & Field Team will host the District Meet Saturday at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium.