Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. Howland senior Gianmarco Malvasi clocks a time of 14.67 in the boys 110 hurdles to earn fourth place on Sunday at the state track meet at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.

COLUMBUS — On a humid and steamy Sunday, a handful of local athletes found their way onto the podium during the final day of competition at the OHSAA state track and field meet at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

STRONG THROWS

In a competition where six out of the nine finalists posted new personal-best marks, finding the podium was going to be a tough task for those throwing in the Division II boys shot put.

In his outdoor state debut, Canfield sophomore Kellen Halcomb earned himself a bronze medal with a new personal-best mark of 61-05.50 on his third attempt.

That toss came following another personal-best on his first throw. Maximus Hauck of Avon won gold with a career-high mark of 63-00.50, while Hudson’s Darke Vander Cica also posted a new personal-best at 62-00.50 for silver.

“I was trying to get after it and chase it on the first throw,” Halcomb said. “[The competition] didn’t change my approach at all. I’m still out here chasing it every single throw, trying to get a PR.”

Back in March, Halcomb competed at the SPIRE Institute in the OATCCC Indoor state meet where he earned the Division II silver in shot put.

However, according to Halcomb, nothing beats the atmosphere of Columbus in June.

“This is extremely special to me, really nice rings,” he said. “It really put the pressure on me to do well, but I came though. I prefer outdoor for sure.”

Warren G. Harding senior Ellis Daniels placed seventh in the shot put with a mark of 56-06.75. He competed at the state level in Maryland before, but felt the field was stronger in Ohio.

“Moving here, it was challenging with football season and track. It was a huge step. The competition wasn’t as good as it is in Ohio,” Daniels said. “The competition pushes me to throw farther. Kellen is in my division and we’re going against each other. We went against each other at county, districts, regionals and state, and he’s a really nice guy to throw against.”

Boardman senior James Mitchell qualified for the finals and placed ninth following a new personal-best of 55 feet.

On Saturday, Halcomb also claimed seventh place in the boys discus at 164-04 following the first weather delay of the afternoon.

“I just sat inside my car and relaxed and stretched out [during the delay],” Halcomb said. “I prefer the shot, it’s a heavier object. I love to be in the gym.”

FLYING FALCON

After missing his entire freshman campaign due to injuries, Austintown Fitch sophomore Braeden Sallee was thrilled just to qualify for the state meet, nevermind place.

Following a progression of new personal-bests over the last month of the season, he tied his career high on Sunday afternoon at a height of 6-04 feet to earn eighth during the Division II boys high jump.

“It was a pretty long journey with some ups and downs along the way, but I know I had some momentum by the end of the season. I went 5-10, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, so I’m coming into the state meet just looking to place,” Sallee said. “I’m not ever concerned about winning. I know that I’m a sophomore and one of the youngest out here, so I’m just looking for a spot to end up on the podium and I did that today.

“At the beginning of the season, I never thought I’d be clearing 6-4. I could barely clear 6-0. Then I started building and got it down, and I have to give a lot of thanks to my coach [Kira Neef]. She’s always on me, always pushing me to do my best.”

As the lone Falcon to qualify for the state meet, Sallee just wanted to wear Fitch’s navy and blue with pride.

“We hold a strong tradition and a high standard of excellence there,” Sallee said. “We had a down year there this year, but my coach is always on us. We’ve always built this reputation of being strong kids, and I feel like that’s definitely a credit to Coach [Seth] Steiner because he’s on everybody at every practice.”

As with any event, it starts with confidence and Sallee has goals heading into his junior year.

“Just knowing that I’ve competed on this stage, just going into that first district meet, it’s iffy,” Sallee said. “I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to place or not, but just building it up and knowing that I found a way to get here, even if I’m maybe not supposed to be here, I was able to find a way, place and advance. That’s been my goal, advance, advance, advance. Once I finish that, it gives me a lot of confidence going into next year.”

OTHER SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Howland senior Gianmarco Malvasi earned fourth in the Division II boys 110 hurdles with a time of 14.67. He originally placed fifth, but jumped another spot following a disqualification. … Boardman had a trio of runners that competed in timed finals Sunday afternoon. Nearly half of the Division II prelims were cut short on Saturday, leading to a slew of events being re-seeded and run in multiple heats against time. Junior Gigi Angiulli placed ninth in the girls 300 hurdles (45.14), junior Ethan Timblin was 13th in the boys 300 hurdles (40.25) and junior Robrick Taylor was 17th in the boys 400 (55.22). … Canfield sophomore Donnie Ferko also ran in a timed final, earning 10th during the boys 200 (21.67).