After being the smallest school in Division II in 2025, the girls’ team competes with equally sized schools this season.
After being moved up a division last season, the Worthington Christian girls track and field team discovered there’s a world of difference between Division II and Division III, where they were in 2024.
For example, consider the fate of the 4×400-meter team. Graduates Trinity Godsey and Natalie Ryan, senior Sydney Dolly, and junior Zoe Ryan broke a 29-year-old record in the event with a time of 4 minutes, 4.14 seconds.
Unfortunately for the four, that time wasn’t good enough to qualify for the state meet. The group placed fifth, and only the top four advanced to the state meet.
“It was a little disappointing for sure, but it was a great opportunity,” said Dolly, whose relay placed fifth, and the top four finishers at the regional meet advance. “We didn’t even expect it to make it out of the preliminaries.”
The previous record holders, Jessica Luckett, April Kullberg, Susie Dittenber, and Carrie Alexander, ran a 4:05.54 to place third at the 1996 Division III state meet. Had Worthington Christian been in Division III, like it was the year before, Godsey, Dolly, and the Ryans would have finished ninth at the Division III state meet.
Under the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s new five-division format, Worthington Christian drops into Division IV after competing in Division II last season. The Warriors are hoping no one gets left outside the state meet fence in the new division.
Mark Mousa, who coaches both the girls’ and boys’ track teams, said he has been waiting for this change for 3 years.
“It seems like (OHSAA) redistricted all the other sports except for track and field,” Mousa said. “It’s taken longer because there are a lot of moving parts. Track and field has the most participants in any sport in the state.
“Now we’re back competing with the schools that are just like us — Fairbanks, Columbus Academy, CSG. If we run well, we should have a lot of kids down at Jesse Owens track that first weekend of June.”
With the step up in divisions, the girls’ team had only one representative at the state meet. Natalie Ryan placed 12th in the 400 (58.10). Senior Ava Holbrook said she learned a great deal about how to conduct herself by watching the graduate compete.
“Even with pre-race nerves, she was always focused on her teammates,” Holbrook said. “She always looked out for other people and prayed with us before races. I absolutely want to take that with me into my senior season and be a leader for these girls.”
While the Warriors graduated Natalie Ryan, Godsey, and Amanda Custer from last year’s team, Mousa said he has been surprised at how others emerged in their respective events at the Central Buckeye League and district meets. Worthington Christian finished fourth in the district with 94 points behind Fairbanks (122), London (109), and Ready (99), and was sixth (80) behind champion Buckeye Valley (104) at the CBL meet.
In the field events, junior Mackenzie Barnes returns in the shot put and discus. Junior Julia Walton is looking to improve on last season’s performances in the long jump, while Abby Custer and Anika Van Arendonk return in the high jump.
“We need some girls to step up. The field events are a great opportunity for some of our freshmen and sophomores to become varsity contributors,” Mousa said.
Zoe Ryan, who finished the district meet with three gold medals, anchors the middle distance group. In the middle distance events, she opened the district meet by teaming up with Holbrook, sophomore Charis Bohler, and Olive Edgel in a first-place finish in the 3,200 relay (10:28.92) at the district championship. She later claimed the 800 title (2:30.92).
Dolly leads a strong group of sprinters and hurdlers. She, Godsey, Natalie Ryan, and Zoe Ryan placed first in the 1,600 relay (4:09.88), and Dolly anchored juniors Van Arendonk, Noelle Doyel, and Raelene Brooks to a seventh-place finish in the 800 relay (1:54.46) at the district championship. Brooks (eighth in the 100, 14.02), junior Faith Ashu (third in 100 hurdles, 17.81), and Walton (fifth in the 100 hurdles, 18.07) also reached the district podium in their individual events.
Seniors Holbrook and Bekah Webster and junior Olive Edgel head up the distance group. At the district meet, Holbrook (5:36.4) was the district champion, and Edgel (6:02.61) took sixth in the 1,600, while Webster (14:28.52) was sixth in the 3,200 run.
Mousa is looking forward to being on equal footing with the competitors in the Warriors’ division this year, but admits being moved up to Division II last year made his team realize what is truly important.
“Being in Division II was a great lesson,” Mousa said. “It reminds you that you can only control what you can control. It’s a great lesson to teach our kids — God is in control. Our motto is audience of one. Everything we do, whether it is training, cheering on teammates, and, at times, cheering on our competitors, should give honor and glory to God.”
Mousa hopes his team is competing for an audience of one … but with more than one competitor at the state meet.