Three Talawanda athletes represent the Brave at track and field states competition

Three Talawanda High School athletes competed at the Division I high school track and field state competition on June 6 and 7 in Columbus.  

Senior Max Bixler ran the boys’ 1600-meter. With a mark of 4 minutes, 15.81 seconds, he ranked inside the top 10 by less than one second. 

Junior Adriana Luking and senior Lucia Rodbro also represented the Brave in the girls’ 3200. Luking’s time of 10:57.70 placed her at 11th, while Lucia’s 11:10.48 ranks her at 16th. 

The three athletes qualified for the state meet after placing within the top four of their event at the regional competition in Huber Heights from May 28-30. 

Bixler ran a personal-best 4:17.69 in the 1600 to take fourth place. Rodbro qualified for her third-straight appearance at the state meet after taking fourth in the 3200 with a time of 10:56.87. Luking ran just ahead of her in third place in 10:51.86. 

Senior Bryson Fears ran a personal-best 1:55.34 in the boys’ 800 but remained three spots shy of a qualifying ranking. Bixler, Fears, Garrison Franks and Fletcher Rodbro ran a season-best 9:50.51 in the boys’ 4x800 and ranked eighth. 

Sending three athletes to states this year was an improvement for the district. Lucia was the sole representative for the Brave at last year’s state competition. She qualified after running the 3200 in 11:03.98 at the regional meet, good for third place. Rodbro also joined Henry Hoblitzell and Haley O’Brien at the 2023 state competition as a sophomore.