This weekend, Beachwood runners will compete in three events at the Ohio High School State Track & Field Championships in Columbus.

In the 4 x 200 relay competition, juniors Hannah Kahn and Jaelyn Pounds, freshman Mia Knight and senior Maya Gaines-Smith will compete for a State title, while Knight will run individually in the 100 meter dash, and Gaines-Smith in the 200 meter dash.

“Since we didn’t make it to states last year, it made us even more hungry to work and get to States this year,” Jaelyn Pounds said.

The relay team also won the CVC championship. Freshman Leah Roter won first place in the 3200 meter run and Senior Nate Hamilton finished 2nd in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

However, winning the CVC was not the top goal for the girls track team. They were hungry to reach states. Roter came up just short, advancing to regionals and almost qualifying for States.

The hard work put in by these athletes is finally paying off this weekend. Gaines-Smith, a senior, has been running track since her freshman year.

“The key to success is to practice hard every day and work, not only at running, but at the technical aspects of our relays and individual runs,” she said. “I’ve had great coaches over the years who believe in me. But when it comes down to it, it’s a mental game.”

“For myself, going to states in the 200 has taken at least two years of training that focuses on the 200,” Gaines added. “We even practiced on the day of prom.”

Gaines-Smith plans to walk on to the track and field team and Hampton University while on an academic scholarship.

However, the team has faced many challenges this season. These included injuries to her and other relay members, tough workouts, the sacrifice of time for practice, weather and more.

All of the runners believed that their training has helped them achieve their goal of making it to states. They ran during indoor track season, and improved greatly during that time.

Additionally, they all said that running track in college is one of their main goals.

Emilykate Hopson-Boyd was previously part of the relay team that won the indoor State Championship, but lost to an injury before the first outdoor meet. Kahn felt this was a major obstacle that the team had to overcome.

“When we lost Emilykate to an injury, it really hurt us,” she said. “We needed to search for someone to fill her spot, and luckily Jaelyn stepped up and has performed great.”

Assistant Coach Jamie Lader also weighed in on the journey that the girls have taken to reach states. They faced significant competition throughout the season.

“What sets these four apart from the rest is that they all have been running for a long time. They really wanted it, and they simply went out and achieved their goal of making it down to Columbus.”

Lader added that he really enjoyed working with the girls on a daily basis and watching them continue to improve as they ran through the state tournament.

Knight is a freshman, part of a class that Lader believes if full of talent. Also, the veteran leadership of the relay team is key in Lader’s eyes, along with the overall talent shared by its members.

The preliminary rounds will be held on Friday, June 5 with finals the following day. All events will be held at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus.