05-05-2025
Local sprinter contends for historic state triple crown
LOWELLVILLE, Ohio (WKBN) — One of the toughest things to do in all of track and field is winning multiple events in the same meet. For Lowellville senior sprinter Drew Modelski, he not only makes it look easy, but is contending for the first triple crown at state since 2006.
'It's just me, me by myself. I'm running against one thing, that's the clock,' Modelski said. 'I'm not worried about who's around me. I'm worried about where the finish line is. It's all I care about when I'm in that block.'
That mindset is paying off for Modelski, who is contending for the Division III sprinter triple crown of winning each the 100, 200 and 400 meters dashes at state, thanks to three of the best times in the state.
'I think last year and the year before is more of like a stepping stone for me, like for me to actually truly get ready, because this year I feel like I've taken it a lot more serious than my past two years, so I think I'll be ready,' Modelski said.
His 10.80 in the 100 broke a 29-year-old school record and is tied for best in the state.
A 21.62 time in the 200 is a centisecond (0.01) behind first, breaking his own school record after previously breaking the record that stood since 1995.
Then in the 400, a 49.23 is the best time in DIII, breaking current teammate Josh Pazel's school best from 2024.
'My friend Josh, we were just talking about it today, he made a joke like, 'We're done with the nineties,'' Modelski said. 'So we were going to go for all the records and get all the nineties off the board. It's all the 2000s from here on out.'
After all the records and striving for the first triple crown in school history, his ultimate goal is putting up even better times and coming home from Columbus with some hardware.
'It's been a great experience so far, but I think I have a lot more work to do this season,' Modelski said. 'I have a lot more times, a lot of time to drop, but I still think I have time before districts, regionals and state. So I have a lot more time to put in work and I think I'll be ready for those three.'
The OHSAA Division III District Track & Field meet takes place on May 20-24 hosted at Granville High School.
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