MARIETTA — The start was better than the finish.

The Southeastern Ohio Athletic League track meet was strong until the finish, but nothing could match the start of the meet when the boys’ 4×800-meter relay produced the best race of the day.

Marietta came in as the favorites with Warren a close second. But it was the Ironton Fighting Tigers team of Pierce Reeves, Dustin Moritz, Adam Stumbo and Gary Monroe that stole the show and the race.

Ironton’s quartet broke its own school record by 10 seconds with a blistering 8:14.37 time to win the race with Warren second at 8:15.10 and Marietta third at 8:16.81.

By the end of the meet, Logan came away the team winner with 164.5 points followed by Gallipolis with 129. Marietta was third with 92 points and the Fighting Tigers fourth with an 81.50 total.

Chillicothe was fifth with 74, Warren had 61, Jackson 39 and Portsmouth 14.

The Lady Fighting Tigers had some strong performances of their own but finished seventh overall with 34 points in the strong field.

Marietta had 150 points to edge Chillicothe with 148.5. Gallipolis was next with 107, Logan 81, Warren 64.5 and Jackson 54. Portsmouth had 22 points.

Ironton’s pole vault tandem of Jon Monnig and Ryan Sias shared first place as they both cleared 13-6.

Sias was second in the high jump at 6-foot and fifth in the long jump with a 19-5 leap. Casey Mace went 18-1 to place seventh.

Tres Wilks, Tyler Hager, Monnig and Sias were third in the 4×100 relay with a 45.40 time.

Bobby Sizemore was fifth in the 110 hurdles at 17.85 and seventh in the 300 hurdles with a 45.31 time.

Wilks was eighth in the 100 meters at 12.44, his slowest time of the year.

Robert Bishop, Charles Stewart, Hager and Sizemore ran a 1:38.94 to take sixth in the 4×200 relay. Bishop was eighth in the 400 meters with a 55.98 time while Drew Wells ran a 59.36.

Monroe was second in the 1600 with a 4:46.21 times and Reeves was sixth at 4:52.50. The duo tried to come right back in the 800 and Monroe finished ninth at 2:15.66 and Reeves had a 2:19.89 time, their slowest times of the season.

Stewart was fifth in the 200 meters at 24.43 and sixth in the high jump at 5-6.

Ben Wells took second in the shot put with a heave of 45-7.5 but threw a season-low 100-1 in the discus. Tom Saul threw 101-10 in the discus and a personal-best 34-7.5 in the shot put.

The Lady Fighting Tigers Taylor Hacker turned in a good day. She had a personal-best 5:34.76 time to place fifth in the 1600 and her 13:08.01 was good for sixth place in the 3200.

Ironton’s 4×800 relay team was sixth as Ariel Schweickart, Kaylie Sturgill and twin sisters Colleen and Shannon Walker turned in a 10:57.76 clocking.

Schweickart was sixth in the 800 at 2:36.69 and Shannon Walker ran a 2:48.43. Schweickart was also sixth in the 1600 at 5:38.15.

In the 3200, Colleen Walker was eighth with a personal-best 13:37.07 time.

The 4×400 relay team of Johnna Seward, Presley Southers, Sturgill and Shannon Walker was seventh at 5:22.29.

The 4×200 relay team of Alicia Murphy, Hannah Cronacher, Morgan Weisgarber and Seward was seventh at 1:55.72. Cronacher went 7-feet in the pole vault and was 10th.

Weisgarber, Murphy, Seward and Cronacher combined for a 54.69 time to take seventh in the 4×100 relay.

Murphy was ninth in the long jump at 14-1.5 and cleared a personal-best 4-6 end 10th in the high jump.

Lorna Ceaser was second in the discus with a personal-best 13-4 and sixth in the shot put at 33-9.5 feet.

Melissa Jenkins threw 80-9 in the discus and 26-11.5 in the shot put.

Ironton’s boys will be in the Div. II district meet Tuesday and Saturday at Oak Hill. The girls compete Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at Oak Hill.

See a complete list of meet results in Monday’s Tribune.