Finley Blevins - River Valley Track & Field

During the 2026 season, Finley recordrd 12 first-place finishes in the pole vault. Her victories included clearing 11'6" at the Colonel Crawford Invitational and a season-best 12'0" at the Bellefontaine Relays, helping River Valley capture the team Pole Vault Title. She also earned first-place finishes at the Swankhouse Invitational (11'0"), Harding Night Invitational (11'0"), Marion County Championships (9'6"), MOAC Championships (11'0"), and District Championships (11'6").

At the District Championships, Finley demonstrated remarkable determination by clearing her opening height on her final attempt before going on to secure her second consecutive District Championship with a vault of 11'6". She followed that performance with a second-place finish at the Regional Championships, clearing 11'8" to qualify for the OHSAA State Championships for the second consecutive year. At the state meet, she cleared 10'6" to finish 10th in Ohio.

In addition to her success in the pole vault, Finley made significant contributions on the track. She recorded a season-best time of 27.8 seconds in the 200-meter dash at Mechanicsburg and was a key member of River Valley's relay teams throughout the season. The 4x200-meter relay posted times of 1:52.5 at the Swankhouse Invitational (2nd place), 1:53.88 at the Harding Night Invitational, and 1:53.14 to place third at the MOAC Championships. Finley also helped the 4x400-meter relay record times of 4:22.97 at MOAC, 4:25.40 in the district semifinals, and 4:26.16 in the district finals, where the team earned a sixth-place finish and narrowly missed advancement to the regional meet.

Academic Achievement: 3.7097 GPA

Read more about Finley in the Marion Star: https://www.marionstar.com/story/sports/high-school/2026/07/20/river-valley-pole-vaulter-finley-blevins-claims-a-fahey-bank-athlete-of-the-month-award-june-2026/90874507007/

Honorable Mentions: Maddie McKenzie of Ridgedale, Kadence Gear of Elgin, Macey Harper of Harding, Faith Staley of Pleasant