Shelby's Madison Henkel wins OHSAA Division II state long jump championship

Jun 7, 2025 - 21:30

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Shelby's Madison Henkel wins OHSAA Division II state long jump championship

COLUMBUS — Move over Joel Henkel, your daughter is the new queen of your jumping family.

Shelby junior Madison Henkel won the Division II state long jump championship on Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University with a leap of 18-9.25

Henkel, a now three-time All-Ohioan in the event, is now at the top of an impressive family history at the state track meet. Her father took runner-up honors in the long jump back in 1998 while her two brothers were also state-qualifiers and her grandfather, Carl, was a Northern Ohio League record-holder in the high jump back in the 60s.

Henkel's latest accomplishment added to an already impressive state track meet legacy. She qualified for the middle school state meet as a seventh grader, and while she didn't podium in the long jump, the motivation only increased to the point she finished fifth in the state as an eighth grader, leaping 16-09.

As a freshman, Henkel finished fifth in all of Division II with a leap of 17-09.75 to earn All-Ohio honors in her very first varsity season. Last year, Henkel was even better, taking third in the long jump with an 18-02.75 to finish as an All-Ohioan for the second straight year. Since she started competing in the sport as a middle schooler, she has only known ending her season at a state meet.

Henkel carried the top distance in Ohio into the state championships when she popped off a 19-00.50 at a tri meet at Ontario to become the first Shelby female to ever leap 19 feet in the event. It broke her own school record of 18-09 she set at the Mehock Relays in 2024.

And now, she is the first Shelby Whippets long jump champion.

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