Watch a previous report of Juliette Laracuente-Huebner winning a statewide indoor track team title all by herself in the player above.
MARENGO, Ohio (WCMH) — In her final track meet as a high schooler representing Highland High in Marengo, Juliette Laracuente-Huebner didn’t hold back. She also definitely didn’t go home empty-handed.
At the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium this weekend, Laracuente-Huebner won four individual events, giving her enough points to finish second in the Division II team competition as a team of one person.
This isn’t the first time the University of Cincinnati-bound star has run away from the competition. Back in March, at the Ohio Indoor State Championships held by the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches, Laracuente-Huebner won four individual titles, which ended up giving her enough points to win the Division 2/3 team state title all by herself.
“Oh, I was so excited but I tried to keep it calm because I didn’t want to boast or anything,” she said about winning the indoor team title. “And then I went up on the podium for triple jump, came down, and yelled out to my coach, because all the events were done at that point, ‘I just won the team title!’ He started going crazy. My parents were going crazy. Yeah, it was really sweet.”
At the OHSAA state outdoor competition, Laracuente-Huebner won the Division II 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, and the high jump. Her high jump mark of 5 feet 10 and ¾ inches is a Division II state record.
Back in March, Laracuente-Huebner won gold medals in the long jump, high jump, triple jump, and 60-meter hurdles.
“The most special thing about Juliette is her work ethic,” said Highland High School girls’ track coach Chip Wendt ahead of the state meet. “In all my years, and I’ve been here since ’85, ’86, I’ve never seen any individual in any sport, at this level work this hard.”
It’s not just her times and distances that require work. Laracuente-Huebner’s mental toughness has to be on point as she navigates from one event to the next – sometimes switching back and forth within seconds.
“I just kind of have to take a deep breath and then be like okay I have to get in this mood,” she said. “For high jump, I have to be calm, and ready and kind of get my anxiety out, and then long jump, I have to just like attack and whatnot. Same with hurdles.”
Laracuente-Huebner will head to the University of Cincinnati in the fall where she wants to become a heptathlete on the track and a nurse in the classroom.