VERSAILLES – State champion hurdler Josh Steinbrunner committed to the University of Findlay track and field team on Thursday morning at Versailles High School.
“It’s great,” Steinbrunner said. “I really love track and love doing it. Mainly the hurdles because I’ve done so well in it in high school so I just want to continue my career on to the college level and see how I do.”
Steinbrunner, the son of Doug and Janet Steinbrunner, is a three-time Ohio High School Athletic Association state qualifier. He finished 10th in the 110 meter hurdles both his freshman and sophomore seasons then as a junior won the Division II state championship with a time of 14.54.
“He’s picked a good program,” Versailles track and field coach Mike Goubeaux said. “The University of Findlay is a solid program. They’ve done a lot of good things as of recent so I think it will be a good fit for him. He’s got a real passion for track. He’s very talented in that sport and got a versatility to do a lot of things there so where the coach puts him will be a decision we struggle with sometimes. Is a sprint relay? Should he be in the hurdles? Clearly he’ll be in the hurdles, but he’s a great high jumper and can clear over 6 feet. So the University of Findlay is going to benefit from having an athlete like Josh in the program.”
Along with being a champion in the 110 meter hurdles, Steinbrunner also has excelled in the 300 meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, 100 meters dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash and sprint relays throughout his high school career.
“His value to us is incredible. Since his freshman year he came in and immediately made an impact in the hurdles,” Goubeaux said. “He’s continued to improve each and every year. Like I said, he’s got a lot of passion for the sport. He’s very open-minded to doing different things, and he’s not afraid to try new things. He knows those 4x4s and 400s are good for his 3s so we’ve thrown a lot of things at him. At the meets we do a lot of different things with him, and he fits in one of any nine places we want on the team. Just depends on our goal for the season and goal for the meet.”
In college Steinbrunner anticipates specializing in the hurdles although he’s open to helping the Oilers any way he can.
“I’ll mainly specialize in hurdles, but if they put me in other sprints I’ll gladly do them,” he said.
Findlay competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference along with Alderson Broaddus University, Hillsdale College, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Lake Erie College, Malone University, Ohio Dominican University and Walsh University.
“I really like the track program so that’s a lot of the decision why I chose Findlay,” said Steinbrunner, who plans to study accounting in college, “and I feel like it’s going to be the best fit and give me the best results.”
The Oilers produced six all-Americans at the 2018 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, including a national champion in the men’s weight throw, and Steinbrunner is excited to add to their success.
“From what I’ve seen they’ve been really successful so hopefully I can bring them more success in my years to come,” the Versailles senior said.
