Over the years, Shawnee State's certainly landed their fair share of big fish on the recruiting trail.

The track and field program at Shawnee State, however, undoubtedly landed its highest-rated recruit in program history, and one of the most heralded athletes out of the track and field realm to boot.

Chayse Lipscomb, a highly touted and accomplished jumper who won two Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) State Championships in the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles and is ranked in the national top-40 in the outdoor 110 meter hurdles as well as the national top-85 in the indoor 60 meter hurdles among all high school track and field athletes nationwide, has chosen Shawnee State as his college destination over NCAA Division I foes Cincinnati, Clemson and Georgia in a commitment that was made in May.

"It means a lot to be apart of a new culture, teammates, and coaches at Shawnee State," Lipscomb said. "I appreciate everyone that I have crossed paths with that helped me gain the opportunity to have this attention come to me."
 
Lipscomb, who had narrowed his choices to a final four of Shawnee State, Cincinnati, Clemson and Georgia, chose the Bears, mainly because of the family atmosphere and climate that was present within the program as a whole.
 
"Originally, going (NCAA Division I) was the plan, but as I got closer to the point where I needed to pick a home, I didn't want to pick somewhere where I would be a face in the crowd." Lipscomb said. "I wanted a team that would notice and appreciate my presence, and I saw that was the case in Shawnee State."
 
Lipscomb's success has certainly come about in a hurry. Having just started participating track and field in the eighth grade, and mainly doing just relay events as an eighth-grader, Lipscomb began picking up events on a more individualized platform as a freshman.
 
"Once I got to high school, I decided to jump into hurdles and field events," Lipscomb said. "The rest, after that, is history."
 
By the time Lipscomb became a junior at Fairfield Union High School, he had become one of the state's premier 110 and 300 meter hurdle standouts.
 
Following OHSAA Division II, Region 7 winning performances that included Fairfield Union program records of 14.25 in the 100 meter hurdles and 37.36 in the 300 meter hurdles as a junior, Lipscomb finished fourth in both events at the 2024 OHSAA Division II State Track and Field Championships, posting another 14.25 in the preliminaries of the 110 meter hurdles while nabbing a 37.58 in the 300 meter hurdles as well. Lipscomb set school records in both events as a result.
 
That success then parlayed into a much greater 2025, where Lipscomb, simply put, went on a massive tear.
 
At the 2025 adidas Indoor Track Nationals, Lipscomb proved to be phenomenal, running a 7.31 in the 55 meter hurdles, a 7.86 in the 60 meter hurdles and an 8.10 in the 65 meter hurdles to finish second, second and third in an incredible indoor performance.
 
It was only the precursor for what was to come.
 
Sweeping the OHSAA Division II, Region 7 Championships with region records of 13.75 in the 110 meter hurdles and 36.68 in the 300 meter hurdles -- winning by over 1.2 seconds in the 110 and nearly eight-tenths of a second in the 300 -- Lipscomb went on to run marks of 13.70 in the 110 meter hurdles and 36.95 in the 300 meter hurdles to win two OHSAA Division II State Championships, all while setting a new OHSAA Division II state record time in the 110 while winning the event by nearly a half-second.
 
To top it off, Lipscomb finished 10th in his first-ever OHSAA Division II State Track and Field Championship appearance in the long jump after also winning the OHSAA Division II, Region 7 Championship in that event, and set a personal best jump of 23 feet in the event over the course of the year.
 
This was all part of a fantastic high school career where Lipscomb also helped Fairfield Union win back-to-back Mid-State League Championships, three straight OHSAA Division II District Championships, two straight OHSAA D-II, Region 7 Championships and a fourth-place team finish at the 2025 OHSAA State Championships. Those accomplishments have Lipscomb with a 102 overall rating, according to trackxcnews.com.
 
"Running for Fairfield Union was and always will be the highlight of my life," Lipscomb said. "My teammates, coaches, teachers and friends were nothing but supportive of me and my accomplishments. The records and culture are great, but the team was even better. I loved everyone on the team, and wouldn't have wanted a different team at the end of the day. The success was only a small part of the team." 
 
As the 39th fastest outdoor 110 meter hurdler and the 82nd fastest indoor 60 meter hurdler according to Athletic.net statistics, Lipscomb knows that the expectations will be high. However, he's more focused on what he can help bring to the table from a team perspective.
 
"During my time at SSU, I believe that I can, of course, break records, and possibly be a conference or a national champion," Lipscomb said. "However, I also want to bring the team together more than they are, and make SSU a threat to not just surrounding schools, but EVERY school nationwide."