AVON LAKE — Drew Ebersole humbled his competition Saturday at the Avon Lake Invitational.
Ebersole, a Midview senior, was humbled, too, after winning by nearly 40 feet with a meet-record toss of 182 feet, 8 inches.
Ebersole’s throw ranks No. 10 in the country among high school athletes, based on national ratings posted on dyestat.com.
“To me, it was more of a mental challenge than anything else,” Ebersole said of his record throw. “Yes, the weather’s good. Yes, it felt good, but I just put everything out of my mind. I didn’t focus on any numbers. I just concentrated on how much I love the sport and how much fun I have. I pictured it perfect and let everything go.”
Ebersole’s record throw came on his fourth and final toss. His other throws measured 175-0, 163-0 and 178-6.
The winning toss broke the 2002 meet record of 179-4 set by Avon Lake’s Mike D’Andrea. It was the only meet record of the day. Ebersole also broke his school record of 179-6 set at last year’s Bulldog Relays.
Ebersole set the tone earlier by winning the shot put with a school-record throw of 57-5. He beat his three-day-old school record of 57-13/4 set Wednesday against Rocky River.
“I just want to go out this year as big as I can, even if I miss the state record (204-5),” Ebersole said. “I broke Mike’s (meet) record today and I would be honored to break his county record (190-5). That would really, really be awesome if I can get up into those numbers.”
Teammate Rob Catalano also had a great day for Midview. He finished second in the discus (145-2) and fourth in the shot put (45-2 1/2).
“It’s just a great way to start the season,” Midview coach Steve Hayhurst said. “I know Drew’s got a lot of aspirations for what he wants to do this year. He’s got his eyes set on the bigger prize (the state discus and shot put titles). He’s going to lead us to many great things and experiences this year.”
It was the first time in the 12-year history of the meet that a Lorain County boys or girl team failed to finish in the top two in the team standings.
The Avon Lake boys, who finished in the top two in 10 of the 11 previous meets, was third with 65 points behind Eastlake North (118 2/3) and Benedictine (89). The Rocky River girls defended their title with 114 points. Akron Hoban (99 1/2) was second and Admiral King edged Southview for third, 44-43.
Southview senior Blake Witherspoon was a surprise winner in the 100 meters, defeating Avon junior Bryant Robinson, 11.18 to 11.36. It was a shock because Witherspoon hadn’t raced an open 100 since 2003 when he was in eighth grade.
“I hadn’t done it since forever,” said Witherspoon, a 200-meter specialist. “For a 100, there’s no kind of strategy you just have to go after it. Just go full-blast. I was anticipating. I wanted to do it. I’m always up to do it. It was my idea and my coach (Sue Patterson) let me do it.”
It was also a good day for Clearview and new coach Scott Sloboda, who is in his first season. He previously served as the Brookside boys head coach from 2002-07. The Clearview boys and girls teams combined for three wins.
Senior Brianna Shaw held off Open Door senior Rachel Schumick to win the 800, 2:33.37 to 2:36.44. A two-time Division II state qualifier in the 800, Shaw never raced her specialty at Avon Lake before. She won the 3,200 two years ago in 12:33 and placed third twice in the 1,600.
“I didn’t know what kind of times I was going to get today,” Shaw said. “I started off a little slow, but I picked up the pace. I didn’t expect to win it today. I thought there would be more people to contend with. I’m happy with it.”
Clearview senior Brianna Hancock, a 2007 state qualifier, withstood the upset bid of Southview freshman Shaniqua Ogle to defend her meet shot put title. Hanoock won by only an inch, 35-11 1/2 to 35-10 1/2.
“Hancock’s only going to get better,” Sloboda said. “She’s consistent.”
Clearview sophomore Collin Owens won the high jump with a personal-record jump of 6-0. He’s the first Clipper boy ever to win at Avon Lake. Even Clearview’s 2001 state 100-meter champ Jarrod Murphy never won at the Avon Lake meet.
The Avon Lake boys 800-meter relay of sophomore Jordan Market, senior Ryan Scherer, senior Jeff Tell and sophomore Mike Mansnerus held off Benedictine to win, 1:35.55 to 1:35.98.
“I can power off the turn,” Mansnerus said. “I try to use it as my advantage. I just try to come off it smooth and to get the victory if I can.”
Akron Hoban junior Brittany Brown, fourth in the 2007 Division II state 100 meters, defended her title by beating Southview junior Alexis Washington, 12.63-12.93. Brown also avenged her loss in last year’s 200 to Washington, 26.10-26.51. Washington was a regional finalist in both events last year.
“We didn’t get the win, but we got the work today that we needed to,” Southview coach Donovan Wilson said. “Once we started unloading the workload later in the season, great things are going to happen. We have a game plan.”
Washington ran seven races, including prelims. A good day’s work for a season opener.
The Admiral King girls 800 relay of freshman Tierra Ammons, junior Dominique Higginbotham, junior Christi Bolinger and sophomore Sheral Robinson had Lorain County’s only other girls win on the track in a time of 1:51.60.
Boys
Team scores
1. Eastlake North (EN), 118 2/3; 2. Benedictine (BEN), 89; 3. Avon Lake (AL), 65; 4. Midview (M), 43 1/3; 5. Rocky River (RR), 42; 6. Bellevue (BEL), 39; 7. Avon (A), 34; 8. Elyria (E), 19; 9. Lincoln West (LW), 18; 10. (tie) Clearview (CL) and Admiral King (AK), 16; 12. Southview (SV), 14; 13. John Hay (JH), 13; 14. Keystone (K), 2

Individual results
100 meters: 1. Blake Witherspoon (SV), 11.18; 2. Bryant Robertson (A), 11.36; 3. Kingsley Ogwuebu (LW), 11.73; 4. Bruce Lovett (SV), 11.79; 5. Jeff Tell (AL), 12.00; 6. Nick Santora (BEL), 12.05
200: 1. Brian Carrigg (EN), 23.39; 2. Robertson (A), 23.75; 3. Brandon Jackson (E), 23.83; 4. Jeremy Taylor (AK), 23.90; 5. Todd Valko (BEL), 24.30; 6. Mike Bason (CL), 24.49
400: 1. Carrigg (EN), 51.80; 2. Mike Mansnerus (AL), 52.45; 3. Brian Jones (JH), 55.13; 4. Josiah Holt (M), 56.07; 5. Kevin Huryn (RR), 56.22; 6. Leonard Jackson (JH), 56.39
800: 1. Matt Wenzel (BEN), 2:10.94; 2. Cody Lancaster (EN), 2:12.70; 3. Alex Skale (EN), 2:13.68; 4. Jimmy Adams (AL), 2:13.90; 5. Jash Ayers (M), 2:13.97; 6. Nathan Ball (BEL), 2:16.36
1,600: 1. Cody Lancaster (EN), 4:45.05; 2. Sean Naderer (EN), 4:46.10; 3. Mike Parsons (AL), 4:50.92; 4. Nathan Trimboli (BEN), 4:48.41; 5. Nestor Hernandez (LW), 5:00.13; 6. Dave Siefker (M), 5:03.41
3,200: 1. Naderer (EN), 10:07.40; 2. Nick Chlad (EN), 10:33.53; 3. Tom Eldridge (RR), 10:36.37; 4. Hernandez (LW), 10:36.65; 5. Nathan Szabados (BEN), 10:44.93; 6. Scott Ackerman (BE), 10:46.43
110 hurdles: 1. Tom Gay (EN), 16.07; 2. Adam Maholic (AK), 16.26; 3. Matt Howerton (BE), 16.68; 4. Jason Pinkston (BEN), 17.04; 5. Ony Iheama (BEN), 17.05; 6. Pete Lacione (AL), 17.48
300 hurdles: 1. Howerton (BEL), 41.68; 2. Gay (EN), 41.82; 3. Jason Pinkston (BEN), 45.15; 4. Iheama (BEN), 45.15; 5. Zak Wearsch (A), 45.42; 6. Adam Maholic (AK), 45.61
400 relay: 1. Benedictine (Chris Alvis, Nick St. John, Justin Kollie, Dan Williams), 45.34; 2. Avon Lake, 45.83; 3. Avon, 46.39; 4. Bellevue, 46.55; 5. Eastlake North, 46.96; 6. Rocky River, 47.07
800 relay: 1. Avon Lake (Jordan Market, Ryan Scherer, Jeff Tell, Mansnerus), 1:35.55; 2. Benedictine, 1:35.98; 3. Eastlake North, 1:38.82; 5. Admiral King, 1:38.96; 6. Rocky River, 1:39.51
1,600 relay: 1. Eastlake North (Shawn Adams, Lancaster, Gay, Carrigg), 3:42.07; 2. Benedictine, 3:48.35; 3. John Hay, 3:50.57; 4. Lincoln West, 3:53.64; 5. Rocky River, 3:53.87; 6. Avon Lake, 3:57.13
3,200 relay: 1. Eastlake North (Naderer, Skale, Greg Webb, Lancaster), 8:44.85; 2. Avon Lake, 8:54.92; 3. Benedictine, 9:01.95; 4. Rocky River, 9:07.74; 5. Lincoln West, 9:07.89; 6. Bellevue, 9:14.29
Shot put: 1. Drew Ebersole (M), 57-5; 2. Sean McCann (AL), 51-1 1/2; 3. Adam Patterson (BEN), 45-11; 4. Rob Catalano (M), 45-1 1/2 5. Torey Harris (BEL), 43-11; 6. Cameron Szmik (BEL), 42-8 1/2
Discus: 1. Ebersole (M), 182-8 (MEET RECORD, old record 179-4 set in 2002 by Avon Lake’s Mike D’Andrea); 2. Catalano (M), 145-2; 3. Cameron Szmik (BEL), 126-8; 4. Torey Harris (BEL), 122-8; 5. Anthony Chizmadia (K), 121-2; 6. Phil Jelenic (EN), 119-7
High jump: 1. Collin Owens (CL), 6-0; 2. Brett Jensen (A), 5-10; 3. (tie) Souhail Francis (AL) and Kevin Bhasin (RR), 5-10; 5. Mike Jones (RR), 5-8; 6. Ony Iheama (BE), 5-8
Long jump: 1. Justin Kollie (BEN), 20-5 1/2; 2. James Thomas (BEN), 19-8 1/4; 3. Josh Grant (E), 19-0 1/4; 4. Josiah Holt (M), 18-10; 5. Tyler Shie (RR0, 18-5 3/4; 6. Shawn Adams (EN), 18-2
Pole vault: 1. Dave Kolakowski (RR), 14-4; 2. Ian Oskins (E), 11-6; 3. Wes Ware (RR), 11-6; 4. Nick D’Amico (AL), 10-6; 5. Collin Krebs (A), 10-6; 6. (tie) Matt McDonald (EN), Jared Wise (EN) and Joey Likovic (EN), 9-0

Girls

Team scores
1. Rocky River, 114; 2. Akron Hoban, 99 1/2; 3. Admiral King, 44; 4. Southview, 43; 5. Clearview, 34 1/2; 6. Elyria, 33; 7. Avon Lake, 31; 8. Regina (REG), 29; 9. Avon, 27; 10. Midview, 22; 11. Keystone, 20; 12. Eastlake North, 12; 13. Open Door (OD), 9; 14. Martin Luther King (MLK), 6; 15. John Hay, 3

Individual results

100 meters: 1. Brittany Brown (AH), 12.63; 2. Alexis Washington (SV), 12.93; 3. Torri Miller (E), 13.16; 4. Christi Bolinger (AK), 13.30; 5. Amani Wise (E), 13.52; 6. Jennah Wise (M), 13.52
200: 1. Brown (AH), 26.10; 2. Washington (SV), 26.51; 3. Tierra Ammons (AK), 27.23; 4. Maeve Kessler (RR), 28.20; 5. Ali Fisher (A), 28.43; 6. Jennah Wise (M), 28.57
400: 1. Catherine Kuerbitz (REG), 1:03.12; 2. Maureen Kessler (RR), 1:04.67; 3. Alexis Washington (SV), 1:05.14; 4. Nicole Armstrong (A), 1:05.85; 5. Kelsey Hayas (AL), 1:06.12; 6. Alex Kepler (AH), 1:07.38
800: 1. Brianna Shaw (CL), 2:33.37; 2. Rachel Schumick (OD), 2:36.44; 3. Amy Yakubowski (AH), 2:37.17; 4. Miranda Weed (AL), 2:38.23; 5. Erin Schneider (A), 2:38.34; 6. Erin Clark (AH), 2:38.85
1,600: 1. Brittney Towner (RR), 5:43.94; 2. Kaitlyn Chrostowski (AH), 5:45.05; 3.  Shaw (CL), 5:53.78; 4. Jen Pease (RR), 6:09.09; 6. Heather Toth (EN), 6:12.10
3,200: 1. Towner (RR), 12:10.36; 2. Chrostowski (AH), 12:22.62; 3. Emilee Landers (AH), 12:44.57; 4. Jenna Berg (RR), 12:49.44; 5. Katie Adams (AL), 13:11.66; 6. Nikki Blair (K), 13:31.85
100 hurdles: 1. Ellie Brandt (RR), 16.57; 2. Sheral Robinson (AK), 16.71; 3. Alexa Katrinchak (M), 17.00; 4. Lashanda Arnold (S), 17.10; 5. Brittany Reid (R), 17.10; 6. Nikki Armstrong (S), 17.97
300 hurdles: 1. Brandt (RR), 49.83; 2. Alexa Katrinchak (M),52.28; 3. Robinson (AK), 53.09; 4. Alexis Filiaggi (E), 53.28; 5. Armstrong (SV), 53.42; 6. Kathy Toth (AH), 54.05
400 relay: 1. Akron Hoban (Maria Chiurazzi, Sara Congeni, Brenna Congeni, Brown), 53.35; 2. Clearview, 55.33; 3. Rocky River, 55.36; 4. Avon, 55.51; 5. John Hay, 55.97; 6. Keystone, 56.28
800 relay: 1. Admiral King (Ammons, Dominique Higginbotham, Bolinger, Robinson), 1:51.60; 2. Rocky River, 1:53.92; 3. Southview, 1:55.47; 4. Akron Hoban, 1:55.64; 5. Avon, 1:56.56; 6. John Hay, 1:59.23
1,600 relay: 1. Rocky River (Melissa Belanger, Brandt, Maeve Kessler, Maureen Kessler), 4:24.32; 2. Avon, 4:34.85; 3. Akron Hoban, 4:36.38; 4. Regina, 4:40.79; 5. Midview, 4:49.37; 6. Open Door, 4:50.18
3,200 relay: 1. Akron Hoban (Clark, Yakubowski, Juliana Libertin, Tori Stewart), 10:18.58; 2. Rocky River, 10:42.98; 3. Avon Lake, 10:47.15; 4. Avon, 10:54.17; 5. Regina, 11:10.69; 6. Elyria, 11:24.81
Shot put: 1. Brianna Hancock (CL), 35-11 1/2; 2. Shaniqua Ogle (SV), 35-10 1/2; 2. Latrice Walker (MLK), 34-0; 4. Brittnae Isom (E), 33-9 1/2; 5. Krissy Sokol (AH), 32-0 1/2; 6. Bridget Lyons (AL), 31-4
Discus: 1. Carly Brandt (EN), 111-9; 2. Krissy Sokol (AH), 95-3; 3. Sarah Culver (RR), 91-6; 4. Holly Waldecker (K), 91-1; 5. Jasmine Sampson (AH), 90-8; 6. Hancock (CL), 90-5
High jump: 1. Brittany Reid (REG), 5-0; 2. Marci Strickler (E), 4-10; 3. Higginbotham (AK), 4-10; 4. Emma Bishop (AH), 4-8; 5. (tie) Bailey Owens (CL) and Megan Bartlebaugh (AH), 4-8
Long jump: 1. Andie Hobson (RR), 15-4; 2. Chloe Irish (K), 15-2 1/2; 3. Alexis Filiaggi (E), 14-10 3/4; 4. Deidre Noble (AK), 14-6; 5. Burgundy Jones (E), 14-1 1/2; 6. Michelle Smith (AH), 13-11 1/2
Pole vault: 1. Jena Parker (AL), 9-0; 2. Hobson (RR), 8-6; 3. Kristin King (K), 7-0; 4. Brianna Schnur (M), 7-0; 5. (tie) Chelsea Matzen (EN) and Kaitlin Hopkins (A), 6-0

 

 

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