EATON TWP. — Everything fell into place for the Avon boys and girls track teams Saturday at the Midview Division II district meet as both teams brought home second-place finishes.
It was the second straight runner-up finish for the Avon girls, who amassed 115½ points to finish behind Bay (156), which won its first-ever district girls title.
The Avon boys totaled 94 points in placing second behind Benedictine (126). It was the Avon boys’ first finish in the top two at districts since winning back-to-back Class A titles in 1970 and ’71.
Junior Christina Herbst got the Avon girls team off on the right foot as she successfully defended her district title in discus with a school record toss of 130 feet, 5 inches. Herbst broke Karen DeChant’s 1995 school mark of 129-6 with her third and final throw in the finals. She already held the lead with a throw of 124-11 with her first toss of the day.
“I just stopped thinking and let my body relax,” Herbst said. “I just gave it my all, accelerated and got it out there where it needs to be. My release was much better. It was very smooth.”
Herbst’s previous throw carried only 94 feet.
Herbst barely missed DeChant’s 1995 school record in shot put (38-6) on Thursday, winning the shot with a throw of 38-5¾. It was a personal record for Herbst by more than 14 inches. Her discus throw was a PR by more than five feet.
“I’m very excited (about the discus record),” Herbst said. “That was one of my goals today.”
Herbst’s grandfather, Richie Herbst, was a high school classmate of four-time Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, who graduated from East Tech in 1933.
Avon freshman Ali Fisher won the 400 (1:00.21) and anchored the winning 1,600-meter relay (4:17.55). Freshmen Nicole Armstrong, Mallory Balmert and Kayla Welch joined Fisher on the winning relay.
“Winning for the relay kind of pushed me more than my individual event,” Fisher said. “You want to win it for yourself, but you want to win for your teammates, too.”
Sophomore Kaitlin Hopkins claimed the pole vault (8-6) for the Avon girls’ fifth win of the meet. Overall, the Avon girls advanced athletes in nine out of 17 events.
“Half our team is freshmen,” Avon girls coach Tara Gruskiewicz said. “When they get to regionals they’re going to find out just how tough it is. It’s going to be exciting to see how they do. We have only two seniors, so we’re going to have a lot coming back. It’ll be a great experience for the kids.”
Senior Dan Smith won the 1,600 meters (4:29.78) to become the first Avon boy to win a district title in that distance since Jim Plas in 1965. He led Bay freshman Mike Brajdic (4:30.84) by 11 seconds with a lap to go, then held on for the win.
“I did my race like I wanted to. I took control,” Smith said. “It wasn’t my best time because I wasn’t feeling that great. I just wanted to get a good race in and get first.”
Avon senior Kevin Bushong won Thursday’s discus (154-6). He also qualified second in the high jump (5-10) and fourth in the shot put (46-5). Overall, the Avon boys advanced athletes in 10 out of 17 events.
“It feels great,” Avon boys coach Scott Lanham said. “It’s extra sweet because both the girls and guys did so well. It shows a lot where our programs are headed. The hard work is paying off. I’m very proud of them.”
Elyria Catholic freshman Marty Coolidge won the 3,200 meters in a personal-record time of 9:34.29, beating his previous best by five seconds. He pulled away after the halfway point and beat Brajdic (9:58.81) by 24 seconds.
“I’m sure Brajdic was frustrated he wasn’t up there,” Coolidge said. “Regionals will be tough. Track is a lot harder than cross country.”
EC teammate Andrew Bir qualified in three events — the 100 (11.25), 200 (22.83) and as a member of 400 relay (45.14).
“I had a chance to win the 100, but I stumbled slightly coming out of the blocks,” said Bir, the 2006 district 100-meter champ. “The 200 was a new experience for me this year.”
Vermilion senior Lindsay Forconi won two events and qualified to regionals in four events. She won the 100 (12.82) and also took the 200 (26.40) despite being seeded only third in the second race.
“It hasn’t totally sunk in yet, but it’s getting there,” Forconi said. “I was a little nervous when I got here to the meet, but that went away. This was so exciting. This was my last district meet so I figured I might as well go all out.”
Senior Nate Cremean and junior Nate Rodriguez of Vermilion each qualified in four events. Both were members of the winning 3,200- (8:25.18) and 1,600-meter (3:35.18) relays.
“My legs didn’t feel good from the start today,” Cremean said. “I just need to get some rest this week. The 1,600 relay was a great shot in the arm, especially not after doing very well in the 1,600.”
Firelands senior Cory LaMar won the 400 (50.64) by nearly three seconds. He’s the Falcons’ first district 400 champ since Isaac Drost in 2003.
“The wind on the backstretch is tough, but it was a great day,” LaMar said. “I pushed it. I still wanted to get the school record (49.7) today, but the wind made it tough.”
LaMar’s best time this season has been 49.8.
The Bay girls won their first district title. The Rockets were second on four other occasions: 1976, ’78, ’93 and ’94.
Freshman Bridget Doughty led the Bay girls, which won eight events and qualified in 10 out of 17 events. Doughty accounted for wins in the 100 hurdles (15.10) and 300 hurdles (46.77), plus as a member of the winning 400 relay (51.98). She was also second (12.94) to Forconi in the 100.
“I feel proud,” Doughty said. “I didn’t expect to do so well. I just came out and tried to do my best.”
Her sister, Rachael, now at Bowling Green State University, won back-to-back district titles in the 100 hurdles the past two years. Rachael was on hand Saturday to cheer on her little sister, as was their dad, Howard, a former No. 1-ranked prep hurdler as a high school junior in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Boys

Team scores: 1. Benedictine, 126; 2. Avon, 94; 3. Vermilion, 71; 4. Rocky River, 66; 5. Bay, 63 ½; 6. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 51; 7. Elyria Catholic, 44; 8. Cleveland Central Catholic, 42; 9. Fairview, 29 ½; 10. Firelands, 29; 11. Holy Name, 18; 12. Clearview, 13; 13. Brookside, 10; 14. Brooklyn, 1
Individual results
Top four qualifiers advance to Ravenna Regional, May 29 and 31
100 meters: 1. John Lundy (CCC), 11.11; 2. Andrew Bir (EC), 11.25; 3. Andy Pena (V), 11.33; 4. Mike Bason (CL), 11.40
200: 1. Lundy (CCC), 22.42; 2. Bryant Robertson (AV), 22.79; 3. Bir (EC), 22.83; 4. Pena (V), 22.89
400: 1. Cory LaMar (FI), 50.64; 2. Dugan Radeff (BSD), 53.41; 3. Chris Alvis (BEN), 53.81; 4. Jimmy Zambo (EC), 53.86
800: 1. Jordan Hawkins (BA), 2:00.77; 2. Nate Rodriguez (V), 2:01.66; 3. Sam Bickley (AV), 2:03.63; 4. Nate Cremean (V), 2:03.77
1,600: 1. Dan Smith (AV), 4:29.78; 2. Mike Brajdic (BA), 4:30.84; 3. Cremean (V), 4:36.13; 4. Tyler Tomazic (SVSM), 4:40.76)
3,200: 1. Marty Coolidge (EC), 9:34.29; 2. Brajdic (BA), 9:58.81; 3. Tomazic (SVSM), 10:18.67; 4. Tom Eldridge (RR), 10:26.14
110 hurdles: 1. Doran Grant (SVSM), 15.15; 2. Ony Iheama (BEN), 15.59; 3. Jason Pinkston (BEN), 15.74; 4. Zak Wearsch (AV), 16.08
300 hurdles: 1. Anthony Gusman (FP), 40.76; 2. Mike Coughlin (HN), 42.16; 3. John Coughlin (HN), 42.66; 4. Pinkston (BEN), 42.70
400 relay: 1. Benedictine (Justin Kollie, Nick St. John, Alvis, Romel Dismuke), 43.99; 2. St. Vincent-St. Mary, 44.62; 3. Elyria Catholic (Bir, Jayson Graham, Tyler Mahone, Pat Flanagan), 45.14; 4. Rocky River, 45.89
800 relay: 1. Benedictine (Kollie, Steve Bell, Dan Williams, Alvis), 1:33.84; 2. Avon (Matt Kaczmarek, Tyler Irwin, Brett Jensen, Robertson), 1:34.98; 3. Rocky River, 1:35.11; 4. Bay (Jeff Kantor, Nathan Baumgard, Ricky Duffield, Nolan Covano), 1:36.80
1,600 relay: 1. Vermilion (Mike Virgin, Cremean, Rodriguez, Pena), 3:35.18; 2. Fairview, 3:35.39; 3. Benedictine, 3:36.01; 4. Avon (Tim Gibson, Irwin, Smith, Kaczmarek), 3:42.44
3,200 relay: 1. Vermilion (Cremean, Addam Kitchen, Todd Hathaway, Rodriguez), 8:25.58; 2. Bay (Brajdic, Alex Meyers, Dan Ward, Jordan Hawkins), 8:29.22; 3. Avon (Bickley, Ryan Roberts, Gibson, Smith), 8:31.80; 4. Fairview, 8:36.36
Shot put: 1. Adam Patterson (Benedictine), 51-5 ¼; 2. Tim Wilson (CCC), 48-5; 3. Kyle Hammer (SVSM), 47-11; 4. Alex Bushong (AV), 46-5
Discus: 1. Bushong (AV), 154-6; 2. Patterson (BEN), 130-8; 3. Jake Figueroa (V), 129-11; 4. Todd Bauknecht (BA), 127-3
High jump: 1. Mike Jones (RR), 5-10; 2. Bushong (AV), 5-10; 3. Kevin Bhasin (RR), 5-10; 4. Collin Owens (CL), 5-10
Long jump: 1. Kollie (BEN), 19-8 3/4; 2. Kantor (BA), 19-1 1/2; 3. Todd Culver (SVSM), 19-0; 4. James Thomas (BEN), 18-9 3/4
Pole vault: 1. Wes Ware (RR), 13-0; 2. Dave Kolakowski (RR), 13-0; 3. Rodriguez (V), 12-6; 4. Evan Mutch (BA), 11-6

Girls

Team scores: 1. Bay, 156; 2. Avon, 115 ½; 3. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 87; 4. Hathaway Brown, 53 ½; 5. Fairview, 53; 6. Vermilion, 49; 7. Clearview, 31; 8. (tie) Elyria Catholic and Holy Name, 29; 10. Cleveland Central Catholic, 22; 11. Brookside, 16; 12. Lutheran West, 13; 13. Brooklyn, 6; 14. Firelands, 0
Individual results
Top four qualifiers advance to Ravenna Regional, May 29 and 31
100 meters: 1. Lindsay Forconi (V), 12.82; 2. Bridget Doughty (BA), 12.94; 3. Lauren Kennerly (SVSM), 12.97; 4. Hollace Kesterke (BSD), 13.14
200: 1. Forconi (V), 26.40; 2. Kennerly (SVSM), 26.51; 3. Kelsey Barnes (BA), 26.77; 4. Erica Hutson (SVSM), 26.81
400: 1. Ali Fisher (AV), 1:00.21; 2. Hutson (SVSM), 1:00.24; 3. Barnes (BA), 1:00.60; 4. Kayla Chrosniak (BSD), 1:04.66
800: 1. Stephanie Black (BA), 2:24.88; 2. Brianna Shaw (CL), 2:25.01; 3. Evann Heidersbach (EC), 2:25.93; 4. Jennifer Huang (HB), 2:27.86
1,600: 1. Jessica Zangmeister (FP), 5:20.04; 2. Black (BA), 5:20.24; 3. Colleen Conrad (SVSM), 5:36.24; 4. Kayla Welch (AV), 5:38.21
3,200: 1. Zangmeister (FP), 11:27.10; 2. Conrad (SVSM), 12:06.84; 3. Erin Schneider (AV), 12:12.41; 4. Michelle Clark (EC), 12:14.56
100 hurdles: 1. Doughty (BA), 15.10; 2. Mary Mullins (AV), 16.24; 3. Jennifer Murray (SVSM), 16.30; 4. Daryn Herman (FP), 16.68
300 hurdles: 1. Doughty (BA), 46.77; 2. Murray (SVSM), 49.22; 3. Christa Meyers (HB), 49.94; 4. Herman (FP), 51.10
400 relay: 1. Bay (Sarah Chen, Barnes, Rachel Allen, Doughty), 51.98; 2. Avon (Jasmine Frye, Elisabeth Neumann, Mullins, Cassie Jensen), 52.18; 3. Vermilion (Chelsea Lantsberry, Alyssa Rodriguez, Jamie Gregory, Forconi), 52.86; 4. Hathaway Brown, 53.08
800 relay: 1. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Murray, Hutson, Gabby Trifiro, Kennerly), 1:48.65; 2. Hathaway Brown, 1:51.21; 3. Cleveland Central Catholic, 1:53.18; 4. Clearview (Olivia Gardner, Alexis Pastor, Ciara Sadler, Teayrmyia Bason), 1:53.68
1,600 relay: 1. Avon (Welch, Nicole Armstrong, Mallory Balmert, Fisher), 4:17.55; 2. Bay (Black, Allen, Molly Gorie, Barnes), 4:21.03; 3. St. Vincent-St. Mary, 4:21.77; 4. Hathaway Brown, 4:21.82
3,200 relay: 1. Bay (Hannah Farver, Kelsey Poisson, Gorie, Black), 9:59.41; 2. Avon (Armstrong, Bailey Basen, Welch, Schneider), 10:13.62; 3. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 10:19.69; 4. Elyria Catholic (Laura Pierce, Alexa Rick, Liz Rock, Heidersbach), 10:27.92
Shot put: 1. Christina Herbst (AV), 38-5 3/4; 2. Anne Hamilton (V), 37-3; 3. Brianna Hancock (CL), 35-1 1/2; 4. Adjoni Williams (CCC), 33-8
Discus: 1. Herbst (AV), 130-5; 2. Becky Williams (HN), 105-2; 3. Hancock (CL), 99-6; 4. Alicia Irizarry (HN), 96-9
High jump: 1. Dayna Rohlke (BA), 5-2; 2. Christa Meyers (HB), 4-9; 3. Kelsey Brax (Bay); 4. (tie) Jordyn Monhickey (HN), Milan Bows (BKLN) and Rachel Brown (BRS), 4-6
Long jump: 1. Chen (BA), 15-0 ½; 2. Mackenzie Clark (BA), 14-11 ½; 3. Forconi (V), 14-10 ½; 4. Sarah Jackson (LW), 14-9
Pole vault: 1. Kaitlin Hopkins (AV), 8-6; 2. Brax (BA), 8-0; 3. Cathleen Walker (FP), 7-6; 4. Liz Martin (HB), 6-9

Orrville district

ORRVILLE — Five individuals and one relay team will represent the area at next week’s Division II regional meet following the conclusion of the Division II district meet Saturday at Orrville High School.
Keystone’s Anthony Chizmadia was third in the discus (134-7), while Wellington’s Ken Wulfhoop was third in the shot put (46-5¼). Wellington’s 800 relay team was fourth (1:36.00).
Robert Altenburger of Black River was fourth in the 1,600 (4:40.93), while teammate Greg Hartman was fourth in the long jump (19-0).
The Dukes finished in 11th place in the boys team standings with 21 points, while the Pirates amassed 19½ points for their 12th-place finish. The Wildcats had six points and finished in a tie for 14th.
Keystone’s Chloe Irish is the lone area girl to advance to the regional meet after she took fourth in the long jump (15-9).
The Wildcats finished in 11th place in the girls team standings with 22 points. Wellington’s girls totaled seven points for 15th.
The top four finishers in each event advance to the regional meet.  

 

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