Columbus -- Getting off to a good start sure helped on the opening day of the Division II state track meet. No teams knew that better than the Woodridge boys and St. Vincent-St. Mary girls. If the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish wanted to hang with the big boys and girls, scoring an early 10 points by winning the 4x400-meter...
St. Vincent-St. Mary junior Marie Arnone hugs Woodridge junior Vibushan Sivakumaran after both helped their teams to first place in the Division II 4x800-meter relays Friday at the state track meet in Columbus.
-
(John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer)
Columbus -- Getting off to a good start sure helped on the opening day of the Division II state track meet.
No teams knew that better than the Woodridge boys and St. Vincent-St. Mary girls. If the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish wanted to hang with the big boys and girls, scoring an early 10 points by winning the 4x400-meter relay was the way to go in the two-day meet.
Woodridge held off rival Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, the quartet of Vibushan Sivakumaran, Kyle Cochrun, Jimmy Charles and Drake Sulzer clocking a 7:54.09. CVCA, the runner-up to the Bulldogs at the district and regional, was four seconds behind.
"We were a little bit scared," said anchor Sivakumaran, referring to the recent wins against CVCA. "They really hung with us. We had to get those big points."
Faced with the daunting task of going against powerful Collinwood, CVCA and Columbus Bishop Hartley, the Irish girls did not have the luxury of going against known opposition. But after hanging tough through three legs behind senior Emily Tomei and sophomores Samantha Kirk and Tessa Weigand, junior anchor Marie Arnone held off the concerted charge of Kettering Alter's Rebecca Esselstein to get the nod by a second in 9:17.15. CVCA finished fifth.
"I said no, it's not happening," said Arnone of the stretch duel. "Losing was not an option. We knew about CVCA. Alter's a good team, too."
It felt extra special for senior lead-off runner Tomei, who went through a lot of physical problems last year that nearly ended her running career.
"At this point last season I might not have been running again," said Tomei, keeping her ailments to herself. "I knew what I wanted to do. [Today] I'll be back in the 800."
With only four boys finals and three girls, the other area winner was Keystone senior Corry Sprouse. In his first season of track, the football running back won the long jump on his last attempt with a leap of 22-9. That edged Milan Edison senior Brady Gelvin's 22-81/2.
After that, it was a case of area athletes falling just short.
Benedictine senior Adam Patterson took the lead on two-time champion Matthew Hoty on his fifth toss in the shot put. But Hoty came right back, only to be denied a third title when Pemberville's Justin Welch beat him with a record 66-11 3/4.
Patterson had to settle for third place at 61-6 3/4.
"I'm not disappointed at all," said Patterson, who will attend South Alabama on a track scholarship. "Nobody was feeling it until I popped that 61. That got everybody going. The numbers don't lie."
Chagrin Falls senior Ryan Kochert was locked in a one-on-one finale in the pole vault against senior Jamey Robson from Mansfield Ontario. After matching Robson's 15-4 vault, he could not duplicate Robson at 15-8. Still, Kochert had his personal best on the state's biggest stage.
"I was definitely happy to get over 15 and the school record," said Kochert, who will report to the U.S. Naval Academy on July 1. "I have no regrets. He cleared 15-8 clean."
In girls finals, Ravenna Southeast senior Brooke Lamar was second in the discus and Manchester junior Christina Matheny was third in the high jump. Collinwood senior Erin Busbee finished fourth.
It was a matter of timing for the rest of the day as preliminaries were run in eight running events.
The Collinwood girls qualified in seven events, with Bishop Hartley matching the Railroaders. Defending co-champion CVCA advanced in four events.
Buchtel sophomore Nathaniel Harris had top times in both the 100 and 200. He also anchored the top-qualifying 4x200 relay team.