INDEPENDENCE—Cuyahoga Heights and Wickliffe rose above the rest at the 2019 Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division track and field championships on Thursday.
Led by Austin Knaack’s record-setting performance, Cuyahoga Heights won the boys’ competition and Wickliffe took home the girls’ championship.
Knaack set new meet records in winning both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He ran a time of 11.29 in the 100 and a 22.76 in the 200 to lead the Redskins to 162 points. Wickliffe finished second with 148 and Independence was third with 101 points.
Knaack also led the Redskins to a win in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:36. Nassiem Salem, Sam Shafer and Josh Davis also competed in that event.
Darien Tillett won two events for the Redskins. He finished first in both the 1600 (4:49) and 3200 (10:37). Kyle Wolff won the pole vault (13-6) and Charlie Nieszczur took first in the 800 (2:09).
Other boys winning events included Fairport Harding’s Tai Malone, who won the high jump (5-8), Wickliffe’s Isaac Pettway in the long jump (20-6), Nicholas Telisman, who won the 400-meter dash (52.61) and Daniel Kishmarton in the 110-meter hurdles (16.61) and 300-meter hurdles (42.68), Independence’s Luke Clymer, who won the discus (148-6) and shot put (48-5).
Wickliffe won a pair of relays.
Mason Bala, Cole Stevenson, Hayden Smith and Telisman combined to win the 4×800-meter relay in 8:51 and Pettway, Kishmarton, Brandon Berry and Chase Fortkamp won the 4×100 in 44.62.
Richmond Heights’ 4×200-meter relay team of Jaylen Johnson, Jonathon McWilliams, Emmanuel Sims and Malikee Sonie finished first in 1:34.
Wickliffe’s girls’ team won four individual events and three relays to score 135 points to finish ahead of second place Independence, who scored 128 ½. Berkshire was third with 121.
Regan Braun won the high jump (4-10), Joelle Banks won the 100-meter dash in 13.12 and Sarah Riedthaler won both the 200 (27.32) and 400-meter dashes (1:00).
Banks also was involved in a pair of relay wins.
She teamed up with Gabby Taylor, Massey Andrykovitch and Morgan Gabriel to win the 4×200 in 1:49 and Banks, Riedthaler, Gabrielle Taylor and Ravenna Bala won the 4×100 in 50.88 seconds. The 4×400-meter relay team of Emily Wills, Bala, Gabriel and Riedthaler won in 4:16.
Other individual event winners in the girls’ competition included Berkshire’s Lexie Boyk, who won the 100-meter hurdles (16.94), Cardinal’s Kaylee Klepper, who won both the discus (104-1) and shot put (33-3 ¾), Cuyahoga Heights’ Acacia May, who won the pole vault (9-6), Independence’s Makenna McGhee, who finished first in the 3200 with a time of 12:06, Kirtland’s Jenna Sayle, who claimed titles in both the 1600 (5:30) and 800 (2:23) and Maria Alfieri, who won the 300-meter hurdles (51.98), and Richmond Heights’ Sonaiya Turner, who won the long jump (16-6).
Independence’s team of Erica Esper, McGhee, Emily Skoczen and Paige Westerburg won the 4×800-meter relay in 10:15.
Team Scoring
Boys
1. Cuy. Heights 162
2. Wickliffe 148
3. Independence 101
4. Berkshire 65
5. Kirtland 57
6. Cardinal 46
7. Richmond Hts. 41
8. Fairport Harding 2
Girls
1. Wickliffe 135
2. Independence 128.50
3. Berkshire 121
4. Kirtland 91.50
5. Cardinal 84
6. Cuy. Heights 57
7. Richmond Hts. 28
8. Fairport Harding 2
