COLUMBUS—Chagrin Valley Conference athletes enjoyed a banner day at the 2022 OHSAA state track & field championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Over the course of the two-day event, CVC athletes won two individual state titles and two relay state championships, and 12 other individuals and eight relay teams earned All-Ohio honors.
The state championships came from Geneva’s Connor Boland, who won the Division I 400-meter dash title with a time of 47.67 seconds, and Brooklyn’s Jenna Young, who claimed the Division II high jump championship with a top height of 5-feet, 7-inches.
Hawken’s 4×100-meter relay team of Dominic Johnson, Christian Anderson, Andrew Bukovnik, and Jordan Harrison won the Division II title with a time of 41.66 seconds. The Hawks broke the meet’s longest-standing record set by Dayton Jefferson in 1986.
Beachwood’s 4×400-meter relay team also won a Division II state title. Braylen Eaton, Mattix Revells, Caleb Berns, and David Steckner combined to win that event in 3:17.62.
In Division II, Hawken’s boys’ team finished fifth overall with 23 points. Perry’s boys placed sixth with 22 ½ points, and Beachwood’s boys were seventh with 20.
The Bison also finished eighth in the girls’ competition with 22 points. Hawken (16) and Brooklyn (10) placed 14th and 19th, respectively.
Hawken’s Harrison earned All-Ohio honors in two individual events.
He finished as the state runner-up in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.70 seconds and fourth in the 200 in 21.79.
Beachwood’s Sarah Brown also earned All-Ohio honors in three events.
She placed fourth in the shot put with a best toss of 42-feet, 6 ½-inches and she participated in two relays that both finished third.
She teamed up with Dakota Houston, Amelie Cotta, and Lauren Luxenberg in the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relays. The 4×100 team finished in 48.94 seconds while the 4×200 completed the race in 1:42.12.
Perry’s dynamic duo of Javin and Brayden Richards both placed in three events.
Javin Richards finished as the state runner-up in the pole vault with a top height of 15-feet, 10-inches, and he also placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (14.52) and eighth in the 300-meter hurdles (41.54).
Brayden Richards placed sixth in the pole vault (14-10) and sixth in the 300 hurdles (39.67). He also teamed up with Brock Sivon, Jackson Roberts, and Jaden Hacking to finish sixth in the 4×200-meter relay with a time of 1:29.14.
Hawken’s Makayla White finished as a two-time All-Ohioan.
She placed third in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. She finished the 100 in 12.05 seconds and the 200 in 24.89.
Hawken’s Leila Metres placed fifth in the 400-meter dash (57.27), Geneva’s Gabbi Selman finished seventh in the pole vault (11-0), Beachwood’s Kylie Walters was fourth in the long jump (17-6 ¾) and Caleb Berns placed seventh in the 800 (1:56.90).
Orange’s Brian Gent set a new school record in finishing as the state runner-up in the 1600-meter run. He ran the race in 4:14.42.
Chagrin Falls’ 4×800-meter relay team of Claire Coffey, Azzurra Opperman, Bella Radomsky, and Rose Hoelzel earned All-Ohio honors with their third-place finish in 9:23.36.
Beachwood’s 4×800-meter relay team of David Steckner, Gregory Perryman, Noah Saidel, and Berns was the state runner-up with a time of 7:55.41.
In Division III, Independence’s 4×200-meter relay team of Lucas Martinez, Jack Taliaferro, Kyle Zygmunt, and Emmett Stralka finished with the top time in the preliminary heats on Friday but an injury dashed the Blue Devils’ hopes of winning the state title on Saturday.
Stralka pulled a hamstring in the 100-meter dash finals and scratched in the 4×200 and 200.
Sophomore Matt Wisniewski was a last-second replacement for Stralka and helped that team finish fourth with a time of 1:30.992.
Zygmunt also finished seventh in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.08 seconds.
Cardinal’s Karalyn Rutkowski finished fifth in the high jump on Friday with a top height of 5-4.
