Cardinal senior Karalyn Rutkowski won a regional title and tied a school record with just one leap over the high jump bar on Thursday.
Rutkowski cleared a bar set at 5-feet, 4-inches to win the Division III Massillon Perry Regional and she also tied a 27-year-old school record set by Lindsay Frank in 1995.
“It was a very exciting moment that I will never forget,” Rutkowski said. “Tying a 27-year-old record means a lot to me and being able to reach a height like that is personally rewarding because all of the work that I have put in over the years have finally been put together.”
Obviously, Rutkowski also set a new personal record and she’s peaking at the right time with the state meet now added to her scheduled.
“It was very satisfying to peak at the right time,” she said. “I’ve been working for a long time trying to reach 5-4 and I’m glad it happened at the right time. Next week, I’m going to focus myself and try to enjoy the rest of the season while still staying competitive. It’s going to be tough to achieve my new goals but I believe in myself to reach them.”
Rutkowski has a shot to qualify for the state meet in a second event as she teamed up with Carly Ayer, Lauren Soltis, and Lily Ayer to finish the 4×400-meter relay preliminary race in seventh with a time of 4:16.83. That group will compete in Friday’s finals.
Cuyahoga Heights’ Jack Klamert also earned a berth in next weekend’s state track & field championships.
He placed fourth in the pole vault with a top height of 12-feet, 8-inches.
Cardinal’s Anthony Soltis finished seventh in the pole vault with a best height of 11-feet. Only the top four advance to the state meet.
Several other Chagrin Valley Conference athletes remain in the hunt for a state berth after finishing among the top eight in their respective preliminary races. They all will compete in Friday’s finals.
Advancing were Independence’s Alex Adams (7th, 100, 13.31), Emmett Stralka (5th, 100, 11.37; 2nnd, 200, 22.44), and Kyle Zygmunt (2nd, 400, 50.21).
The Blue Devils also advanced two relays to Friday’s finals.
Stralka, Zygmunt, Jack Taliaferro, and Lucas Martinez teamed up to win the 4×200-meter relay preliminary races with a time of 1:30.01. Martinez, Stralka, Taliaferro, and Deston Boscarelli placed fourth in the 4×100 with a time of 43.85.
Geneva’s Connor Boland advanced to Friday’s finals in the Division I Austintown Regional.
He was eighth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.98 seconds.
West Geauga’s 4×800-meter relay team placed eighth with a time of 8:09.53. Only the top four advance to the state meet.
Daniel Kearns, Matthew Dienes, Christopher Whiting, and Grant Congdon ran in that event.
