Chagrin Valley Conference athletes turned in a loaded day Friday at the 2026 Cardinal Invitational, collecting wins, relay titles, and a deep list of placers across both meets.
Independence junior Carter Howard led the boys with a dominant showing. He won the 110 hurdles (14.88) and 300 hurdles (41.96), and added a second-place finish in the 100 (11.37). Madison senior Owen Bottar doubled up in distance, winning the 1600 (4:49.52) and 3200 (10:31.49), while Rootstown’s Jacob Strum added depth in the distance events with a third-place finish in the 3200 (11:14.09).
Madison senior Bryce Brock swept the throws with wins in the shot put (49-6.5) and discus (139-2). Crestwood sophomore Jack Patton won the long jump (20-9.25) and placed third in the 100. Berkshire freshman Trent Holland took first in the pole vault (9-6), while Independence senior Stephen Mlynarczyk won the high jump (6-0). Rootstown’s Troy Kopac also reached the podium in the high jump, placing third at 5-8.
Berkshire showed strong depth across events. Sam Bable placed fourth in the 200 and ran on two scoring relays, while Quinlan Sirl took second in the 300 hurdles and contributed to multiple relay finishes. Tripp Wadsworth finished second in the 800 and ran on Berkshire’s 4×800 and 4×400 scoring teams.
Independence sophomore Mitchell Creel placed second in the 1600 and sixth in the 400, while running on the 4×800 relay. Crestwood’s Austin Wurm placed third in the 200, second in the high jump, and ran on two scoring relays. Damien Richards and Garret Byers added key distance points and relay contributions for Crestwood.
Other boys placers included Berkshire’s Trey Cadwallader (2nd, 110 hurdles), Crestwood’s Issac Siegner (4th, 110 hurdles), Crestwood’s Sam Roosa (4th, shot put; 4th, discus), and Independence’s Alex Waski (3rd, discus; 6th, shot put). Nathan Fultz added a runner-up finish in the long jump.
Relay depth stood out across the conference. Berkshire’s 4×200 (Brady Wadsworth, Fultz, Ezekiel Townsend, Quinlan Sirl) finished second. Crestwood’s 4×400 (Byers, Richards, Miles Gonczy, Austin Wurm) placed second, while Berkshire’s 4×800 (Aiden Hollingsworth, Danny Auth, Will Slattery, Tripp Wadsworth) also took second.
Additional relay scorers included Crestwood’s 4×200 (3rd), Berkshire’s 4×400 (3rd), Madison’s 4×800 (3rd), Crestwood’s 4×800 (4th), and Independence’s 4×800 (5th). Independence and Berkshire also placed in the 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
On the girls’ side, Crestwood junior Liv Martini stole the show. She swept the 100 (12.58), 200 (25.81), and 400 (59.76) in one of the meet’s most dominant performances.
Independence sophomore Peyton Bechlem matched that impact in the hurdles. She won the 100 hurdles (16.34) and 300 hurdles (50.01), and also ran on a scoring relay. Berkshire sophomore Addison Passow added a win in the 3200 (12:56.46).
Rootstown delivered one of the most complete team performances of the meet on the girls’ side, highlighted by Cara Crandell, who won the 800 (2:28.18) and added a third-place finish in the 1600 (5:39.66). Teammate Brynn Bird was right behind her in both races, placing fourth in the 800 (2:30.67) and fourth in the 1600 (5:39.89).
Crestwood senior Madi Sheridan won the discus (110-5) and placed fourth in the shot put. Berkshire junior Samantha Snow won the pole vault (8-6). Crestwood also swept the relays, winning both the 4×400 and 4×800, while Berkshire’s 4×200 relay added another title.
Rootstown’s relay group added major points across the board. The 4×100 team of Mia Damicone, Paisley Day, Colbie Curall, and Summer Lucas raced to a meet title (54.26), while the 4×200 (Dana Little, Damicone, Sophi Smith, Day) placed second. The 4×800 squad of Cloe Bengtson, Hannah Crandell, Abigail DeLotell, and Bailey Kidd also secured a runner-up finish.
Crestwood’s Jackie Blasiole placed fourth in the 100 hurdles, second in the 300 hurdles, third in the long jump, and ran on the winning 4×400. Piper Seibold (2nd, 1600) and Madie Grace Gonczy (2nd, 800) also played key roles on both winning relays.
Berkshire’s Mekenna Felker placed third in the 300 hurdles and contributed to the winning 4×200 and runner-up 4×400. Independence freshman Leah Creel finished third in the 400 and ran on two scoring relays.
Rootstown’s Curall added an individual title in the long jump (15-11.5) and placed second in the high jump (4-10), while teammate Bengtson finished fourth in the high jump (4-8). Bailey Taylor added a fourth-place finish in the 300 hurdles (53.39).
Other girls’ placers included Berkshire’s Aubrey Coe (3rd, 200), Crestwood’s Piper Freedline (2nd, 3200), Abby Pfost (3rd, 3200), and Berkshire’s Sora Sigler (4th, 3200). Berkshire’s Bridget Miller (3rd, pole vault) also scored.
Relay contributors across the girls’ meet included Berkshire’s 4×400 (2nd) and 4×800 (3rd), along with Independence’s 4×200 (4th), 4×800 (4th), and 4×100 (7th).
With multiple champions, multi-event standouts, and strong relay depth—including a major all-around showing from Rootstown—the CVC delivered a statement performance across the board.
More CVC Track & Field Coverage
