Independence defended its Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division track championships on Thursday at Lutheran West.
The Blue Devils won the girls’ competition with 163 points while the host Longhorns were second with 99 and Trinity placed third with 97.
After losing back-to-back invitationals to rival Cuyahoga Heights in the regular season, Independence defended its conference title with 143 ½ points. The RedWolves finished second with 127 ½, and Wickliffe was third with 102.
Independence won 14 different events.
Emmett Stralka led the way with four CVC championships on his way to earning the boys’ running MVP award. Stralka won the 100-meter dash with a new school record of 10.94 seconds and the 200 (22.47). He also led two relays to league titles.
He teamed up with Jack Taliaferro, Lucas Martinez, and Michael Andryszczyk to win the 4×200 in 1:31.73, and he ran with Martinez, Taliaferro, and Deston Boscarelli to win the 4×100 in 44.41, a new CVC Metro Division record. The Blue Devils were 23/100 of a second behind the meet record in the 4×200.
Alana Nowak won three individual events in earning the girls’ running MVP award.
She was first in the 1600-meter run (5:43.71) and the 3200 (12:51.63) and she paced the 4×800-meter relay team to a win in 11:16.36. Gabby McGreevy, Kate Coljohn, and Madelyn Flynn also competed in that event.
Kyle Zygmunt took home two first-place medals.
He won the 400-meter dash in 50.77 seconds and teamed up with Taliaferro, Martinez, and Andryszczyk to win the 4×400 in 3:35.23.
Independence’s other CVC champions included Deston Boscarelli (long jump, 20-2 ½), Casey Adams (long jump, 16-10 ½), Jessica Harb (discus, 105-10), Kaitlyn Grill (shot put, 35-4), and Skylar Leichliter (pole vault, 7-9).
Brooklyn’s Jenna Young won the girls’ field MVP award. She was first in the high jump (5-4) and won the 100-meter hurdles (16.39). She also placed second in the long jump (16-2 ½) and fourth in the 300-meter hurdles (53.85).
Cuyahoga Heights’ Francis Connors earned the boys’ field MVP award by finishing first in the discus (132-11) and second in the shot put (41-3 ½).
Other CVC individual event champions included Cuyahoga Heights’ Jack Klamert (pole vault, 13-3), Alex Trusso (shot put, 41-3 ¾), Bradyn Rusch (1600, 4:40.59; 3200, 10:32.60), and Caden Buccier (800, 2:07.44); Lutheran West’s Juliana Klopp (300 hurdles, 49.53), and Emanuel Fracys-Diaz (300 hurdles, 43.58); Trinity’s Jordan Thompson-Seay (high jump, 6-1), Cameron Corrothers (110 hurdles, 16.59), Iniya Charlton (100, 12.72; 200, 27.03), and Sarah Dzurilla (400, 1:03.55); and Wickliffe’s Tori Stiles (800, 2:39).
Charlton set a new meet record with her time in the 100-meter dash.
Cuyahoga Heights and Trinity both took home first place in two different relays.
The RedWolves won the girls’ 4×400 and the boys’ 4×800.
Katie Buccier, Madeline Amari, Grace Lasky, and Janasia Bridges teamed up to win the 4×400 in 4:24.36, and Max Bollin, Rusch, Nate Menkhaus, and Buccier won the 4×800 in 8:47.81.
Trinity won the girls’ 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
Imari Charlton, Miracle Head, Bianca Pettigrew, and Iniya Charlton won the 4×100 in 51.96 seconds, and Pettigrew, Head, Dzurilla, and Imari Charlton claimed the CVC title in the 4×200 in 1:52.76.
