Kirtland’s girls’ and Cuyahoga Heights’ boys’ track teams outdid the competition at the 2023 Independence Invitational on Tuesday.
The Hornets won the girls’ competition with 135.2 points while the host Blue Devils were second with 115.2 and Cuyahoga Heights rounded out the top three with 90.
Cuyahoga Heights dominated the boys’ competition with 160 points. Independence was second with 86 and Wickliffe was third with 75 ½.
Kirtland won three individual events and a pair of relays on the way to earning the team championship.
Ainsley Borthwick won the 3200 in 12:43.38, Sylvia Vosicky ran a time of 1:03.78 to win the 400, and Corinne Greenlee cleared 7 feet, 6 inches to win the pole vault.
Vosicky teamed up with Elise Beinhardt, Megan Urbanick, and Isabel Mueller to win the 4×400 in 4:40.71, and she ran with Izzie Copeland, Borthwick, and Delaney Kuczkowski in the 4×800, which finished first in 10:40.33.
Independence’s Casey Adams claimed titles in three different events.
She won the 200 in 28.33 and cleared 17-9 in winning the long jump, and she dominated the triple jump with a best mark of 34 feet, 5 inches, eight inches farther than the second-place competitor.
Adams also finished second to Brooklyn’s Jenna Young in the high jump with a best mark of 5-0.
Young, the reigning Division II high jump state champion, won that event with a best jump of 5-3 ¼. She also won the 100-meter hurdles (16.61) and placed second in the 300 hurdles (53.65) and long jump (16-0).
“I feel good about what I did today, but I’m never satisfied and there is always room for improvement,” Young said. “It was a good meet back from my spring break trip and I feel set me on a good path for where I’m trying to be, but I feel with the cold and rainy weather tonight, I can be happy with the outcome.”
Young felt her best performances came in the hurdle races.
“I feel my best this meet were both my hurdle races even though I came in second in the 300,” she said. “I started where I left off before spring break and my times stayed consistent. I know I can get those times down; I just need to put the work in and get back into my training routine.”
Competing against talented athletes such as Independence’s Adams and Cuyahoga Heights’ Janasia Bridges, who won the 300 hurdles, helped Young rise to the challenge.
“I really do enjoy running and jumping with Casey and Janasia,” she said. “They are both sweet and talented girls. I feel lucky for them to be in the same conference as me. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know them both as people and I love seeing them PR and do good and it goes both ways. I feel they push me to do better and it’s a great and healthy competition.”
Bridges edged Young for the 300 hurdles title as she finished in 49.36.
Trinity claimed a pair of relay championships.
Imari Charlton, Miracle Head, Toni Jamison, and Iniya Charlton teamed up to win the 4×100 with a time of 53.21 and Imari Charlton, Jamison, Head, and Gabrielle Hemphill won the 4×200 in 1:55.84.
Cuyahoga Heights’ boys’ team rode four individual and two relay championships to the team title.
Caden Buccier won the 800-meter run in 2:04.24, Bradyn Rusch finished first in the 3200 (10:28.67), Francis Connors won the discus (135-11), and Nicholas Armbrust claimed first in the long jump (19-8).
Buccier teamed up with Devon Dzik, Noah Wilson, and Armbrust to win the 4×400-meter relay in 3:45.11, and Joe Shay, Rusch, Logan Apathy, and Buccier won the 4×800 in 8:52.51.
Other CVC athletes to win their events included Richmond Heights’ Darius Munford (100, 11.19), Trinity’s Jordan Seay-Thompson (high jump, 6-0; triple jump, 39-10), and Wickliffe’s Colby Humbert (400, 50.26) and Brady Pugh (1600, 4:39.33).
Richmond Heights also won the 4×100-meter relay.
Domarrius Frazier, Kamauri Hall, Michael McWilliams, and Munford finished that race in 45.13 seconds.
