Chagrin Valley Conference athletes got off to a great start at the Division II Austintown-Fitch track meet.
Brooklyn’s Jenna Young, Beachwood’s Elizabeth Metz, and Perry’s Javin Richards all won district championships in their respective events and several others from the league punched their ticket to next weekend’s state championships.
Young cleared 5-feet, 5-inches to win the high jump and also advanced to Saturday’s district finals in the 100-meter hurdles with a preliminary time of 16.88 seconds.
Metz won the shot put with a best toss of 41-feet, ¾-inches and Richards won the pole vault by clearing 14-feet, 8-inches.
Joining that trio at state are Perry’s Tori Maruschak, who finished fourth in the high jump, and Brayden Richards, who placed fourth in the pole vault.
Chagrin Falls and Beachwood both advanced a 4×800-meter relay team to state.
Rose Hoelzel, Claire Stinson, Claire Coffey, and Azzurra Opperman teamed up to run a time of 9:31.96, to lead the Tigers to a third-place finish, and Greg Perryman, Caleb Berns, Noah Saidel, and Jack McPhillips finished third for Beachwood with a time of 8:02.48.
Other place-winners from Thursday’s first day of action included Beachwood’s Sarah Brown (7th, shot put, 35-9 ¾) and Kylie Walters (8th, high jump, 4-10), Edgewood’s Sarah Coxon (8th, shot put, 35-4 ½), Geneva’s Emmy Bryan (7th, high jump, 4-11), Lutheran West’s Evelyn Albers (5th, high jump, 5-0), Orange’s Erik Nilsson (6th, pole vault, 12-4), and Wickliffe’s Jacob Lewis (2nd, long jump, 21-9 ¾).
Hawken’s girls’ 4×800 team of Juliana Metz, Lena Sylvan, Camilla Mari, and Ella Gilson placed fifth and Perry’s 4×8 team of Alyssa Vis, Grace McKoon, Erin Rochford, and Corinne Lynch was eighth.
Javin Richards (110 and 300-meter hurdles), Hawken’s Makayla White (100, 200), and Hawken’s 4×100-meter relay team of Destynn Keuchel, Samuel Pan, Jordan Harrison, and Andrew Bukovnik all won their preliminary heats.
Beachwood’s girls’ team closed out the first day in second place with 13 points, just four behind team leader Salem, who has 17. Brooklyn is fourth with 10.
Perry’s boys’ team trails Woodridge (22) and Fairless (17) with 15 points.
