DIVISION II TRACK Liberty runs past Champion girls team
Ashtabula Edgewood topped Lakeview in the boys standings.
By DOUG CHAPIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ANDOVER -- The Liberty High girls sprinted through the raindrops Friday to capture the Division II track and field district meet at Pymatuning Valley High School.
Liberty, which set district meet records in the 400- and 800-meter relays, coasted to a 98-74 triumph over Champion.
On the boys side, Ashtabula Edgewood topped Lakeview, 94-90.5. The meet was delayed because of lightning on two occasions for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes.
"The places we got were about what we expected, but the times were coming quicker than we'd thought," Liberty coach Jay Cripe said. "We worried about how the delays would affect our sprinters ... having to get on the bus, then off, then back on. We didn't want to have any injuries now."
Strong showing
Liberty had piled up a solid lead before the first delay. The 4x200 relay team of Jasmine Smith, Brittny Humphrey, Carla Hill and Jessica White set a meet mark with a time of 1:45.2.
Smith, Humphrey and White then teamed with Ami Markowitz to set a meet mark of 49.3 in the 4x100 relay.
"The four-by-two group ran a 1:45.6 at Fitch a few weeks ago and got it down to 1:45.2 today," Cripe said. "We knew the four-by-one group was capable, but hadn't put it all together until today."
Liberty's only other event victory was by Humphrey in the 300 hurdles.
The Leopards got their usual second and third finishes from White and Smith, respectively, in the 100 and 200, and also got important points from Markowitz (third in the 100 hurdles), Whitney Spence (second in the 400), Hill (sixth in the 200), Chenelle Mills (third in the long jump) and the 1600 relay team of Spence, Hill, Lena Esmail and Humphrey, which finished second.
Liberty's victory demonstrates the strength and balance of the Trumbull Athletic Conference girls competition. Two weeks ago Champion captured the Trumbull County meet, then last week Girard and Lakeview tied for the conference title.
Girard's Cachet Murray tied her own meet record of 12.1 in winning the 100 and set a meet mark with a 25.1 clocking in winning the 200.
She also won the long jump.
Champion's second-place finish was sparked by Marlena Wolfe who won the 800 and 1600 and anchored the winning 1600 relay unit.
Hubbard had a pair of individual winners in Erica Wittenauer in the 400 and Mary Sivulich in the 3200. Lakeview's Heather Lewis captured the discus.
Lakeview's boys were led by Justin Rush who won both hurdle events and ran a leg on the Bulldogs' runner-up 400 relay team.
George Washko added a victory in the shot put, and Scott Stewart finished second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 110 hurdles.
Girard's Jeriel Harrison swept the 100 and 200 and ran a great opening leg for the Indians' victorious 1600 relay team. That race was anchored by Kevin Hetrick who also won the 400. Gary Chaney and Robert Harrison were the other members of Girard's 1600 relay team.