Optimist, Lakeview meets this weekend

Girard's Cachet Murray is a favorite in the 100, 200 and long jump.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
The 24th Optimist track and field meet Saturday at Austintown Fitch High Falcon Stadium has attracted 44 boys and 43 girls teams, including defending champions Wadsworth and Canton GlenOak.
Seventeen schools will compete in the eighth Lakeview High Invitational, with Warren JFK's boys and Lakeview's girls defending their titles.
The boys 3200-meter run final will start the Optimist meet at 9:15 a.m. At the same time will be field events, with preliminaries and semifinal sprints and hurdles scheduled to be followed with the rest of the running finals, starting with the girls 4x800 relay.
Many athletes entered are 2003 state qualifiers, with Girard's Cachet Murray a two-time state champion in the 100 and 200, and she will also be featured in the long jump.
Distance pair
Boardman's Brittany Durkin and Jessica Moore will contend in the distance runs, and Maplewood's Jennifer Grayson will compete in both hurdles and the long jump.
Canfield's Emily Wollett (58.3 seconds) should be among the top contenders in the 400 and teammate Stephanie Jarvis (9 feet, 7 inches) is entered in the pole vault.
Jackson-Milton senior Luke McCluggage has the area's best marks in the 1600 (4:29.8) and 3200 (9:43.5) and will run against 2003 state champ Matt Buzek (9:29.3) of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the 3200 and other outstanding athletes in the two distance races.
Anthony Hoke (54-1) of Warren Harding, Aaron Merrill (53-8 1/2) and Dustin Rose (51-6) are entered in the shot put. Fitch's Dave Medicus (13-9) will be the athlete to beat in the pole vault.
Nine of the schools entered at Lakeview are from Trumbull or Columbiana counties, with field events scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Starting at 10 will be sprint and hurdle prelims and semifinals, along with boys and girls 3200 finals. The rest of the running finals will follow the semifinals.
JFK's Shane Golden, Newton Falls' Anthony Barnes and Matt Gillespie and Mathews' Craig Schrecengost will be featured in the dashes.
Dalton the defender
Kyle Dalton (6-6) of LaBrae returns to defend the high jump. Steve Buckholder of Champion and Justin Fowler of Newton Falls will contend in the throws.
Tara Ford (5-3) of Mathews and Heather Martin (5-1) of Newton Falls will compete in the high jump. Ford (16-7), with the area's best effort, is the favorite in the long jump. Jeanne Brian of JFK is the athlete to beat in the discus.
Lakeview's Katie Betts and Allyn Martin, Champion's Antonette Smith and JFK's Lauren Chaves will be featured in the sprints.