PREP TRACK & amp; FIELD Ursuline's Miller sweeps 800, 1600 runs in regional

Motivated by her sister, Tiffani Miller qualified for the state meet in three events.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NAVARRE -- More than once this season, Ursuline assistant track coach Melvin Miller has picked up the paper, looked at the area track results and started joking with his daughter.
"He'll say, 'The girl from McDonald ran such-and-such. You need to run faster,' " said Irish sophomore Tiffani Miller, laughing. "He's on me all the time, but it helps."
Guess so.
Two days after anchoring Ursuline's state-qualifying 4x800-meter relay, Miller won Division III regional titles in the 800 and the 1600 in Friday's meet at Fairless High School.
Miller's older sister, Amber, qualified for the state meet in two hurdling events last season. Tiffani did one better.
"I was just trying to follow in the footsteps of Amber," said Miller. "[Qualifying on Wednesday] got me more pumped up today and I wanted to run faster. I wanted to do the same thing my sister did."
No stranger at stage
And while she'll run at the state meet for the first time, she's no stranger to Columbus. Miller was a member of Ursuline's Division III state championship basketball team.
As a result, she got a late start on track season.
And, it turns out, a good finish.
"I've been surprised," she said. "But my goal was to make it to state twice this year. I'm pretty excited."
Maplewood junior Jen Grayson, who set a regional record in the high jump on Wednesday, won both hurdling events and anchored the fourth-place 4x400 relay.
The top four in each event advance to the state meet, which begins Friday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Boys
Mineral Ridge junior Levi Leigh cruised to first place in the 110 hurdles, then edged McDonald senior Mike Dickson in the 300 hurdles.
"It was a fun race," Leigh said of the 300 hurdles. "It's not fun all the way through, but it's fun at the end."
Leigh has run all season with a stress fracture in his ankle, and his doctor wants him to rest his ankle after the season.
"That's what my doctor says," he said. "But what my doctor doesn't know, doesn't hurt [him]."
The pain was worse earlier in the season -- "I couldn't finish any races," he said -- and Leigh wasn't going to let the injury ruin his chances of winning a state title.
"When you get down there, you go to win," he said. "You don't just go to run."
Panezich sets mark
Springfield junior Nick Panezich, who set a regional record in the discus on Wednesday, set a regional shot put record on Friday with a throw of 58 feet, 3 inches, breaking the old record of 57-7.
Jackson-Milton senior Luke McCluggage won the 1600 and the 3200 and Warren JFK senior Shane Golden won the 200 and helped the Eagles finish second in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.
Golden finished second in the 200 in last year's state meet to then-senior Brian Ryman of Old Fort.
"Thank God he was a senior," Golden said. "He helped push me in the off-season and I think it's my turn."
Golden had a false start in the 100 at last week's district meet, so he's focusing his energies on the 200. He said he loves to run in big meets and he's looking forward to the big crowds in Columbus.
"There's nothing better than that," he said.
scalzo@vindy.com