Tough to top: Repeats are rare

Only four area track and field athletes have won back-to-back state titles in the past three years.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Meet Chris Olinger.
He's a senior at West Lafayette Ridgewood. He's the state record-holder in the 3200 meters. He won regional titles in the 1600 and 3200 last week. His older brother runs at Ohio State.
And if Maplewood junior Andy Arnio doesn't repeat as the Division III state champion in the 3200 this weekend, Olinger's probably going to be the reason why.
"It's weird," Arnio said last week. "Before the [3200], he comes over and says, 'Arnio, I've been scared of you since my sophomore year.'
"That just puts pressure on me. Everyone wants to beat me."
Over the past three years, only four athletes from the area have repeated as individual state track champions: Girard's Cachet Murray (who defended her 100 and 200 titles three times and her long jump title last spring), Springfield's Nick Panezich (who won the shot put in 2004 and 2005), Western Reserve's Anna Marie Ricciardi (high jump in 2003 and 2004), Warren JFK's Angelene Cicero (300 hurdles in 2004 and 2005).
Tough task
This isn't a story about what it feels like to win a state title.
It's a story about what it feels like to try to repeat.
"When you win a state title, everyone expects you to do it again," said Panezich, who now throws at the University of Tennessee. "There's a lot of pressure."
Obviously, in order to know what that pressure feels like, you have to win one first. And that's hard to do.
"It's a good feeling," said Panezich, who also won a state discus title in 2004 and finished second last year. "It's the ultimate in high school. You come back [after high school] and people say, 'Hey, he won a state title.' "
Problem is, you basically start the next season with a big target on your back. Some of the pressure is self-inflicted -- Panezich never shied away from big goals -- and some of it comes from other people.
"You'll lose a race and people will say, 'Oh, he's done,' " said Arnio, the only area athlete trying to repeat this weekend. "You'll see people saying stuff on [the web site] JJHuddle.
"You've just got to try and ignore it."
Luck needed
You've also got to have some luck.
Sometimes athletes change divisions. (Olinger competed in Div. II last year. Now he's in Div. III.) Sometimes athletes get injured. (Arnio missed the first month of track season.) And sometimes other athletes simply get better.
Here's an example. Struthers won a Div. II state title in the 4x100-meter relay in 2004. The Wildcats had all four relay members back last year, ran a faster time at the state meet than in 2004 and still finished second.
"When you get to the state meet," said senior Justin Penson, "every team steps it up."
Repeating in relays is especially tough because it's rare to have the same team back. Two years ago, Warren JFK won a Div. III state title in the 4x200 relay. All four members graduated, but the Eagles still managed to finish seventh in the event last year.
Senior Tony Elzy was on last year's relay and helped the Eagles win a regional title in the event last week. He still keeps in touch with the 2004 team and he recently talked with Anthony Ambeliotis, who anchored the winning relay two years ago.
"He told me to go get 'em," Elzy said, smiling. "We're going for it this year."
If they win it, it won't be the same as a repeat. But for Elzy and the Eagles, it'll be close enough.
scalzo@vindy.com