Podium is the place for Kiger

JFK sophomore Audrey Maheu capped her performance by winning the 800.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NAVARRE -- As Mineral Ridge senior Abbey Kiger took a step down from the top of the podium at Friday's Division III regional meet at Fairless High, she slipped a little, then gasped.
"Oh, this thing's shaking," she said. "I think I'm gonna fall."
Here's the thing. Kiger always wants to get to the top of the podium, which she did in the 300-meter hurdles Friday, but she has a problem.
"I'm afraid of heights," she said, smiling.
Too bad. If she keeps running this well, she'll have the same problem next week.
Kiger edged Lowellville junior Rachel Mariotti for just the second time this season, breaking her own school record with a time of 45.10 seconds.
"The other time, Rachel had just run the 400, so she was pretty tired," said Kiger, who finished fifth in the 300 hurdles at last year's state meet. "I'll give her that one."
Those who qualify
Mariotti finished fourth -- the top four in each event advanced to next week's state meet -- and also finished fourth in the 100 hurdles.
Guess who finished fifth in the 100 hurdles?
"That's OK," said Kiger, who was just .01 behind Mariotti in that event. "Rachel's one of my best friends. I'm really happy for her."
Mariotti's teammate, senior Katie Nentwick, finished second in the long jump and Western Reserve junior Alex Rathburn took second in the discus after winning the shot Wednesday.
Warren JFK sophomore Audrey Maheu capped a terrific regional performance by winning the 800 and anchoring the second place 4x400 relay. Maheu also helped Kennedy finish second in the 4x800 Wednesday.
"Our team has done really well," said Maheu, who helped the Eagles finish seventh in the team standings. "It's a lot of fun to be a part of a team this good."
Maheu also reached a personal goal in the 800 with her time of 2:14.42.
Goal
"The whole year, I've been trying to run 2:14," she said.
Any goals left?
"I don't know," she said. "Win state, I guess."
Ursuline senior Tiffani Miller advanced to the state meet for the third straight year in the 1600 despite running with a hamstring injury the past few weeks.
"When I got to the end, I thought, 'I'd better kick it,' " said Miller, who finished fourth. "I couldn't look behind me, but I heard my dad saying, 'Tiff, you better push it.' "
Ursuline's 4x100 relay of Nichelle Scott, Liz Emanuel, Lauren Ignazio and Tim'Aira Gandy, who set a district record last week, finished third despite having some trouble with their handoffs.
"We're kinda disappointed with [our time], but it was a good race," said Gandy. "We've got a week to improve, so we'll be ready next week."
On the boys side, JFK senior Tony Elzy finished third in the 100 and helped the 4x100 and 4x200 relays place first as the Eagles finished third in the team standings. JFK also finished second in the 4x400.
"I like the relays because everyone gets their share of the attention," said Elzy, who will play football at North Carolina in the fall. "People see not only you, but you and your teammates."
Eagles are back
The Eagles won the 4x200 at the state meet two years ago and finished seventh last season, despite losing all four members of the 2004 team.
"We tried to win it last year, but we were a little young," said junior Dan Hull.
And this year?
"We're shooting to go as high as we can," Hull said. "And first place is as high as you can get."
Western Reserve junior Clay Jones fulfilled his preseason goal when he advanced to the state meet after finishing first in the shot with a throw of 51 feet, 5 1/4 inches. Jones placed fifth last year behind four seniors, including eventual state champion Nick Panezich.
"It wasn't my best throw, but I'm definitely happy with this," said Jones, who has thrown 54 feet this season. "My goal all year was to get to state.
"I finally got it."
scalzo@vindy.com