JFK’s Maheu exceeds goals

Struthers senior Robert Zanni was the only area athlete in the top 10 of the boys Div. II run.

By MARK W. MILLER

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

BOARDMAN — Audrey Maheu of Warren JFK High School said she set her goal a little low for the Division III run at the 22nd Spartan Invitational cross country meet.

What she did was outrun 291 other runners to win the girls 5000-meter race in 19 minutes, 47.04 seconds. Samantha Hamilton (20:14.79) of Jackson-Milton was third and Columbiana’s Stephanie Case (20:45.47) was seventh in the race at Boardman High School. A record 4,607 runners competed in the event.

“It was an awesome race,” said Maheu, a senior. “I wanted to finish in the top five, but this gives me a lot of confidence.

Assurance

“Doing well here against some of the state’s best runners, you know that you will do well at the regional,” said Maheu.

“Maheu has been running cross country for us three years,” said JFK coach Bob Schmalzried. “She ran at a good pace being right where she should have been, then ran a great last mile.

“She’s a tremendous athlete, has a work ethic where she runs extra miles when she doesn’t have to,” said Schmalzried. “Her parents are a good influence on her. Both of them run marathons.”

Gates Mills Gilmour Academy won the Div. III girls team title with 34 points and Berkshire was second with 111.

McDonald placed second (62 points) behind Louisville Aquinas (52) in the boys Div. III run.

For the Blue Devils, T.J. Holland (16:57.4) was fourth, Gerald Dugan (17:28.95) was fifth, Frank Natoli (17:35.77) was 11th and Mitchell Thornton (17:53.15) was 18th.

“We were second here last year and it was a challenge for us to do as well or better,” said Holland.

Want to do better

“You always want to do better and this was a big step toward state and it shows us where we are and what we need to do to be better,” said Holland.

Tony Migliozzi (16:31.13) of Aquinas won the run.

Robert Zanni, a Struthers senior, was the only area athlete in the top 10 of the boys Div. II run as he placed seventh (16:53.48).

“No way did I think I would place that high,” said Zanni. “It was a tight race and I kicked it in down the stretch hoping to finish in the top 20.

“There were some of the best kids in the state here that I needed to beat to get to another level and I did my job today,” said Zanni.

Lakeview placed eighth with 305 points. Woodridge, defending state champion, won with 55.

Tyler Ames (16:59.18) of Lakeview finished 14th.

“We worked so hard in the offseason and today was such an improvement for us,” said Ames. “We all thought we were really stronger.”

Brian Himelright of Woodridge (16:05.69) took first place in the race.

Oles 12th

Christine Oles (20:30.86) placed 12th, helping the Mooney girls to a 10th place finish in Div. II with 339 points. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy won the title with 63 points.

Perry’s Abbie Clifford (18:55) won the run. Nicole Culler (20:36.04) and Rebecca Owen (20:37.29) of West Branch were 15th and 16th, respectively.

North Canton Hoover won the boys Div. I run with 126 points. Boardman was sixth with 234. Joseph Jackson of Hilliard Derby (15:57.89) took first place. The Spartans’ Matt Moore (16:26.21) and Sam Deskin (17:34.7) placed 10th and 17th.

North Canton Hoover also won the girls Div. I race with 106 points. Jackson was second with 130. Emily Pritt (18:18.48) of Jackson was first, while Boardman’s Lauren Agnew (20:05.28) was 14th.

miller@vindy.com