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— STATE TRACK & FIELD — Rice, Mosley claim titles
Rice, Mosley claim titles
By Joe Scalzo
COLUMBUS
About 20 minutes after her twin sister Allison won a Division II state discus title on Friday, Poland senior Julie Rice was still wiping away tears.
“I’m just so happy for her,” she said. “She did so good. I knew she could do it.
“She’s the best sister ever.”
They say you can’t win a state title alone and that’s certainly true for Allison, who relied on her support system and a career-best throw to capture her school’s first girls field event title since ... well, since when?
“I have no idea,” she said.
“I have no idea,” said her coach, Rob Sainato. “It’s been a loooong time, if it’s ever happened.”
Rice’s (kind of) unexpected title went nicely with McDonald senior Joh’Vonnie Mosley’s (kind of) expected discus title in Division III.
The Valley can make it a clean sweep today if top-seeded Ali Tolich of Fitch can capture the Division I title.
Mosley broke the school record with a throw of 151 feet, 4 inches. Hours later, the Kent State track recruit finished second in the shot put to cap a tremendous career that also saw her go over the 1,000-point mark in basketball.
The always-modest Mosley credited her parents, her coach Mary Domitrovich, her school and God (not necessarily in that order) for her success.
But when asked to reflect on her four-year career, Mosley did admit she’d like to be remembered fondly.
“I just hope one day people say, ‘You know, that Joh’Vonnie Mosley did so much,’” she said. “I wanted to leave a mark at this school in basketball and track and I think I did.”
Rice’s biggest accomplishment may not have been the title but the fact that she knocked Poland’s boys track team out of the headlines for at least one day. The Bulldogs won a boys regional title last week.
(Rice was the only Poland girl to qualify for the state meet, but, then, the Bulldogs’ softball team may have kept a few athletes for themselves.)
“We knew going in that she had a pretty good chance of winning but we really tried to keep her focus on trusting her technique and not force it,” said Sainato, whose thrower was tied for the top seed entering the event. “She’s done that all year.”
Rice finished with a winning throw of 128-11 — her personal best — which was good enough to edge Southeast senior Brooke Lamar by 5 inches. And like United’s Victoria Bates, who won this event last year, Rice benefited from competing in Div. II. Her winning throw would have placed her eighth in Div. III on Friday.
“But she didn’t back into it,” Sainato said. “She had to go into the finals and throw her best to win.
“Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better kid to coach. And as good as an athlete as she is, she’s a better person.”
The Rice twins are both valedictorians at Poland and will both major in chemistry next year at Westminster. The Titans’ track and field coaches were in Columbus on Friday to congratulate Allison, who had a mixture of shock and joy afterward.
“Oh my gosh, I was just glad,” said Rice, who didn’t even qualify for the state meet last year. “I threw really bad at regionals last year and I just wanted redemption.”
After missing the medal stand in both events last year, Mosley felt the same way.
“All I wanted to do was get here, get a good throw and make finals,” said Mosley. “I’m blessed and very happy with the end result.”