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Schattinger, Leveto lead Lakeview to AAC sweep
By Joe Scalzo
CORTLAND
A few minutes before the final event of Wednesday’s All-American Conference White Tier meet, Lakeview sophomore Lauren Schattinger stretched her legs, shook out her arms and did her best to get rid of all the butterflies.
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Lakeview’s Toma Leveto clears a hurdle during the finals of the boys 110 meter hurdles during the All-American Conference White Tier meet Wednesday in Cortland. Leveto won the event and also won the long jump to help lead the Bulldogs to the team title.
“I’m nervous,” she said to one of her teammates.
The Bulldogs were leading Salem by just four points and, just as Lakeview did last year, Schattinger wanted to clinch the team title with a victory in the 4x400-meter relay.
She got the baton for her anchor leg with a 15-meter head start — the track equivalent of giving the New York Yankees some extra spending money — but as she came down the final stretch, she thought she heard footsteps.
“So I kind of kicked it in,” she said. “But then I turned around at the end and I didn’t hear any footsteps.”
There’s a reason for that. She’d won by 15 seconds.
“I don’t know what was going through my head,” she said, laughing.
Schattinger also won the 100, 200 and 400 — the first two by meet-record times — as the Bulldogs ignored some chilly weather earn the eight-point victory in their final tune-up before next week’s district meet. Lakeview’s boys also won.
“The weather was tough but our girls were ready,” said Lakeview coach Cindy Dickey. “We’ve been preparing all year and our motto is do the best you can and always work hard and it’s paying off.
“Coming into district, our times are right where they need to be and there’s still some room for improvement.”
Schattinger, a Beyonce-loving sprite who looks like she should be on the J.V. team yet behaves like a seasoned senior, enters this year’s postseason with a lot more confidence.
“Last year, everything was a big deal,” she said. “This year, I have high goals for myself and I’m going to give it everything I can to get down to Columbus.”
On the boys side, the Bulldogs avenged last year’s frustrating tie with the Quakers, winning by 34 points despite graduating All-Ohioans Ben Moody (a state champion in the 100 and 110 hurdles), Heath Harris (1600) and Tyler Ames (3200).
Only one Bulldog — junior Toma Leveto — won more than one individual event, with Leveto capturing the 110 hurdles and long jump. But Lakeview won a pair of relays and got victories from three other individuals to pull away.
“It’s a little different dynamic this year,” said Bulldogs coach Mark Swinning. “We’re a team that really doesn’t have any superstars. We’re going to nickel and dime people to death and take our points as we get them. We’re going to place in a lot of seconds and thirds and every once in awhile jump up in first.
“That’s kind of been our M.O. all year.”
Salem, on the other hand, does have a couple superstars — most notably senior Dustin Matak, who ignored a cold to win the 100 and 200 (in a meet-record time) and help the Quakers to victories in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.
“Weather like this, it measures your strength,” he said. “It shows how tough you are, that’s for sure.”
Matak was pushed by classmate Ben Eisel, who finished just behind Matak in the two individual events and also ran on both winning relays.
Both runners return from last year’s state-winning 4x200 relay and Matak said the team has been waiting for the postseason all spring.
“We’re going there with our eyes set on state,” he said of next week’s district meet. “Nothing less.”