Poland athletes compete at state track meet

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Neighbors | Submitted.The 2012 Ohio High School Athletic Association state track meet was held in Columbus the first week of June. Competing in the meet, from left, were Chris Anderson, Kevin Krumpak, Patrick Hiznay, Connor McFadden, Dan Kreatsoulas and Sage Spotleson. .

Several members of the Poland Seminary High School team competed at the state track meet in early June in Columbus. The top four finishers in each of 16 regionals in Ohio made it to state.

Junior Sage Spotleson ran a season-best 15.04 in the girls 100-meter hurdles at the state meet, after winning the Salem district competition and then earning her state berth with a fourth-place finish at the Bedford regional.

Senior Dan Kreatsoulas finished third in the boys discus at both the district and regional meets, throwing a personal-best 152-9 at regionals. In Columbus, he was unable to make it out of the preliminary round.

The boys 4x400 relay team of senior Kevin Krumpak, junior Connor McFadden, junior Patrick Hiznay, and senior Chris Anderson ran a season-best time of 3:20.68 to win the regional title. After making it through the semifinals at state, the quartet finished ninth.

Krumpak, a member of Poland’s 4x800 relay team in 2010, added some perspective to this current team’s efforts.

“To run a good, clean race or to throw well in both semifinals and finals at district, regional and then state, where the level of competition rises at each successive event, is a real rush and not an easy thing to do,” he explained.

“That is why what Sage accomplished by getting on that podium and getting a medal at state was so special. At the same time, I’m proud of our whole team that made it to Columbus, and of those teammates who fell short somewhere along the way.”