Boardman girls compete in state meet

Giovanna Silvestri, a four year outstanding thrower for the Boardman girls’ track and field team recently competed in her second straight Ohio High School Outdoor State Meet Championships in the discus. She placed 11th with a throw of 127’3”, improving from last year’s 15th place finish.

“I know Giovanna wanted to get to the finals and make All-Ohio honors, as she did during the indoor season, but as her throwing Coach Tim Swartz told her, she made it there as the final 16 left in the state and should feel very proud of that accomplishment alone,” Head coach Denise Gorski said. “I highly compliment both of them because they worked very well together. Giovanna has had an outstanding high school career and it’s not over with just yet, as she will compete in the New Balance Outdoor Nationals next weekend in North Carolina. And coach Swartz is retiring from coaching the throwers after nine years in our program. He is an outstanding throwing coach, has taken several girls to state competition in his career and will be truly missed in our program.”

A total of 10 girls have qualified in five different events for the Nationals in Greensboro next.

Silvestri qualified in the championship division of the discus and the emerging elite division of the shot put. She competed in both events last year in the emerging elite division. The Championship division is the highest division an athlete can compete in at this meet.

Three girls are returning to Nationals for the second year in a row. Junior Nikki Hillard will be competing in the 4x200 meter relay and sophomore Heaton O’Hara will compete in the 800-meter sprint medley, while sophomore Regan O’Hara will compete in the 1600-meter medley relay, all in the emerging elite relays.

Six girls are making their first trip to the National Meet, all in emerging elite relays or field events. Senior thrower Daisy Robinson qualified in the shot put for the first year in her career. Freshman Arianna Cuevas qualified in three different events, the 4x200 relay, the 800 sprint medley relay and the 1600 medley relay. Junior Morgan Hambrick qualified in two events, the 4 200 and 800 sprint medley relay. Junior Jada Redd qualified in two events, the 4x200 and the 1600 sprint medley relay, in her first year of running track. Sophomore Hope Landers, a two year letter winner, qualified in the 800 sprint medley relay and junior Briana Fonderlin qualified in the 1600-meter sprint medley relay in her first year of running high school track.