Fitch sweeps D-I district track titles

May 25, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

Austintown

Temperatures in the mid-40s and swirling winds, oddly enough, helped the Austintown Fitch track and field team feel right at home Friday evening.

The Falcons, who led after Wednesday’s preliminary events, were a selfish host as both the boys and girls teams took home their respective Division I District championships on the second and final day of competition.

“The weather’s crazy,” said Seth Steiner, first-year coach for the Fitch girls. “You go from 80 degrees one day to 40 degrees the next. Next week it will be 90, so it’s hard to get used to. We have every advantage in the world having locker rooms and keeping our kids warm and out of the conditions.

“The home-field advantage is more than people think it is, especially when you get weather like this. It’s big.”

The Fitch boys captured their third consecutive district crown with 141 points, outpacing Boardman (92), Warren Harding (73), and Howland (46.33). The Fitch girls had 128 points, followed by Geneva (104.5), Boardman (65) and Kenston (64). The girls also have won three straight district titles.

Steiner, who has been with the program for eight years specializing in sprinting, has seen the program’s rise into a dominant force.

“In past years we’ve always had one strong area,” he said, clutching another trophy as his team escaped the wind gusts funneling through Falcon Stadium. “Either our sprints have been strong or maybe the throws have been strong, but this has been such a balanced year for us. We had two hurdlers go one-two. We had two sprinters go one-two in the 200. Same thing with the throws. We have two qualifiers in a lot of events, so we’re a very balanced team and that’s what set us apart today.”

Fitch senior Billy Price added another district title in the shot put to his list of athletic accomplishments while junior teammate Sam Ortz took the high jump. Junior Lauren Bower claimed the 110 hurdles and led off the win in the 4x100 relay. In the meet’s final and arguably most dramatic event, Fitch junior Joe Harrington outlasted Harding’s James Rumple at the finish line in the boys’ 4x400 relay.

Two Boardman athletes had double the fun.

Senior sprinter Nathan Jones took home the 100 dash and then anchored the Spartans’ 4x100 relay victory.

“In the 100 meters, my last 30 meters or so of the race is my fastest part,” Jones said. “I usually get people towards the end. I have really high expectations. I have the No. 1 time in the state right now, so I expect to be down in Columbus.”

Junior distance specialist Mark Hadley won the 1600 before powering past the field in the 3200 an hour later.

“I’ve heard a lot of different things about my stride — short stride, powerful stride — I don’t know, but I like to think that it gives me a little bit of extra speed for these races,” said Hadley, who’s long trained for multiple grueling events. “It’s running a lot of miles. I’ve upped my miles this year and I’ve definitely seen some benefits out of that. I think that’s probably helped me with my doubles.”