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Fitch, South Range sweep
By ERIC FORTUNE
AUSTINTOWN
The 101st Mahoning County Track and Field Championship will remembered more so for the unexpected.
With Boardman’s Mark Hadley and Fitch’s Gary Gibson injured, Saturday was a chance for others to excel.
The Austintown Fitch and South Range boys and girls teams finished with first place finishes in Division I and II. The Falcons edged Boardman’s boys 185.5-135.5 and Boardman’s girls 182-171, while the Raider boys beat Lowellville 166.33-109.33 and Western Reserve’s girls 172-139.
“It was a very good team effort from top to bottom,” Fitch coach T.J. Koniowsky said. “I’m pretty sure we scored points in every event, which is nice to display the depth of the team. Sam Ortz did very well. Nate Bowlen did well.
“I think we did what we were kind of hoping to do given we were without Gary today,” Koniowsky said. “A lot of times ... it’s the mid-range kids in a meet like this that puts you over the top.”
Gabby Figueroa, the Falcon senior who has won back-to-back Division I state titles in the indoor weight throw and holds the Ohio record (58 feet, 11 inches), won the shot put with a throw (35-11 3/4) below her expectations.
“It’s been better,” Figueroa said. “I usually expect to throw around 40 feet so today was [different]. I guess though I’m happy to be having this rough patch at the beginning of the season rather than the end.”
Figueroa’s teammate, Tradaiza Merchant, was on her tail in both shot and discus.
“It’s good because they are very similar in their events,” Koniowsky said. “It’s always nice to have somebody right behind you or ahead of you to chase.
“Yesterday, Tradaiza had a really nice discus practice so that kind of opens up Gabby’s eyes a little bit where she should be.
“It’s nice on a day like today where Gabby’s slipping a little bit in the shot, Tradaiza is right there with only a slight difference.”
Figueroa was five feet off the lead when it came to discus with a throw of 114 feet, 2 inches. It’s an area that she is still trying to perfect coming from hammer throw, according to Koniowsky.
“She’s been in hammer mode for so long, it’s really been hard to get the discus up to speed right now,” Koniowsky said. “It’ll come. It just takes time because hammer is such a different event than discus and shot. She’ll be all right in a couple more weeks.”
In Div. II, South Range overcame the absence of key runners, but received big performances from Adam Meloy who placed first in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter dashes.
“He’s a state qualifier from last year,” South Range coach Diane Krumpak said. “He and Tanner Greene have just been great leaders.
“They work hard and have been running well. Adam ran indoor this year and he’s just been really focused.”
Also of note was Mollie Pierson who finished first in the 1600 and second in the 400 and 800.
“She’s one of those kids today because a lot of our sprinters are on vacation, she did the mile, popped into the 400 and got second behind her teammate,” Krumpak said. “She’s just willing to do whatever you ask for her. She does everything with a smile. All the kids really just stepped it up.”
None of this should be unexpected as the Raiders have been a model of consistency when it comes to running in this race.
“This is 13 years in a row for the boys and maybe four or five for the girls,” Krumpak said. “The big challenge today was, we had a lot of people on spring break. A lot of our younger kids stepped up and did different events.”