Girard’s Malito shines in district track meet

May 19, 2019 at 12:05a.m.

Girard’s Malito shines

in district track meet

CORTLAND

When Nick Malito couldn’t play baseball this year, he found another way to contribute at Girard.

Mono knocked out most the junior’s spring season and while he was cleared to resume athletic activity, he couldn’t play any sport that involved contact.

In mid-April, Malito joined the Indians’ track team and is here to stay.

“It’s that feeling of when the gun goes off on the [100-meter dash]. It feels like football,” Malito said. “It’s all that excitement and people cheering.”

Malito has already committed to track for his senior season and judging from what he did in Saturday’s Division II District Track and Field meet at Lakeview, it’s easy to see why. He won the long jump, 100 and was the anchor of the winning 4x100 relay and the fourth-place 4x200. In a couple events, his results make him a person of interest on a bigger scale.

His winning leap in the long jump — 21 feet, 7 inches — give him the fourth-best mark in the state for D-II, according to athletic.net. He sits just beyond the top 25 in the 100, as does the 4x100 squad of Malito, younger brother Dominic Malito, Terrance Davis and Jordan Culver.

Nick Malito’s spring adds to impressive athletic portfolio this year. On the football field, he was a second-team All-Ohio selection at wide receiver with 53 catches for 1,313 yards and 15 touchdowns as the Indians went to a Division IV state final. He currently has an offer from Youngstown State’s football team.

“I would think at the very least, he’s putting himself in a position to go to state,” Girard coach Kevin Hetrick said. “I expect to see him on the regional podium and hopefully, he ends up in the top four.”

Girard’s boys team went into the final race tied with Garfield at 79 points for first place, but it was the G-Men who took home the team title after winning the 4x400 and with Streetsboro taking second and Girard getting eighth, the Indians slipped to third place.

It was still a good result for Hetrick, whose Indians did not have their full complement of athletes throughout the season.

“We had some injuries. We had some kids quit — things happen,” Hetrick said. “The kids who stuck with it did a really great job. They really stepped up.”

The host Bulldogs faced little drama while winning the girls’ district title with 106.5 points to second-place Jefferson’s 89.5. Junior Ashley Bowker swept the 100 and 300 hurdles for the winning side on Saturday.

“I know there’s more work to do. In the [100 hurdles] I clipped a hurdle and I came off a balance a little bit,” Bowker said. “I just tried to get squared up and finish strong.”

Bowker is currently ranked No. 4 in D-II in the 100 hurdles and No. 2 in the 300 hurdles. She was also part of a second-place finish in the 4x100 and a third-place finish in the 4x400.

“What a talent. Hurdling is tough, but she’s an awesome competitor,” Lakeview girls coach Cindy Dickey said. “She has the attitude. She wants to work hard and she’s been looking really good.”

Other winners from Saturday include Champion’s Cody Lamb in the 400, Girard’s Jalaya Brown in the long jump and Cardinal Mooney’s Kyle Jornigan in the shot put.

RECORDS FALL IN SALEM

East’s girls track team claimed two meet records on Saturday.

Senior sprinter Jahniya Bowers broke a 14-year-old record in the 100 with a time of 12.09 seconds, breaking a mark held by Chaney’s Latalia Jones in 2005. Bowers teamed up with long jump winner DeShante Allen, Laniya Lewis and Kyndia Matlock to set a new record in the 4x100 relay with a winning time of 48.76 seconds. Bowers also won the 200 meter dash.

On the boys side, the Golden Bears’ Giovanni Washington won the 100 and teamed up with Tobias Hayes, Latwan Jordan and Isaih Lewis to win the 4x100. Hayes also won the 200 and 110 hurdles.

Poland’s Chloe Kosco earned three first-place finishes, winning the long jump and was part of the winning 4x200 and 4x400 relays. Teammate Jackie Grisdale won the 800.

Salem swept both team competitions. Oregon State commit Caitlyn Marx won the discus and shot put.