Paul
Heyse | The Chronicle-Telegram
It was a heart-wrenching
finish, but Avon’s Christina Herbst kept her
perspective.
Herbst had the fourth and final qualifying berth in
the shot put (36-feet, 11½ inches) heading into the Division II regional finals
at Ravenna last spring. A tremendous throw by Clearview’s
Brianna Hancock (38-8¼) moved the Clearview thrower
into second place and knocked Herbst out of
qualifying.
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy senior Kayla Comrie
(37-0¼) held on to the fourth spot, beating out Herbst
by three-quarters of an inch.
“I’m trying to turn it around and make something positive out of it,” said Herbst, a junior. “I have some big goals this year. I’d like
to qualify to state in both (shot and discus).”
Herbst is certainly capable of it. She threw the
discus
117-8 in the season opener on March 31 against host Rocky River. That toss
would have qualified her fourth at last year’s regional. Last year, she had an
off day and finished only 10th (98-8) at Ravenna.
“I was so close (in shot put) last year,” said Herbst,
a two-time regional shot put qualifier. “I’ve made it my motivation to go to
state this year.”
Herbst had a good indoor track season. She threw the
shot put 37-1 on Feb. 9 at an indoor meet at Kent State. She’s also worked with
a personal trainer to improve her overall conditioning.
Saints excel
Sophomores Ricky Earl and
Luis Castro of Southview won three events each
against Admiral King on April 9 as the Saints rallied to defeat the Admirals,
65-63.
Earl won the 100 (11.3) and 200 (23.1) with solid performances and also won the
high jump (5-4). Castro took the 1,600 (5:35), 800 (2:22) and ran the third leg
on the winning 1,600 relay (3:56). Castro overcame a 20-meter deficit on his
leg of the relay and had a 1:02 split.
Senior Blake Witherspoon won the 400 (53.2) and anchored the 1,600 relay.
McNeill sets record
Westlake junior Bridget
McNeill threw the discus a school-record 126-2 on April 9 against visiting
Olmsted Falls. The 2007 Division I state qualifier broke the mark of 123-3 she
set last year.
Freshman Kalpana Beach of Westlake also had a good
day. Beach won the high jump at 5-6, beating two state qualifiers from a year
ago — Falls junior Brittany Snider (5-0) and Westlake teammate Amelia Serrat (4-9).
Winslow No. 2 in USA
Former Keystone distance star Amanda Winslow finished second in the mile at the
Mobile Challenge of Champions on April 5 in Mobile, Ala.
Winslow, a junior at Collins Hill High in Suwanee,
Ga., clocked 4:50.88 to finished second behind Pass Christian sophomore Cory
McGee of Mississippi (4:50.67). Both runners broke McGee’s 2007 record of
4:54.25.
The converted time to 1,600 meters is 4:49.19 for Winslow, 4:48.98 for McGee.
The state record in Ohio in Division II girls for the 1,600 is 4:50.10.
McGee finished third in the 1,600 (4:48.32) at last year’s Nike Outdoor
Nationals.
Eagles sweep
The North Olmsted boys
and girls swept titles at Saturday’s Beachwood Invitational. The North Olmsted
boys (85) edged Painesville Harvey (84) and Eastlake North (80½). The North
Olmsted girls (114) beat out Shaw (98) and Normandy (97). Eighteen teams
competed.
Senior Chris Arlinghaus won the high jump (6-0).
Junior Jordan Hoppel was second in the 100 (11.56)
and junior Josh Price was third in the long jump (19-5).
For the girls, North Olmsted Christine Kanis won the
shot put in a meet-record 37-9. Senior Andria Bazilevich
was second in the 3,200 (12:38.35) and junior Morgan Pochatek
was second in the 100 (13.36).
Lake Ridge Academy also competed, finishing 14th on the girls side and 15th on
the boys. Senior Nathan Katify was second in the 800
(2:06.31). Sophomore Amanda Seidel was fifth in the 400 (1:05.71).
Meet the new bosses
Tony Brown is the new
head coach for Oberlin High. A 1990 Oberlin High graduate, Brown previously
coached at Langston Middle School in Lorain, then served at Admiral King under
Pat McGill.
Brown was a four-time Division II state qualifier in the long jump for Oberlin,
taking sixth in 1989. He went on to compete in track for Youngstown State.
• Rick Marinelli
is the new boys coach at Westlake High. He was an assistant coach at Chardon
between 2003-07 and for Painesville Riverside in 1997-98 and 2002.
Marinelli coached state qualifiers in throws and
distance events at Chardon, including boys state champs in the 800 and 3,200.
He also coached for the Maple Leaf Track Club in Chardon. One of his club
athletes, West Geauga’s Katelyn Williams, set a
Division II state record in high jump (5-10¾) in 2007 and was a high school
All-American.
A 1991 Riverside graduate, Marinelli was
All-Mid-American Conference in hurdles, triple jump and the decathlon for
Bowling Green State University. He graduated from BGSU in 1996. He also played
one year of football in 1991 at Mercyhurst College.
• Although new at Clearview, former Brookside boys coach Scott Sloboda is a familiar face in Lorain County. He coached the
Brookside boys team from 2002-07.
Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or PHHeyse@aol.com.
TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES
OF THE WEEK
Marty Coolidge, Elyria
Catholic
YEAR: Sophomore
LAST WEEK: Won the 3,200 meters
Tuesday with a time of 9:58 in a four-team meet at Lake Ridge Academy. Took
first in both the 1,600 (4:42.2) and 3,200 (10:07.7) in a home dual meet
against Wellington.
OTHER SPORT: Cross country
BIO: Finished 10th in the
Division II state boys cross country meet at Scioto Downs last fall with a time
of 16:08.26. He’s the EC boys’ first all-state cross country runner (top 25)
since 2001 and the first EC boy to crack the top 10 at state since 1983 when
Tim Mackert placed third (15:53). Coolidge was the
2007 Lorain County Division II-III Cross Country Runner of the Year. He was a
regional qualifier in the 3,200 meters last spring. Also enjoys training with
his brother, Andy, a former EC runner. A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Coolidge
has a 4.4-grade-point average.
PARENTS: Greg and Sally Coolidge
Christina Herbst, Avon
YEAR: Junior
LAST WEEK: Won the discus (112-10)
and shot put (33-6½) in Wednesday’s 98-39 win at Midview.
Won the discus (117-8) and shot put (34-10) against Rocky River.
OTHER SPORT: Volleyball
BIO: A two-time Division II
regional qualifier in the shot put and a 2007 regional qualifier in discus. Was
the 2007 West Shore Conference champ in both events and the WSC’s MVP for field
events. Last fall, she was first-team WSC, second-team all-district and
honorable mention all-state in volleyball. Is a member of the Cleveland
Volleyball Company (CVC) Junior Olympic program and a member of the Girl
Scouts, National Honor Society, Key Club, student council and the athletic
advisory council. Has a 4.0 GPA.
PARENTS: Richard and Kathy Herbst