'It's just been so great': Smithville takes the day at D3 Norwayne Regional

CRESTON — On Friday night in the finals of the Norwayne Division III Regional, nothing was safe.

Especially the Smithville record book.

Thanks to three event wins in school-record times, and another coming oh-so-close to setting a new program standard, the Smithies dominated the competition in capturing the regional championship at Norwayne Community Stadium.

“It's just been so great,” said sophomore Kaitlyn Carr, following her win in the 1,600-meter run. “I'm so glad that we got a really awesome team to support us and walk us through all of this. It's been a blessing.”

Boys Regional: Rittman's Luke Snyder owns distance events at D3 Norwayne Regional

Just days after the 4x800 relay team broke a program record in winning the regional, the trio of Carr, Maddy Lengacher and Maryn Erdman all reset their own personal school records on Friday, while the 4x4 team came within tenths of a second of the program mark.

The result was a 59-point effort over the two-meet meet — 13 points better than runner-up Trinity.

Both Carr and Erdman were winners in the respective record-breaking runs — Carr taking the 1,600 in 4:56.11 and Erdman clocking a 2:13.19 in the 800.

“I knew I would have really great competitors and I was just excited to get out and compete, see what we can do,” Carr said, bettering her previous-best time of 4:57.04. “I'm just blessed to be a really fast regional that keeps pushing me. It's awesome.”

Erdman’s victory came an exciting race that saw the freshman waste little time taking the lead on Lake Center Christian’s Gianna Ritchie through the first 300 meters and then holding on for the win by over a full second.

“In that race though, I really pushed out in that third 200,” Erdman said. “I fought hard and my legs are really burning. That last 200, the adrenaline kicked in and I tried to push to the outside of lane one just to push her out.”

Lengacher recorded the fastest time in school history in earning her fourth consecutive state trip in the 400. The senior nearly picked up the win, as well, as her 57.16 came up just short of Oberlin’s Olivia Hudson (56.68).

And while it was bittersweet, the time gives the veteran a lot of confidence heading into next week’s state meet in Dayton.

“I was very happy with how I ran,” Lengacher said. “I was a little disappointed in myself that I couldn't beat (Hudson), but that's what was supposed to happen, so I'm happy with it.

“I definitely feel like I'm in a good spot (for next weekend) and that built my confidence up a little bit.”

Lengacher closed her day with another personal-record in the 200, clocking 26.08 for fifth in the 200 — leaving her eligible for the one of the two at-large bids to be announced later this weekend — and then helped the 4x4 with Claire Haas, Hayden Steiner and Erdman to a runner-up finish in 4:01.34, 0.10 seconds shy of the program mark from 2009.

Speaking of records, both Waynedale’s 4x1 and 4x2 teams reset their school-record times from earlier this season. The group of Callie Wolfe, Skye Morris, Anna Pittman, and Nayeli Cruz combined to win a 1:45.92 to place third in the 4x2 and then were second in the 4x1 with a 50.49 to finish behind Trinity (49.17).

And after coming up just short of the automatic state-qualifying spots in both the 100 and 300 hurdles, Morris was happy to continue her senior season another week with the sprint relays.

“It was nice to have my girls right by me, knowing that we can still push to get those even though I didn't have my best races in the hurdles,” said Morris, who was sixth in both hurdle finals. “It was tiring running all four races, but I’m happy that we’re headed to state.”

Pittman also had a busy day as she captured the regional title in the pole vault. The sophomore cleared 11-feet to take first, while Hillsdale’s Adalyn Tipton (personal-record 10-feet) and Dalton’s Mackenna Thiel (9-8) finished second and third, respectively, to also earn state berths.

“It was a good day,” Pittman said. “I've been really pushing in the pole vault, working way harder that I was last year, spending time outside of practice to improve.”

Norwayne had a pair of sophomores earn the fourth and final qualifying spots in their respective events as Haley Bittinger (discus) and Kaylee Graham (300 hurdles) both will compete in the Dayton next week.

Bittinger, who already advanced in the shot put earlier in the week, threw the discus 121-10 on her final throw of the preliminary round.

“Last year I didn't make it past districts, so this year I definitely wanted to grow and build from that and make it further,” she said. “It was a little nerve-racking today, but before I went into the throw I was like 'I just need top four. Top four moves on, that's all I need.'”

After coming into the finals with the sixth-fastest prelim time, Graham was out to make the most of her opportunity.

“I was down on myself a little (coming in), because I had a bad race in the prelims,” Graham admitted, after clocking a career-best 46.25. “I was really nervous, thinking I wasn't going to make it, but I couldn't deal with the feeling of not making it when I'm so close. I just ran so hard and now I feel so good knowing that I made it.”

A handful of distance runners also had strong days, led by Loudonville’s Tess Shultz and Rittman’s Annabelle Snyder.

Shultz clocked a personal-record in both the 1,600 (4:59.43) and 3,200 (11:35.13), earning the automatic state berth in the mile and remaining eligible for the at-large bid in the two mile, while Snyder secured a trip to Dayton in the 800 (2:20.30) and will wait and see if her time in the 1,600 (5:15.21) is enough for one of the two spots up for grabs.

For Shultz, after breaking the five-minute mark for the first time in her career, it was all about finding Carr and hanging on for the ride.

“There's just amazing competition here and Kaitlyn was a big part of that,” Shultz said. “I saw she can time her splits on her watch, I really don't like wearing watches, I saw she timed herself and knew what her splits were, so I was like 'OK, so if I follow this girl, I'm more likely to get the times I want' so I just did that. It was a good plan.”

Norwayne D-III Regional

Girls

Team standings (out of 40 teams): 1. Smithville 59, 2. Trinity 46, 3. Mogadore 44, 4. Oberlin 39, 5. N. Mid. Springfield 31, 6. Waynedale 30, T-7. Mooney/McDonald 28, 9. Maplewood 25, T-10. Norwayne/East Canton/Rootstown 23.

Results

(Top four in each event advance to OHSAA State Championships;winner listed along with local competitors)

Shot put: 1. Brooklynn McIntyre (Ro) 42-11, 2. Haley Bittinger (Nor) 40-11½, 3. Emily Thompson (Nwn) 40-3. Discus: 1. Shanareay Kager (EC) 131-10, 4. Bittinger (Nor) 121-10, 8. Thompson (Nwn) 113-6. High jump: 1. Katie Grexa (B) 5-3, 2. Jule Stoller (Nwn) 5-3, T-9. Brooke Bowlby (Ri) 4-10, 11. Maddy Kate Wolf (Nor) 4-10. Long jump: 1. Iniya Charlton (T) 17-10¾, 8. Reece Urban (N) 16-4½, 11. Callie Wolfe (W) 15-9. Pole vault: 1. Anna Pittman (W) 11-0, 2. Adalyn Tipton (Hills) 10-0, 3. Mackenna Thiel (D) 9-8. 4x800: 1. Smithville (Claire Haas, Cadence Amstutz, Kaitlyn Carr, Maryn Erdman) 9:33.63, 3. Rittman (Bowlby, Adyson Fosen, Ryver Ramsier, Annabelle Snyder) 9:47.56. 100 hurdles: 1. Ava Hulett (MR) 15.20, 6. Skye Morris (W) 16.21. 100: 1. Charlton (T) 12.33. 4x200: 1. Oberlin 1:49.94, 3. Waynedale (Wolfe, Morris, Pittman, Nayeli Cruz) 1:45.92, 6. Smithville (Haas, Erdman, Faith Lengacher, Maddy Lengacher) 1:47.12, 7. Norwayne (Urban, Kaylee Graham, Sydney Emler, Kendra Berger) 1:49.42. 1,600: 1. Carr (S) 4:56.11, 3. Tess Shultz (L) 4:59.43, 5. Snyder (R) 5:15.21. 4x100: 1. Trinity 49.17, 2. Waynedale (Pittman, Wolfe, Cruz, Morris) 50.49, 7. Norwayne (Urban, Kaitlyn Graves, Emler, Berger) 51.94. 400: 1. Olivia Hudson (O) 56.68, 2. M. Lengacher (S) 57.16. 300 hurdles: 1. Sammy Rotunno (Mo) 45.56, 4. Graham (N) 46.25, 6. Morris (W) 47.79. 800: 1. Erdman (S) 2:13.19, 4. Snyder (R) 2:20.30. 200: 1. Charlton (T) 25.14, 5. Lengacher (S) 26.08. 3,200: 1. Caleigh Richards (Map) 10:52.69, 3. Carr (S) 10:55.30, 5. Shultz (L) 11:14.47, 6. Fosen (R) 11:35.13. 4x400: 1. Mogadore 3:57.06, 2. Smithville (M. Lengacher, Haas, Hayden Steiner, Erdman) 4:01.34.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Girls Track and Field: Smithville wins D3 Norwayne Regional