Record-setting distance dominance leads Smithville track and field to runner-up district finish

CRESTON — Midway through the 1,600-meter run final Friday night at the Norwayne Division III District track and field meet, Smithville’s Kaitlyn Carr found herself in second place.

When the race was over, the sophomore had another school record.

Carr was able to make a move with 750 meters to go to take the lead and claim the first of two individual district titles at Norwayne Community Stadium.

No matter the situation she faced from the start, the All-Ohioan had a plan and nothing was going to steer her away from it.

'We're just going to keep going strong': Sprinters power Dalton boys to Div. III district title

“My goal was to get under sub-5 today, I had my splits planned out and I just felt great,” said Carr, who clocked a program-record 4:57.04. “I went out competed, raced and I'm really happy with how I did.”

Loudonville’s Tess Shultz took a quick lead on the opening lap and headed into the third trip around the track still ahead of Carr.

That’s when the Smithville standout made her move, going to the right and passing Shultz before creating distance between her and the field as she registered the third-fastest 1,600 time in area history. Only Norwayne’s Jaylee Wingate had gone under 5 minutes prior to Friday, doing it twice in her prep career.

“I wanted to run even splits and not let it get in my head that (Shultz) was out in front, because I know I can compete and I can race with her,” Carr said. “It's not a big deal, she can go out and do some of the heavy work of leading at the beginning and I can keep focusing on my laps.”

That win, along with Carr's victory in the 3,200 in meet-record time — her 11:02.92 shattered the previous mark of 11:13.90 set in 2016 — was one of several reasons the Smithies finished runner-up with 77 points behind Mogadore (85). Norwayne (71.5) was third, followed by Waynedale (66) in fourth and Rittman (58.5) in sixth.

Speaking of records, fellow Smithie Maddy Lengacher added one of her own as her 57.41 in the 400 beat former Smithville standout Maggie Poorman’s meet record of 57.53 from 2014.

Like Carr, Lengacher had a battle on her hand in the final as she led Mogadore’s Julie Tompkins by a step into the final straightaway. Lengacher was able to find another gear to hold of Tompkins for the win.

“I could hear her right beside me and I was like, 'You just have to stay ahead'; you can't let her pass you because once she passes you it's a bigger fight to get back in front,” said Lengacher, who also was second in the 200 and helped the Smithville 4x400 relay to a runner-up finish. “I could really feel my legs starting to give out and I was just thanking God that I could finish that race.”

After starting the day with a pair of second-place finishes, Waynedale’s Skye Morris had a hand in a pair of district wins, anchoring the 4x100 relay with Anna Pittman, Callie Wolf and Nayeli Cruz to a win in 51.15 and taking first in the 300 hurdles with a season-best 46.70.

That, along with a personal-record time of 15.99 in the 100 hurdles, made for a day the senior won’t soon forget.

“This was an awesome birthday present,” Morris said of her 18th birthday. “It's really exciting. Getting out in the 100s and PR-ing in that and then running well in the 300s, running good in both the 4x2 and 4x1; just being able to get out with my people ... it's really great.”

Pittman started with a win in the pole vault, clearing a modest 10 feet to beat Hillsdale’s Adaline Tipton based on overall misses, while Wolfe moved on in the long jump and Cruz advanced in the 100 with third-place finishes.

That win in the long jump went to Norwayne’s Reece Urban.

The sophomore was able to overcome a steady rain shower to clear 16 feet, 5¼ inches — ¼-inch off of her personal record — to win the event that saw the finals delayed by over 30 minutes after a storm that swept through the area.

“It feels really good, especially with how the conditions were today,” said Urban, who has been battling a quad injury. “I came in seeded fourth, so I was little nervous, but it felt good. Very exciting.

“I was finally able to breath (after the delay) because I was nervous.”

Fellow Bobcats Hailey Bittinger (discus, 123-7) and Kaylee Graham (300 hurdles, 47.24) also picked up points with second-place finishes, while Smithville’s Maryn Erdman (800, 2:17.17) also was a district runner-up.

In first-day action Wednesday, Rittman’s 4x800 team of Brooke Bowlby, Adyson Fosen, Ryver Ramsier and Annabelle Snyder ran a school-record 9:33.98 — the fourth-fastest time in area history.

Snyder added a pair of individual regional berths on Friday in the 800 and 1,600, joining Bowlby (high jump) and Fosen (3,200).

But the relay win, and record time, stood out above the rest.

“We've all had good races individually, but we really, really, really wanted to qualify as a team and we were running for each other in that race,” Snyder said. “That caused us to really push for it and fight for each other.”

Norwayne Division III District Track and Field Meet

Girls

Team standings: 1. Mogadore 85, 2. Smithville 77, 3. Norwayne 71.5, 4. Waynedale 66, 5. Lake Center Christian 61, 6. Rittman 58.5, 7. Rootstown 52, 8. Black River 37, 9. East Canton 36, T-10. Northwestern/Loudonville 28, 12. Dalton 18, 13. Canton Central Catholic 17, 14. Windham 11, 15. Hillsdale 8, 16. Mapleton 6, 17. St. Thomas Aquinas 1.

Results

(Top four in each event advance to regionals; winner and locals in the top-6 listed)

Shot put: 1. Brooklyn McIntyre (Ro) 40-4¾, 3. Haley Bittinger (N) 39-2, 4. Emily Thompson (Nwn) 39-0¼. Discus: 1. Shanaray Kager (EC) 131-3, 2. Bittinger (N) 123-7, 4. Thompson (Nwn) 111-7, 6. Kaitlyn Graves (N) 101-9. High jump: 1. Jule Stoller (Nwn) 5-1, 3. Brooke Bowlby (Ri) 4-10, Maddy Kate Wolf (N) 4-10, 5. Sophie Shultz (L) 4-8, 6. Jenna Necko (S) 4-8. Long jump: 1. Reece Urban (N) 16-5¼, 3. Callie Wolfe (W) 15-4½, 6. Mya Vermilya (L) 15-2¾. Pole vault: 1. Anna Pittman (W) 10-0, 2. Adalyn Tipton (H) 10-0, 3. Mackenna Theil (D) 10-0, T-5. Kendra Berger (N)/Ryver Ramsier (R) 9-0. 4x800: 1. Rittman (Bowlby, Adyson Fosen, Ramsier, Annabelle Snyder) 9:33.98, 3. Smithville 9:56.52, 5. Norwayne 10:27.23, 6. Dalton 10:47.53. 100 hurdles: 1. Olivia Todd (BR) 15.68, 2. Skye Morris (W) 15.99, 5. Brooke Nolletti (Nwn) 17.05, 6. Stoller (Nwn) 17.42. 100: 1. Nicole Hayes (LCC) 12.88, 3. Nayeli Cruz (W) 13.17, 5. Berger (N) 13.55, 6. Isabel Ward (R) 13.85. 4x200: 1. Mogadore 1:44.95, 2. Waynedale 1:46.85, 3. Smithville 1:47.81, 4. Norwayne 1:49.75. 1,600: 1. Kaitlyn Carr (S) 4:57.04, 2. Snyder (R) 5:04.08, 3. Tess Shultz (L) 5:04.91, 5. Clara Sundberg (W) 5:20.68. 4x100: 1. Waynedale 51.15, 3. Dalton 52.31, 4. Norwayne 52.33. 400: 1. Maddy Lengacher (S) 57.41, 4. Claire Haas (S) 1:01.02, 5. Selah Amos (R) 1:04.26. 300 hurdles: 1. Morris (W) 46.70, 2. Kaylee Graham (N) 47.24. 800: 1. Gianna Ritchie (LCC) 2:16.10, 2. Maryn Erdman (S) 2:17.17, 4. Snyder (R) 2:18.80, 5. Sundberg (W) 2:24.88. 200: 1. Melanie Plecko (Ro) 25.99, 2. Lengacher (S) 26.39, 6. Urban (N) 27.28. 3,200: 1. Carr (S) 11:02.92, 2. Shultz (L) 11:22.82, 4. Fosen (R) 11:32.14, 6. Bowlby (R) 12:04.21. 4x400: 1. Mogadore 3:58.14, 2. Smithville 4:02.47, 3. Rittman 4:08.65, 5. Norwayne 4:16.85.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Girls Track and Field: Carr leads Smithville at Norwayne District meet