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Girls track squad takes first place at Fitch

by Steve Batko

Correspondent

With yet another invitational title -- the 28th annual Austintown Fitch Optimist Meet under its belt, the Twinsburg girls track squad is raising plenty of eyebrows this spring.

However, lost in all of the excitement is the team's excellence in the first year of the Northeast Ohio Conference.

It has been over two years since Twinsburg has lost a dual meet. That came against Hudson in Western Reserve Conference action.

The Lady Tigers improved to 4-0 in the first-year Northeast Ohio Conference River Division with a commanding 100-37 win over Nordonia April 30 in Macedonia.

Twinsburg won the Optimist Meet with 80.25 points. Hudson (74) and North Canton Hoover (73.5) finished second and third, respectively.

The Lady Tigers won with only one title, the 1,600-meter relay (4 minutes, 8.34 seconds). The team was without Jasmine Smith, who won the 200 and 400 at the recent Poland Invitational. The freshman flash was participating in another school activity.

The winning team consisted of Brittany Buck, Samantha Eberman, Amanda Buck and Danielle Kirkpatrick.

More importantly, Twinsburg saw a host of teams it will face in the postseason on the Falcon Stadium campus. North Canton and Canton GlenOak are among the teams the Tigers will face. Twinsburg's district and regional meets will be at Fitch.

"I have been pleased with the girls in the duals, but I think the Optimist Invitational was a great opportunity for us to gage where we are in our training cycle with the postseason being only two weeks away," said head coach Craig Taylor.

Seniors aided the effort at Fitch. Kirkpatrick was third in the 3,200 (11:29.54) and 1,600 meter races (5:18.54) behind some of Ohio's finest runners. Brittany Buck was second in the open 400 (1:00.84), and anchored the team's third-place 3,200 relay (9:50.95).

The 3,200 cast included the Buck twins, Jessica D'Isidoro and Taylor Vidovic.

Taylor Brown also impressed at Fitch. She ran second in the 200 (26.59), ran in the runner-up 800 relay (1:47.04), and was fourth in the 100- (12.94).

The 800 cast was made up of Brown, Kenya Garner, Eberman and Melissa Pickett, who also excelled. She ran third in the 400 (1:01.1).

"We had some athletes missing because of academic commitments, but we still had outstanding performances to win against great competition that we won't normally see until districts," Taylor said.

In the pole vault, Kaitlyn Sandercock placed fifth by clearing 8 feet, 6 inches as she threatens the school record.

Eberman ran fifth in the 300 hurdles (48.4); Garner took sixth in the 100 (12.96); Vidovic placed sixth in the 800 (2:28.59) and Jasmine Wilson was eighth in the 100 high hurdles (17.18). Emily Garrad was eighth in the high jump at 4-9.

Girls rout Nordonia

At Nordonia, the 3,200 relay won (10:36.1) behind D'Isidoro, Pickett, Smith, and Missy Boyes, along with Sydnee Carter in the 100 (12.9). The teams' three other relays won the 800 (1:47.27), 400 (51.5) and the 1,600 (4:16.57).

The 800 relay included Pickett, Brittany Buck, Smith and Eberman.

The 400 had Carter, LaDawn Manuel, Eberman and Garner. The 1,600 included the Buck twins, Vidovic and Kirkpatrick, who also won the 1600 (5:31.81) and 800 (2:27.44) races.

Senior Ashley Davis won the shot put (34-1), while Sandercock won the pole vault (8-0). Garrard placed first in the high jump (4-10) and Manual won the long jump (14-3).

Brittany Buck captured the 200 (26.7); Smith placed first in the 400 (58.16); and Eberman won the 300 hurdles (47.47).

Vidovic, Carter, Amanda Buck and Wilson also grabbed second and third places in the dual.

Seconds included Garner in the 100 (12.96), Wilson 100 hurdles (17.35), Vidovic in the 1,600 ( 5:39.6), Amanda Buck in the 800 (2:31.45), D'Isidoro in the 3,200 (12:49), Carter in the long jump (14-3) and Lauren Sowell in the discus (94-1).

Thirds were turned in by Eberman in the 100 hurdles (17.6), Amanda Buck 1,600 (5:40.2), Pickett in the 400 (60.95), Wilson in the 300 hurdles (52.29), Vidovic in the 800 (2:34.24), Carter and Sarah Campbell reached 7-6 in the pole vault.

"We still have a lot of work to do but at this point, I am more confident about how our athletes perceive their potential than I was a few weeks ago," said Taylor.

Twinsburg was scheduled to host River Division rival Cuyahoga Falls May 7. Results were not available at press time. The Lady Tigers are set to compete at the Jackson Invitational May 9 at 4:30 p.m.

The NOC Championship is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. May 15.

E-mail: stowsports@recordpub.com

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