RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
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Four athletes from Z-Land won individual championships at Tuesday’s Sectional Track and Field Meet at New Haven, and two of them shattered sectional records in the process.
Seventh-ranked Homestead again dominated the team competition, compiling 187 points, almost doubling the 98 of runner-up Huntington North. Heritage took third with 59.5, and South Adams made a traditionally strong showing, placing fifth with 54 points. Adams Central was eighth (34 points), Bellmont ninth (27 points).
Bellmont senior Hailey Cole continued her remarkable string of first-year throwing performances, winning the shot put by over two and a half feet and besting the old sectional record by more than three feet. She also broke her own Bellmont record.
Cole threw over 40 feet in each of her six throws, but it was the first one that astounded onlookers and won the competition. It was a clutch throw, coming just moments after Heritage’s Maya Gerber set a new sectional record of 40-7.75. Cole stepped into the ring and unleashed a monster heave of 43-4. “I knew going in that she was going to be my toughest competition,” Cole said, “so when I saw her throw that, I said, ‘I’m going to have to, you know, get my personal best to beat her.’” Gerber easily nabbed second place and a spot in the regional.
Gerber, a senior, set the other sectional record when she hurled the discus 139-3 to beat the #1 seed, runner-up Makenna Dommer of New Haven, by more than six feet. Gerber was a bit taken aback by her own throw. “I didn’t know it was going to go that far,” she said of the winning effort, which also sets a new Heritage record. “That was a surprise—it was a very good surprise, though.”
“Maya is a kid who has come a long way,” said Heritage throws coach Jason Habisch. “She works incredibly hard. I’m extremely proud of her. For her to do that today is really big for her.”
Habisch admires Dommer as well and likes how she and Gerber push each other. “They like each other, they like competing against each other, and it’s everything you want to see out of high school sports,” he said. “They make each other better.”
South Adams sophomore Kapri Bixler edged past Homestead’s Ellie Irwin in the final 30 meters to win the 300-meter hurdles in a new South Adams school record time of 47.16. “It feels pretty good,” Bixler stated. “I did not expect that at all.” Then, with a grin, she added, “Family bragging rights.” (The old school record was held by Brooklyn Bixler, Kapri’s sister.)
Bixler also advanced in the 100 hurdles, taking third in 16.02.
The fourth Z-Lander to take home a championship was Heritage long jumper Piper Pierce, who leaped 16-4 to edge Wayne’s Thailynn Xayarath by five inches.
Besides Cole, Bellmont will take its 4×400 relay team to the regional. (Top three advance in each event.) The squad placed third in 4:22.43, as Khia Cannon split a personal-best 1:02.9 in the anchor leg to move from fourth to third and punch the regional ticket. “We all PRed, I’m pretty sure. It was a team effort,” Cannon said while recovering from her run. “I can’t feel my legs,” she added, “but it was worth it!” The other members of the relay were Adi Knipstein, Quinn Buchan, and Lilly Franz.
Adam Central senior distance standout Gabi Landis set a personal best of 5:20.29 in the 1600-meter run, good for the runner-up spot and a regional berth. Landis was a distant third early the race but steadily creeped up on second-place Lauren Saddington of Homestead and passed her in the last lap. “I feel like I really struggle in my second and third laps usually, but I was able to keep it a little more consistent tonight,” Landis said.
Landis also advanced to regional as part of the Jets’ third-place 4X800 relay team, where she teamed up with Madison Gerber, Julianna Sipe, and Madison Hamilton to record a 10:11.84.
Heritage also advances shot putter Madilyn Scheumann (third with 37-1), and South Adams will take pole vaulter Stella McIntire (second at 8-6).
Other area scorers:
Bellmont—Cannon, Knipstein, Taylor Louis, Chloe Post, 4X100 relay, eighth in 55.42; Madison Witte, Lilly Franze, Quinn Buchan, Chloe Garcia, 4X800 relay, sixth in 11:16.65; Cannon, 200 meters, seventh in 27.97; Jazlyn Brown, high jump, fourth at 4-10.
Adams Central—Ashlyn Doster, high jump, fifth-place tie at 4-8; Landis, 800-meter run, fourth in 2:30.99; Madison Gerber, 3200-meter run, fourth in 12:55.66; Madison Hamilton, 300 hurdles, seventh in 51.33; Hamilton, Landis, Julianna Sipe, Doster, 4X400 relay, fourth in 4:22.67.
South Adams—Virginia Litwiller, 800-meter run, seventh in 2:39.05; Adalynn Watson, 1600-meter run, fourth in 5:41.69; Kalle Trausch, 3200-meters run, eighth in 14:54.38; Ava Schmit, 100-meter hurdles, fourth in 16.17, and 300-meter hurdles, fourth in 48.19; Bixler, Schmit, Emmerson Smith, Lydia Bauman, 4X100, seventh in 55.42; Baumann, Aleena Bierbaum, Schmit, McIntire, 4X400, seventh in 4:41.36; Liz Gerber, discus, eighth at 94-0; Bixler, long jump, sixth at 15-4.5; Watson, Litwiller, Bierbaum, Trausch, 4X800, fifth in 11:04.08.
Heritage—Piper Pierce, 100 meters, seventh in 13.25; Trinitee Brown, 200 meters, eighth in 28.22; Dinestee Williams-White, 400 meters, seventh in 1:04.02; Elise Hissong, 3200-meter run, seventh in 14:32.82; Rosalind Medina, 300-meter hurdles, eighth in 52.00; Ava Johnson, high jump, tie for eighth at 4-6; Trinitee Brown, long jump, fourth at 15-6.5; Madilyn Scheumann, discus, fifth at 107-2; Pierce, Williams-White, Brown, Olivia Lybarger, 4X100, fifth in 53.01; Pierce, Medina, Williams-White, Lybarger, 4X400, fifth in 4:30.56.
For a deeper look at the results and for more photos from Tuesday’s meet, check out our link here:
Carroll High School will host the regional next Tuesday, May 21. The meet will start at 6:00 P.M.
