Although it was only their first invitational of the season, the Aurora Greenmen track team raced like they had something to prove by competing against several Portage County rivals. The Aurora girls won the Don Faix Invitational by scoring 147 points and the boys took second place with 89 points last Saturday at Jack Lambert Stadium in Mantua.
“It was a very good performance to start our invitational,” Aurora girls’ Coach Greg Cicero said. “We scored a lot of points in the sprints, distance races and the hurdle events. We showed strength in all three of those areas and won two of the relays and took second in another one. On the track we were well-balanced.”
The “A” team of sophomores Juliana Huth, Abigail Roganjic, Amelia Kilway and senior Eva Logan captured first place in the 4×800 relay with a time of 10:36.57.
Senior Kassidy Fry won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.28 seconds, followed by junior Gianna Previte who stopped the clock with a personal record 17.04 seconds.
Sophomore Isbaella Cicero finished as the runner-up in the 200-meter dash with a personal record 12.85 seconds.
The “A” team of sophomore Elizabeth Phillips,Olivia Leon, Isabelle Leindecker and freshman Lilly Raab took second place in the 4×200 relay with a time of 1:55.32.
Junior Sydney Langell won the 1600-meter run with a personal best time of 5:35.19, followed by Kilway who came in seventh place by clocking a time of 5:57.79.
Sophomore Brooke Pierce, senior Cali-Lynne Edgar, Raab and Fry formed the “A” team in the 4×100 relay and came in fifth place with a time of 54.94.
Isbaella won the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.88, followed by Leindecker who snagged third place with a time of 1:03.28.
Junior Gianna Previte captured third place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.57 seconds, followed by sophomore Addyson Rumskey who took fourth with a time of 53.38 seconds.
Senior Eva Logan wrapped up sixth place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:37.92.
Isbaella took second place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.83 seconds, followed by Leindecker who finished in third with a personal record 27.15 seconds.
Langell won the 3200-meter run by crossing the finish line with a personal best time of 12:08.07, followed Roganjic who came in third place with a time of 12:47.80.
“Sydney is head and shoulders better than she was last year already,” the second-year coach said. “She really dedicated herself in the winter to do consistent running every day and what we see in practice is amazing. We are going to start seeing it week in and week out now that the season is in gear.”
The “A” quartet of Previtte, Logan, Isabella and Leindecker teamed up to win the 4×400 relay with a time of 4:22.91.
Fry took third in the high jump by recording a height of four feet, 10 inches.
Junior Felicite Williams finished in fourth place in the shot put by throwing 31 feet, followed by junior Carolyn Jakosh who took fifth with a personal record 30 feet, 6½ inches.
Williams earned fifth place in the discus throw with a distance of 102 feet, eight inches.
On the boys’ side, despite not scoring points in the hurdling events and only six points in the field events, they still rallied to finish as the runners-up.
“I am really proud of what the boys accomplished out there,” said boys’ Coach Chris Radkte. “It was good competition, a lot of competition on a really long day and they did very well.”
The “A” team of junior Connor Flynn, freshman Carson Aardema, junior Zack Ploskunak, and senior Robert Will finished in third place in the 4×800 relay with a time of 8:55.78.
Sophomore Quincy John snagged third place in the 100-meter dash with a personal record 11.31 seconds, followed by freshman Luke McGovern who came in fourth place with a time of 11.33 seconds.
“Probably the one who is leading the pack right now for us is Quincy,” noted the 10-year coach. “He is probably number one. Of all of the guys that were running, as a sophomore he has the most experience.”
Juniors Ishaan Shaik, Athan Salgado, sophomore Luke Geyer and senior Andrew Snyder formed the “A” team in the 4×200 relay, taking second place with a time of 1:35.94.
Sophomore Nathan Eminian finished in fourth place in the 1600-run with a personal record of 4:51.13, followed by Will who took sixth with a time of 4:54.70.
The “A” team of Shaik, Geyer, McGovern and John won the 4×100 relay with a time of 44.98 seconds.
Salgado came in second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.47 seconds.
Flynn wrapped up fourth place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2.06.80.
Geyer placed third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.87 seconds, followed by senior Andrew Snyder who came in fifth place with a time of 23.91 seconds.
Eminian came in fourth place in the 3200-meter run with a personal record 10:20.61, followed by Ploskunak who placed fifth with a time of 10:43.10.
The “A” team off freshman Cooper Ertle, Salgado, Snyder and Flynn took fifth in the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:51.92.
John finished in sixth place in the high jump with a height of five feet, eight inches.
Senior Jaxson Rhea earned fifth place in the shot put, throwing a distance of 42 feet, 3½ inches.
Following a road dual meet against Suburban League American Conference rival Tallmadge on Wednesday, the Greenmen will host the John Kudley Invitational at Veterans Stadium on Friday beginning at 5 p.m.
