Notre Dame, Whitmer continue domination
Williams captures 100, 200 for Eagles; Wormley's shot, discus wins spark Panthers
5/20/2012
Notre Dame's Jessika Matthews sprints toward the finish to win the 400-meter dash in 59.07, lifting the Eagles to the overall team title.
The Blade/Zack Conkle
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Emily Popovitch of Clay jumps 16-10 to win the girls' long jump. Teammate Nicole Breeden claimed the discus title with a throw measuring 140 feet, giving the Eagles a pair of field event victories
Whitmer and Notre Dame are avid collectors of Division I district championships.
The Panther boys and the Eagles added to their track and field trophy collections on Saturday afternoon at St. Francis de Sales.
Whitmer, led by thrower Chris Wormley -- a shot put and discus winner -- tallied 132 points en route to winning a third straight district championship. The Panthers have won the district team championship 10 out of the last 15 seasons, including three of the last four. St. Francis de Sales finished as district runner-up with 97.50 points, followed by Southview 81, St. John's Jesuit 67, and Clay 45 to round out the top five.
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"We've won every meet this year, and we want to stay hungry," Whitmer coach Greg Kubicki said.
Notre Dame, paced by sprinter Lexi Williams -- the 100 and 200 meter champion -- produced 116 points on its way to winning its third straight district championship. Northview placed second with 84 points, followed by Perrysburg 69, Central Catholic 67, and Whitmer 62 to account for the top five.
"It's just one more step toward regionals, and let's see what we can do there," Notre Dame coach Ray Strassner said.
Wormley, a senior, delivered a winning toss of 55-feet, 9.50 inches to win the shot put to go along with a winning throw of 176 feet in the discus, becoming the only Panther to claim two individual titles.
Whitmer's Jody Webb and Alonzo Lucas placed first and second in the 100 with times of 11.06 and 11.10, respectively.
They also ran legs on the Panthers' 400 relay that finished first with a time of 42.65. Mark Meyers scored a victory for Whitmer by finishing first in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.47. Patrick Siebenaller also collected an individual title by clearing 14-8 in the pole vault. Teammate Nicholas Holley finished second by also clearing 14-8, but he required more attempts.
Southview's Malcolm Johnson made a strong push during the final 20 meters of the 200 to score a win with a time of 22.34. Jernard Pinckney earned the long jump title with a winning jump of 22-6.50. The Cougars also claimed victories in the 800 relay (1:28.52) and 1600 relay (3:21.91).
Notre Dame's Jessika Matthews sprints toward the finish to win the 400-meter dash in 59.07, lifting the Eagles to the overall team title.
St. Francis' William Cameron made the most of running on his home track, crossing the finish line first to win the 400 with a time of 49.53. Teammate Kyle Lach collected a district title by winning the 1600 with a time of 4:22.48. Daniel Siebenaller also displayed the Knights' strength in the distance events by winning the 3200 with a time of 9:57.44. Cameron and Lach were also members of St. Francis' 3200 relay team that turned in a winning time of 8:00.21.
"I knew I would have to go out and run my best to win because I expected it to be close," Lach said of his 1600 triumph.
Bowsher's D'Angelo Wilkes-Sharpley scored a district title for the second straight year by winning the 800 (1:55.54), while Start's Christopher Towns won the 300 hurdles (39.86).
St. John's James O'Shea cleared 6-4 to win the high jump.
Williams powered Notre Dame to another district title after streaking to first place in the 100 (12.36) and 200 (25.14). Rogers hurdler Brianna Scott-Glover matched Williams by winning two individual titles. She swept the 100 and 300 hurdles with times of 14.68 and 42.94, respectively. Her time for the 300 hurdles was a meet record.
Northview's Alison Work also won twice, setting a meet record in the 800 (2:12.59) not long after winning the 1600 (5:15.54).
"I'm really excited about running my personal best in the 800," Work said. "That wasn't expected."
Jessika Matthews helped Notre Dame's run toward the title by winning the 400 with a time of 59.07, while teammate Alexandra Aughenbaugh did her part by winning the 3200 (11:12.91). Notre Dame also won the 800 relay (1:42.16).
Northview's Alysha Welch won the high jump (5-4), and the Wildcats' 3200 relay (Janelle Noe, Abigail Masters, Mallory Small, Work) scored a victory with a meet-record time of 9:19.07.
Central's 400 relay and 1600 relay placed first with times of 48.94 and 4:03.41, respectively.
Clay's Nicole Breeden claimed the discus title with a throw measuring 140 feet, while teammate Emily Popovitch won the long jump with an effort of 16-10.
St. Ursula's Alyeska Sturt won the shot put with a toss of 36-5, while Whitmer's Kaitlyn Barber earned a district title by winning the pole vault (10-6).
Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com, 419-724-6302 or on Twitter @DemmonsBlade.