by Ken Lahmers

Editor

Aurora -- The Greenmen girls track squad posted a fourth-place finish in the Mayfield Invitational and finished third to Perry and West Geauga in a triangular meet last week.

The team is looking forward to the final day of the Chagrin Valley Conference meet May 15. Preliminaries and some finals took place May 13.

"At this point we begin to taper our athletes, focusing on what they will do in the postseason competition," said coach John Kudley.

In the eight-team Mayfield meet, Aurora recorded 73 points to finish behind Medina Highland, Mayfield and Willoughby South. Orange, Maple Heights, Hathaway Brown and John Adams rounded out the field.

Marissa McClung topped AHS's efforts, finishing in a tie for first in the high jump at 4-10, while Jordan Curtis was right behind at 4-8.

Katie Davidoff took second in the pole vault at 9 feet even, while Breanna Boswell was sixth at 7-6.

Jill Sweress took third in the 3,200 in 12:14, with Erica Aldrich seventh in 13:15.9, while Brooke Hradisky was fourth in the 400 dash in 1:02.5.

Victoria Meneese earned sixth in the 100 dash in 13.1. Seventh place went to Jasmine Johnson in the 100 hurdles in 18.0 and Liesel Schmader in the 1,600 in 6:02.9.

Garnering eighth place were Davidoff in the shotput at 26-6 and Michelle Matras in the discus at 70-9.

In the relays, AHS placed third (10:21.2) in the 4x800, with Sweress, Heather Schroeder, Aldrich and Danielle Lewandowski running. Fourth was the 4x100 of Kahli Hale, Curtis, Danielle Dobies and Menesse (53.0).

The sprint medley of Hale, Dobies, Meneese and Jessica Milner was fifth in 2:00.8, and also earning fifth was the distance medley of Annie Dankelson, Lauren Weinkauf, Erin Sullivan and Brooke Eastman.

"I was extremely pleased with our finish, considering the strength of the competition and the weather, which turned cold and windy," said Kudley.

"The 4x800 ran a season-best, as did Schmader and Dankelson in the 1,600, and Alyssa Ogonek [in her last meet as a senior -- ran a personal best in the 3,200, taking 24 seconds off her previous best. Boswell had a personal best by 12 inches in the pole vault."

Perry, W. Geauga, CVC

Kudley noted in the meet against West G. and Perry, the Greenmen had Meneese back for the first time since the Crestwood Invitational.

She anchored the 4x200 and 4x100 relays with good times, "considering she was slightly out of shape," the coach said. She also won the 200 dash in 26.7.

The highlight of the meet, though was Davidoff's school record-tying effort of 9-feet-6 in the pole vault. She now is in the record books with Corie Moore, who soared that height in 2002.

Hradisky led off the 4x800 with a season-best time of 2:26.8, and the team took second.

"This was only the second time Brooke had run that distance, having mainly been used in the 400 dash and spring relays," Kudley said, adding she also won the 400 in 1:02.4.

The 4x200 of Hale, Curtis, Dobies and Meneese ran a season-best 1:51.8.

"It was another meet where other school activities kept us from competing with an entire team," Kudley said. Because of a choir concert, no girls competed in the shotput and discus.

Others who had season bests were Aldrich, Dankelson and Claudia Bauman in the 1,600; Jessica Milner in the 400, Lewandowski, Schmader and Caitlyn Delahunta in the 800; Sullivan in the 3,200 and Annelie Frantzen in the high jump.

"I think the CVC meet will be just like last year, with very few points separating the top four teams," said Kudley. "On paper, Kenston seems like the team to beat, with Chagrin Falls, Perry and us providing tough competition."

The girls squad competes in the District I district meet May 21 and 23 in Ravenna.

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