by Steve Batko
Correspondent
After suffering its first blemish of the season to powerful unbeaten league rival Twinsburg, the Stow High girls track and field team showed balance and strength in the distance races on its own track at the April 26 Reinhart Relays.
Stow, 2-1 overall and 2-1 in the Northeast Ohio Conference, captured the team championship over a solid cast of teams. The Lady Bulldogs edged Nordonia 105-99 for the Reinhart crown. Green (79), Wadsworth (55) and Ellet (51) were other contenders.
Bulldogs Aaron Morris witnessed junior star Abby Koch win the 3,200-meter championship at the Reinhart event, setting a new school record in the process. Koch was clocked at 11:25.7 in dominating the field of runners.
Koch won by over 53 seconds against the pack at Stow, led by Ellet's Haley Hawthorne (12:42.9), Nordonia's Miranda Pomiecko (12:56.5), and Stow junior Erin Schnellinger, who had a fine clocking of 13:03.8.
Just earlier in the week -- in the April 23 loss to Twinsburg, Koch established a new 1600 school record of 5:12.2 as she beat Twinsburg standout Danielle Kirkpatrick (Eastern Michigan).
Also garnering a title for Stow at the Reinhart Relays was the 1600-meter relay. This cast had a meet record time of 4:09.7, besting Parma Padua (4:19.1) and Wadsworth (4:24), which had a previous best of 4:08.
Comprising the relay was sophomore Colleen Bonacci, senior Renee Oneacre, freshman Katie Betts, and junior anchor Megan Johnson.
In upcoming action, the Lady Bulldogs will host Nordonia May 6 and run in the Ellet Orange Bowl Relays May 9. All action starts at 4 p.m.
Morris also saw his 6,400-meter relay and his distance medley crew nail down titles plus new Reinhart Relays meet records, but the team's high jump relay also captured first place.
Bekah Alexander, a Stow junior, was a challenger and had to know coming into the meet that Tallmadge standout Amanda Bennett would be a threat. Bennett and Alexander tied for first place at 5-1 feet along with two other athletes Kassandra Spangler (Kent Roosevelt) and Padua's Rebecca Plescia, who also cleared 5-1. Stow's Bonacci was fifth (4-10 feet) along with junior teammate Vicki Moga and Green's Bridget Linton.
The 6400 relay set a new meet record with a time of 22:24.5 in easily outdistancing Kent (25:12.3) while the distance medley beat Tallmadge by 32 seconds with a time of 13:18.5.
Making up the distance medley was Betts, freshman Adrianna Tondi, sophomore Jessie Hall, and sophomore Jessica DuHamel. The 6400 cast had Betts, junior Tessa Wilson, DuHamel, and Koch.
Stow's 800-meter relay had a blazing time of 1:50.4 behind sizzling Nordonia (1:48.9) to run second. The Bulldogs beat a strong unit from Ellet that came in with in 1:50.0 time. The relay included sophomore Bre Tondi, Bonacci, Johnson, and freshman Marena Toth.
Senior leadership also helped Stow score points as seconds were also turned in by the long jump relay and the 400 relay. For the long jump, Toth was second overall with a leap of 15-11.25 feet. She was supported by senior Laura Page (fifth; 14-5.75), and senior Nicole Scheidler (13th; 13-9.25).
The 400 relay was clocked at 52.7, behind a potent Nordonia (51.5) cast. This group for Stow was senior Lynsey Archibald, junior Monica Winters, senior Megan Samson, and Bre Tondi.
A solid third-place effort by the pole vault relay was led by Page, as the veteran posted an 8-6 feet. Sophomore Jill Francis was fifth (8-0) and junior Caila Chambers, 12th (6-6).
Another third was recorded by the team's young 3200 relay (10:39.2) of Oneacre, freshman Tess Barsody, sophomore Lyndsey Walker, and freshman Lindsay Amerman. The 800 sprint medley was the top seed, but hung on to place third (1:57.3) with Winters, Page, Toth, and Johnson.
Morris saw his 400 shuttle hurdles crew run third (1:12.6). Senior Rachel Harris ran along with freshman Haley Guenther, sophomore Hayley Bair, and senior Brittney Luli. Harris was also eighth in the 100 high hurdles (18.2).
Discus toss saw a seventh-place by junior Christen Bradford (89 feet), plus 11th by junior Vicki Nolte at 85-9, and in 18th place was junior Claire Lucas at 72-3. Sophomore Lauren McLain (28-0.75) was 12th in shot put (28-0.75). Nolte was 15th and Bradford was 20th overall.
For Stow, it was the team's second big meet title this spring as the Lady Bulldogs won the team championship at the 29th annual Waterloo Valkyrie Invitational at Ravenna Stadium on April 19.
E-mail: stowsports@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113