The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Chardon’s Baker excels, McClintock to Georgia
In girls track and field notes, Chardon’s Lily Baker has had a turbulent winter and spring. Also, Chagrin Falls’ Halle McClintock commits to Georgia, the final edition of Honor Roll for the year and area leaders.
When people start seeing Lily Baker at meets from now on, they should probably remind themselves just how indestructible she seemingly is.
From a serious car accident during gymnastics season to a major pole vault scare last month at Ranger Relays, the Chardon junior has been dealt a hand of adversity but handled it commendably well.
This past weekend, she won her first outright invitational title of the season in pole vault at the Woodridge Wrapup, clearing 10 feet as the Hilltoppers won the team title with 119 points. It was her third invite top-three of the spring in the event, including a tie for best individual vault at Ranger, clearing 10-0, and taking third at the Avon Lake Invitational at 9-6.
“It was certainly tough (at Woodridge) to say the least — 40 degrees and raining,” Chardon coach Eric Bartley said. “Somehow she managed to get up over 10 feet. Earlier in the meet when she was warming up, I kind of looked at her, and you could tell the weather was kind of getting to her a little bit. I said, ‘Lily, what if the weather is like this at district or the league meet? If you’re the best jumper in the building, you need to be the best jumper regardless of the weather.’
“And I had no idea, but she went out and made 10 that day. You look at what the boys side did — 9-foot opening height — and only two boys cleared the bar. So she was third on the boys side with 10 feet. That was pretty cool.”
Before the West Geauga District gymnastics meet, Baker’s legs were severely bruised and her car was totaled in an accident doctors initially feared left her with a broken collarbone. Thankfully it wasn’t, and Baker competed at district as Chardon earned a state team berth.
At Ranger Relays, Baker attempted to clear 10-6 when she had a rough tumble off the back of the mat.
“She made the bar, and the pole sat on the bar,” Bartley explained. “So I didn’t actually see her landing, as I was watching the pole to see if it knocked the bar off. It didn’t, and she kind of bounced and went head over feet off the back of the pit.
“I saw feet off the back of the pit, and they weren’t moving a whole lot. She was moving and tearing up a little bit. Fortunately, (North coach Royal Brettrager’s) son is an EMT, and he was on the spot, too, and the trainer wasn’t far behind. They secured her, made sure everything was OK. The squad came, and it was precautionary obviously. She was fine, but it definitely scared me. I’m sure it scared her, too.”
But again, she has quickly found her way back to competition as the Western Reserve Conference meet looms May 11 and the postseason starting next week.
“When she sets her mind right, she’s as mentally tough as they come,” Bartley said.
For more from Bartley, listen to the full interview at News-Herald.com.
McClintock to Georgia
Chagrin Falls senior Halle McClintock will join the evergrowing list of area Division I college track and field athletes next year, as she has signed her national letter of intent to compete at Georgia.
McClintock moved back to the area with her family from Houston in time to make an immediate impact as a junior transfer for the Tigers, anchoring the Division II state champion 4x800-meter relay and winning a D-II regional crown in open 800 last spring while battling foot and ankle issues.
Honor roll
A look at a few of the top performances by area athletes from meets held this past week:
• Area winners at the Byers Field Relays were Berkshire’s shot put, discus relays and 4x8 and Chagrin Falls’ high jump relay, 4x2 and sprint medley.
• Geneva once again dominated the Ashtabula County meet with 167 points, getting individual-event titles from Paige Williams (100), Taylor Cupp (400), Dareion Marrison (800), Emma Hanchosky (200) and Annika Dudik (high jump). With nine event titles and 16 top 3s this year, Geneva has now accumulated 100 first-place finishes and 212 top threes at the meet since 2008, in each year winning the team title in the process with an average of nearly 198 points.
• Area individual-event champions at Gilmour’s Miele Invitational not already mentioned in coverage were the Lancers’ Ava Thomas (200), Madison Olsen (400) and Jorja Hlifka (3,200), Beachwood’s Lali Ramanda (high jump) and NDCL’s Asia Jones (discus).
• Perry’s Leah King (second, 100 hurdles), Anna Sorine (second, 800) and Brooke Sutyak (first, pole vault) each recorded top fives at Austintown-Fitch’s Optimist Meet.
• Chardon also got topthree finishes at Woodridge Wrapup from Haley Frank (first, 100 and second, 200), Elizabeth Rodriguez (third, 200), Denali Selent (first, 800 and 1,600), Mikaylie Park (second, 3,200), Deanna Ogrinc (first, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles), 4x4 (third) and Jessica Liechty (third, high jump).
• Kenston got top threes at Rocky River’s Bell Invitational from 4x8 (second), Elyse Myles (second, 100), Megan Randall (third, 100 and 200), 4x2 (first), Gabriela Salvini (second, 1,600 and 3,200), Kate Taylor (third, 800 and 1,600), 4x1 (first), Brianna Yurkovich (second, 400) and Ariana Vaughan (third, high jump). The Bombers were second as a team with 113.5 points.