The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
PERRY SENIOR DOUBLES IN REGIONAL FAREWELL
Pirates’ King sweeps 100, 300 hurdles
YOUNGSTOWN » Off the track, Leah King is as considerate as it gets, checking on fellow hurdlers, praising strong performances — even ensuring anyone in the vicinity is staying hydrated if need be.
When the Perry senior steps on that all-weather surface nearby, though, she is ruthless.
May 25 during Day 2 of the Division II Austintown-Fitch Regional, King displayed that tenacity with two sterling championship bookends amid her postseason farewell tour.
The reigning D-II 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles state champion swept both events at Fitch for the second straight spring.
She won her third straight 100 hurdles title with a rhythmic clinic in a time of 14.03 seconds.
“Yeah, I was really excited
about the 1s,” King said. “I wanted to go sub-14, but it was by lane, so it’s the little things that count, and it’s just what I’m going to have to work on in practice this upcoming week for Saturday (in D-II finals).”
King comfortably repeated in 3s with a 43.82. It wasn’t quite the 42s she hit last year at Fitch and at state, where she dueled Akron SVSM’s Sara Foster and shattered the all-time News-Herald coverage area record with a 42.55 in Columbus. But at the height of the day’s humidity, it will suffice.
“This year, even if I had Sara or not, I have to go out and perform my best,” King said.
“If I had any advice for the upcoming freshmen and underclassmen as of now, be careful in your prelims. Survive and advance, and then do your best in your finals.”
“I had (Jesseca HudsonTurpin) from Orange right behind me, and I know what she’s capable of. She’s a quick girl, and she’s going to kill it next year. And I know that she wanted to come up and get me.
“I was really excited that I was in Lane 5, believe it or not. It’s nice to not be in Lane 4 and have someone behind you, because you know they’re right there, and you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to race your hardest, and that’s what I did.”
Her Fitch swansong also marks a significant achievement: King is the first hurdler — girls or boys — in News-Herald coverage area history to be a fourtime state qualifier in both hurdling events.
She is the second 100 hurdler to head to state four times, along with Lake Catholic great Je’Rica Sanders, and the first 300 hurdler to reach that milestone. No area boys hurdler has gone to state four times in 110s, 3s or the old 120 and 180 hurdles.
Part of what has set King apart from Day 1 as a freshman, bursting on the area scene with superior technical skill, has been her mental approach. Lane 5 for 3s at Fitch came as a result of a smart prelim.
“You have to live up to your prelim time if you’re going to go out and smoke,” King said. “Normally, you shouldn’t really do that. You want to survive and advance, and that’s what all my coaches have told me. Survive and advance, go guns blazing on finals day.
“And that’s the way I’ve been taking it every year. If I had any advice for the upcoming freshmen and underclassmen as of now, be careful in your prelims. Survive and advance, and then do your best in your finals.”
Hawken’s Ella Gilson delivered three heady runs, with a 1,600 win, 800 runner-up and strong leg on the Hawks’ fifth-place 4x400.
Gilson dominated her mile, rolling to a smooth 5:04.32 on an afternoon during which a sub-5 was unnecessary. In 800, the sophomore briefly appeared as if she would embark on a bold inside move similar to her 4x4 anchor to win the Perry District, but instead dialed in for a second with a 2:16.43.
Hawken’s 4x4 was a close fifth in a tight top-five anchor pack with a 4:03.22. Projections indicated May 25 the time was good enough to nab an at-large state berth.
“I felt pretty good,” Gilson said of 1,600. “It was definitely a very hot race, but I just tried to keep it consistent. I tried to have just a nice, solid race to get me warmed up for the 8 and the rest of the day.
“I’m really happy with (800). It felt really good for that, and I’m glad I got to race (Woodridge’s Izzy Best). She is very good. I’m glad I had her pushing me to the very end.”
Chagrin Falls’ Catherine Coffey, the reigning D-II 800 state champion, was third in that hot final with a 2:17.82 and ran a commendable leg on the Tigers’ 4x4, which was fourth with a 4:02.78 for their first state berth in that event since 2010.
“Obviously, it was super humid all day,” Coffey said of 800. “I just went in with a race plan with (distance coach Clay Burnett). The goal today was to get out to state. I think he definitely mentally prepared me for today. He always prepares us for when it counts. So hopefully, it’ll all come together for next weekend.”
Beachwood’s Ashley Perryman thrived amid a heavy workload. The Bison junior standout was fourth in an electric 100 final, going 11.84, second in long jump (17-3 1/2) and anchored the third-place 4x1 (49.57).
“I knew those girls were going to be rolling, running 11s,” Perryman said. “I was like, ‘Well, it’s going to take an 11 to get out.’ That was my thought process, and when it actually happened, I’m like, ‘It REALLY took 11 to get out of regional.’ That’s really crazy.
“I think that if you come out of this region and escape this region, you are going to place at state. I don’t think there’s anybody who just goes to go. You really have to earn it to get out of this region.”
Coming soon
For more from this meet, including Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin’s Dana Burtin on his journey from injuries to 200 state qualifier, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.