Champion’s Grace sets new school mark, headed to state meet | News, Sports, Jobs

AUSTINTOWN — After finishing fifth and just missing the cut in 2022, Kennady Grace was confident she’d qualify for the state meet in the discus event this time around.

What she didn’t expect was to come away a regional champion.

On her third toss of the day, the Champion junior hit a mark of 125-0, resetting her own school record and sending her to the regional crown at Saturday’s Division II, Region 5 meet at Austintown Fitch High School.

“I definitely didn’t think I was going to get first, but my goal was definitely top four because last year I got fifth, and I wasn’t doing that again,” Grace said.

That capped off a week that didn’t start well in practice, the junior noted.

“The beginning of this week, my practices were not going, to be honest,” she said. “That kind of shocked me a little bit. I was a little nervous, but then I just took more rest than anything, because I’ve been working so hard. I just felt like rest was my biggest thing, and then I went down to practice last night and got a couple of really nice tosses in and just trusted it.”

Her first two throws weren’t where she wanted them, however. She hit the 100-4 mark on her first attempt, and then threw a 115-0 the second time.

Then came her record throw, which edged Field’s Michaela Herendeen’s 123-4.

“My first two throws were not good at all,” Grace said. “My first one, I was way too rotational and fast, so I just needed to slow down and calm down. My second was too rotational — I felt it in the middle. So I knew my release wasn’t good, and then I just settled myself and put it all together.”

Now, Grace says she plans to rest up, see how her body feels and then get back at it before the state championships.

“Definitely just have to check how my body feels and just trust that feeling and practice and rest if I need to,” she said. “Then just try to get another PR.”

HUTTON SETS NEW MARK, SALEM TAKES SECOND

Rylee Hutton has had her eyes on Salem’s long jump record since the season’s outset.

She nearly had it earlier in the year, coming within a quarter of an inch of the mark.

On Saturday, though, the junior finally reached her goal.

On her second jump of the day, Hutton leaped 17 feet, 4.75 inches, etching her name into Salem’s record books and earning her second place overall behind Triway’s Kalie Campbell (17-725) on Saturday.

She’ll compete next week at the state championships in Columbus.

“This whole season, I’ve kind of been chasing after the record, and I had gotten within a 1/4 of an inch of the record, so that was a bummer. But it paid off here to break it at regionals,” Hutton said.

Hutton’s leap was part of a larger team effort, as the Quaker girls finished as regional runners-up for the team title with 55.50 points behind Woodridge’s 73.50 points.

Salem picked up 18 points from distance events, 14 from throws, 8.5 from jumps and 15 from relays.

“We’re all very close; we all play a bunch of other sports together. So to come together and all be good at track and other sports as well, there’s nothing better than that. It’s really fun,” Hutton said.

Hutton initially logged a mark of 16-4.75 before making her record jump on attempt No. 2.

“That second jump … I just felt really good. I felt prepared and everything, and as soon as I landed, I knew it was a good jump,” Hutton said.

It came after a week and a half off from jumping due to a hamstring injury, one which Hutton reaggravated later in the event on her final attempt. With a week until the state meet, she says she’ll rest the muscle and go back to physical therapy before heading to Columbus.

“Hopefully that works, and by the time state comes, I’ll give it my all no matter what,” Hutton said.

TRIPLETT’S TRIPLE WIN

Sieasia Triplett is no stranger to success, and the Girard senior added a few more accolades to her name Saturday.

Triplett took home individual victories in the 100 and 200 with times of 12.39 and 25.34, respectively, and then anchored Girard’s winning 4×100 relay team, which posted a time of 49.35 in the finals.

The Girard girls finished fifth overall with 40.50 points.

“At first when I got here, I was pretty nervous. I don’t really run well in the heat,” Triplett said. “But I just knew I had to get to state and I had to do what I had to do. And I had to make sure that my team came with me.”

Triplett was joined on the 4×100 team by Olivia Coman, Mia Malito and Ar’Marna Wilson.

Now, as she makes her return to Columbus, Triplett is confident.

“I’m feeling good,” she said. “I think I’m in a good spot with state, and I just need to make sure that when I get to state I’m ready, I’m focused and make sure that I’m on the podium.”

OTHER STATE QUALIFIERS: Liberty’s Dwayne Moody finished third in the 200 with a time of 22.10 and will head to Columbus in that event. He also reached the podium in the 100 with a sixth-place finish with a clocking of 11.14. … Salem’s Will Madison placed third in the 800 with a time of 1:55.28 to narrowly edge Orange’s Brian Gent (1:55.39) and Fairview’s Tyson Crandall (1:55.68). … Girard’s Nic Bengala is headed to Columbus in three events. The senior placed third in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.00, added a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles with a time of 38.92, and also was on Girard’s third-place 4×100 team, which ran a time of 42.88 and also included Domenico Simone, Anthony Bengala and Stephen Sims. … Salem’s Ryan Kamperman was third in the discus with a hurl of 161-00. He was immediately followed by Garrettsville Garfield’s Jesse Grace, who threw a 156-11.00. Grace added a third-place finish in the shot put with a heave of 54-04.00. … West Branch’s Sophia Gregory placed second in the 400 with a time of 58.74. She also was on West Branch’s fourth-place 4×200 team, which ran a time of 1:44.87 and also included Lauren Gossett, Zoe Sanders and Kennedy Berger. … Perhaps nobody made it to state in more dramatic fashion that Salem’s Maggie Hall, who qualified in two events, both within hundredths of a second of falling to fifth. Hall took fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:17.66 to defeat Northwest’s Madelyn Begert’s time of 2:17.66, and then in the 1600 Hall ran a time of 5:09.94 to defeat Chagrin Falls’ Mila Gresh’s time of 5:09.95. … Fellow Quaker Megan Stafford was runner-up in the 3200 with a time of 11:32.79. … Canfield’s Ava Littler was second in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.29. She also reached the podium in the 300 hurdles with a fifth-place finish with a time of 47.06. … Lakeview’s Stasia Hall was third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 46.00. Hall also was on Lakeview’s third-place 4×400 team, which was clocked at 4:05.40 and included Lexi Busefink, Eliza Farr and Brooke Schneider. … Salem’s 4×400 team was just behind at fourth in a time of 4:05.96. It included Annika Murray, Maggie Hopple, Maggie Hall and Ella Double. … Salem’s 4×800 team of Double, Hopple, Stafford and Hall placed second with a time of 9:33.95. … Malito also added a fourth-place result in the high jump for Girard. She cleared the 5-01.00 mark. … Salem’s Kaylee Carlisle was third in the discus with a toss of 119-07.00. … Fellow Quaker Makenna Rudy was second in the shot put with a heave of 41-02.50.