OHSAA track and field | Woodridge's Marissa Boone wins 2 titles at Austintown regional

AUSTINTOWN — After three years of tutelage with former teammate Reese Reaman, Woodridge's Marissa Boone knew she would step into the lead role this year.

If her performance May 31 at the Division II regional meet at Austintown is any indication, Boone wants to emulate Reaman's 2024 state meet.

Boone won the 1,600 and 800 meters at Austintown in dominant fashion. She led Woodridge to sixth place in the girls team race with 40¼ points.

A familiar face helped spur Boone on.

"Reese came to come watch me run, so that was super motivating for me to win," Boone said.

The 1,600 proved to be a tactical race, as Boone stayed with the lead pack early before launching herself in the final lap. She won in 5:02.88.

"I really wanted to win and just go out and stay calm, stay with the pack," Boone said. "I just slowly got faster as it went on. I heard the people in the crowd calling my name. I just had to go fast because I knew that I had it in me."

The 800 looked like a carbon copy of Boone's performance in the 3,200-meter relay May 29. She flew to the front and never looked back, winning by about 50 meters in a time of 2:14.26.

"I just went out and raced," she said. "I did what I always do, which is go out hard and trying to listen to the people when they cheer me on."

Woodridge's Lola Mullen also returned to state in the 3,200. A big kick in final lap earned her fourth place in 11:25.17.

"I just saw where I needed to be and thought, 'Oh, I am close. I've got to get there," Mullen said. "I did know there were going to be a lot of good athletes in there. I definitely had to do it for my team."

On the boys side, Woodridge took a big hit before the meet, as hurdler Connor Hons was unable to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered May 29. Hons scratched out of both hurdle events.

Without Woodridge's top scorer, the Bulldogs boys distance crew stepped up, advancing runners in all three distances.

Atticus Sloan opened with a fourth-place finish in the 1,600 in 4:21.9.

Kendall McAllister earned his first individual state berth in the 800, finishing fourth in 1:57.51.

Finally, Sloan and Ben LeBay finished shoulder to shoulder in the 3,200, as Sloan was third in 9:35.11 and LeBay fourth in 9:35.59.

"We were just riding off first and second," LeBay said. "It went out so, so slow and no one wanted to take it, so I was in the lead for a while. We kept it controlled. It was really great to finish with a teammate."

CVCA’s Isaac Solomon runs to a first-place finish just ahead of Crestwood’s Augie Schweickert in the 800 meters at the Division II regional track and field meet May 31, 2025, in Austintown, Ohio.

CVCA's Kylee Zamecnik, Isaac Solomon win titles at Austintown regional meet

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy also had success in both genders, anchored by two regional titles.

Kylee Zamecnik came in as a favorite in the girls long jump and looked the part, even if conditions proved horrid for jumping.

A returning All-Ohioan, Zamecnik won the long jump by more than five inches with a leap of 16 feet, 10¼ inches. However, that leap was more than a foot off her personal record.

"I just wanted to stay positive. The weather was a challenge today, obviously," she said. "I just wanted to get top four because I knew I wasn't going to PR today. I just tried to do the best I could."

CVCA's Joelle Cherry also finished second in the 300 hurdles in 44.76 seconds to reach state in gusty conditions.

"It's pretty challenging, mentally and physically. We're all going through it, though, so no excuses," Cherry said. "The wind kind of got me. I won't lie. I just wanted to maintain that pace and fight through to state."

In the girls team race, CVCA finished seventh with 35 points.

Meanwhile, Isaac Solomon earned his first individual trip to state by winning the 800. Solomon broke out of a tight lead pack with McAllister to win the race in 1:56.97.

"The first 400 went out really fast, which was something I expected," Solomon said. "For some people, it's their last race, so they're going to go as hard as they can. I just wanted to get up there with that top group and then sit and kick."

Solomon then anchored CVCA's 1,600 relay, which finished runner-up to Glenville in a time of 3:23.11. Tommy Kopec, Ramon Wilson and Joey Kopec joined Solomon on the relay.

That relay result vaulted CVCA into fourth place with 35 points in the boys team race. The Royals finished one point behind Perry and one point ahead of Woodridge.

CVCA basketball star Niles Nuru also reached state. Just six weeks after picking up the high jump, Nuru earned a state berth by finishing third with a leap of 6-2.

"It's cold out here, but it's great to be out here and have another opportunity to jump," Nuru said. "The school record is 6-7¼. I went for it at districts and I was close. So I'm going to go for it at state. My coach says, 'Your best jump should be your last jump.'"

Buchtel’s Miniya Mitchell tumbles short of the finish line in the 800-meter relay at the Division II regional track and field meet May 31, 2025, in Austintown, Ohio.

Buchtel track endures up-and-down day at Austintown regional meet

For Buchtel, the regional meet was an emotional roller coaster.

Things started well for the Griffins. In the 100 hurdles, Akaliya White earned her first state trip, finishing in fourth in 16.29 after being seeded eighth.

"My coach [said] to keep moving and keep my legs warm, because I did have knee surgery [in February]," White said. "It's not very good weather to run hurdles in. My goal is just to run my race."

However, disaster struck in the 800 relay, where the Griffins were the top seed. Anchor Miniya Mitchell tripped and fell just meters from the finish line, costing Buchtel a state spot.

"It looked like she really just tripped up on her own feet," Buchtel girls coach Shamikca Graham. "She was running really aggressive and hard. Because of that, it wasn't our day."

Mitchell recovered enough to finish third in the 400 in 58.47, but chose not run in the 200, where she was seeded second.

"It honestly shows Miniya's resilience and her competitive nature to want to compete, because she could have easily said, 'I can't do anything more today,'" Graham said. "She got up and she competed in the 400."

Buchtel had no better luck in the 400 relay. It finished fifth in 50.57, locking the Griffins out of state relays for the first time in years.

There was one bit of good news from the Buchtel boys as Dwight Shade qualified for state in the 800 with a third-place finish in 1:57.48.

"Dwight had a great day," Buchtel boys coach Billy Graham said. "He hadn't broken 2 minutes all year, and finally it went down to 1:57. I think that he really has put in the work. Track is that sport where, if you put in the work, it shows."