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The St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish are Lexington Division II Regional track champions times two, winning the boys and girls titles. St. V-M is sending 20 athletes to the state meet.

LEXINGTON, Ohio – They painted the town green, as in St. Vincent-St. Mary green. The St. V-M Irish left Lexington on Saturday thrilled at having swept both the men’s and women’s Division II regional track & field championships.

The boys were dominant in rolling up 80 points, nearly doubling the next best teams, Pemberville Eastwood and Collins Western Reserve, tied for second at 44.

And while the Fighting Irish made the boys meet a rout, the St. V-M girls came from behind in the final two events – 3,200 meters and 4x400 relay – to edge Defiance 67-57.

Two team championships is impressive, but coach Dan Lancianese is more excited about St. V-M sending 20 athletes to the OHSAA state meet June 3-4 at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you team score,” Lancianese said. “I’m not interested in that.

“What I am most intrigued by is the idea that both the guys and the girls have qualified in eight events to the state. There is a lot of representation.  A lot of kids are going to have a chance to get to go to the big dance now.

“We’ll get to go on a charter bus. My athletic director gave me that.”

The magic number for St. V-M is 20 – 11 girls and 9 boys – have qualified for the trip to Columbus.

“It’s not bad for a program that doesn’t have a track,” Lancianese added.

Indeed.

Five athletes have qualified in three events: junior Tessa Weigand (4x8, 800, 4x4), senior Jacob Swords (4x8, 800, 4x4), junior Sean Poholski (4x8, 800, 4x4), senior Mark Murphy (100, 4x2, 4x1) and junior Sae’Von Fitzgerald (4x2, 4x1, 200).

St. V-M won three boys relays (4x8, 4x2, 4x1) and two girls relays (4x8, 4x4).

Swords ran a meet-record time of 1:52.57 in winning the 800 and is a bona fide threat to win the state championship.  He was clocked at 1:51.46 one week earlier in winning the Orrville District.

“It’s turned into a sprint,” said Swords, who tries a run a 52-second first lap. “That’s what it has come to.

“But that’s how I run it. You just have to stick with what you do best.”

A year ago, he placed fourth at the state meet, going 1:54.71.

“Jacob just keeps stepping up each and every week,” Lancianese said. “He’s a great young man.

“He has had to endure tragedy, losing his father when he was in seventh or eighth grade, so he’s had to deal with that. I started coaching him in CYO in eighth grade. He’s done everything we’ve ever asked of him as far as being a leader of the program.

“His leadership goes well beyond practice and what he does in a meet. It’s what he does with the team, the younger ones and the older ones.”

St. V-M's other individual event champion was senior and future Ohio State footballer Doran Grant in the 110-meter hurdles (14.35). Grant is the defending state champion in 110s.

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The defending champions – CVCA’s girls and Woodridge’s boys – had their moments again this year.

CVCA senior Christina Blair, having already qualified for state in the 4x800, elected to concentrate on the 3,200 and she ran away from the field, posting a time of 11:03.81.

She believes she has a shot to win the state championship.

“That’s the goal here,” Blair said. “I believe I can, so it’s just a matter of getting out there and taking that energy and adrenaline, and all of my hard work and confidence into the state meet, and hopefully it will take me to a state title.”

Blair reports to the U.S. Naval Academy on June 29.

Woodridge senior Morgan Willis, who had won the 1,600 (5:04.36), placed second (11:13.43) at 3,200.

In the boys 3,200, Woodridge senior Kyle Cochrun (9:46.71) used a late kick to edge past Orrville’s Nathan Rossenbaum (9:47.10) for the fourth qualifying spot to Columbus.

Able to defend his regional titles was senior sprint champion Nate Harris of Buchtel. A three-event state champion last year, Harris captured first place in the 100 (10.63) and 200 (21.66). He also ran the second leg on Buchtel’s championship 4x400 relay (3:23.74).

Harris narrowly missed a meet record in the 200. Trying to conserve a bit for the 4x4, he shut down in the 200 and coasted across the finish line.

“I slowed down 25 meters before I finished,” he said. “I’m here to compete and have fun. It’s my last year.”

Many junior sprinters in central Ohio are glad Harris is graduating. He has been a dominant figure at Lexington the last two years.

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At pole vault, Black River senior Becca Herte gambled to try and win a region championship and lost by the narrowest of margins.

With a state berth assured, Herte passed on 10-10 and 11-2 and made three attempts at 11-6 and winning the championship with a meet record.

On her second attempt, Herte just clipped the bar on her way down and had to settle for fourth place and a clearance of 10-6.

“I’m happy I’m going to state,” Herte said through gritted teeth, still frustrated at her near miss. One week earlier at the Orrville District, she cleared 11-9 and set a meet record.

“We wanted another meet record and we wanted to try and clear 12 (feet) today,” Black River pole vault coach Corey Kline said. “We may have moved to the big pole a little too quickly.

“I knew it was a gamble. She’ll be upset for 24 hours."

Three additional field-event athletes making the state grade on Saturday were: junior Megan Tomei of St. V-M in discus (third place, 119-6), senior Carlton Watkins of Bukeye in high jump (third place tie, 6-3), and senior Maria Rottinger of Walsh Jesuit in long jump (fourth place, 16-10.50).

Two Tallmadge seniors -- long jumper Audrey Crawford and distance runner Jaclyn Koza -- had to miss graduation ceremonies to compete at Lexington.

Wearing their cap and gown, both received their diplomas on the awards stand to an ovation from remaining parents and athletes.

The Blue Devils qualified their girls 4x200 relay for the state meet.