Connor Duricky of Lake Catholic HS is the #1 ranked 110m hurdles athlete in the state.
MileSplit Ohio would like to congratulate Connor Duricky of Lake Catholic High School for his recent 110m hurdles performance at the Division 1 - Region 1 meet which was hosted by Austintown Fitch High School.
Connor Duricky won his 110m hurdles prelims race in an outstanding time of 13.95! This result represents an Ohio #1, a Lake Catholic High School team record and a new P.R.
Below is information about the school record that was supplied by coach Matt Borcas:
Connor Duricky broke his own school record time from earlier in the year, but previously the record had been held by Lou Mucci from 1975. The time was 15.10, it was converted from yards and it was run on a cinder track. Prior to Duricky breaking this mark, it was the oldest remaining track and field record at Lake Catholic High School.
Below is a description of the event from Connor Duricky:
It was truly an honor and a blessing to run an Ohio #1 time of 13.95 in the 110m hurdles on Wednesday night. After running a 14.16 last Friday, I knew I had it in me to go sub 14 if my start was on point. However, the weather was absolutely atrocious when we got to the meet last night, so I didn't really have any time goals entering prelims. I was solely focused on winning my heat and procuring the best possible lane assignment for finals.
Fortunately, the weather improved significantly for the race and I managed to get out of the blocks well. Sometimes I let up a bit in prelims, but given the possibility of a strong time, I ran hard through the line. The raucous cheers of 'Big Dawg!' (my nickname) from my teammates, coaches and family in the bleachers helped me power through the finish. Additionally, I must extend a special shout out to my designated block holder, Mike Malchesky who has been one of my best friends since grade school and is a key member of our 4 x 400m relay team. I genuinely believe that Mike is the best block holder in the state of Ohio, which gives me a tremendous advantage over my competitors.
Track experts will tell you that P.R.'s drop like rain when you get to Fitch and I guess that proved to be true last night. Nevertheless, I've mentally moved on to Friday night's finals. Fitch is a meat grinder and I will need to be at the top of my game in order to make it to the top of the regional podium, not just in the 110m hurdles but also in the 300m hurdles and the 4 x 400m relay.
In closing, I'd like to thank God, my loving parents and siblings, my head coach, Erik Schroeder and the entire Lake Catholic community. Running track for the Cougars (and more specifically for Coach Schroeder) has made me a better person and I'm extremely motivated to finish out the year strong with the best teammates and coaches in the world. I'm proud and humbled to represent the Lake Catholic track program and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Once a Cougar, always a Cougar!
Connor Duricky (shown above during a race from earlier this season) set a new P.R. of 13.95.
Below are comments made by Lake Catholic's head coach, Erik Schroeder:
I've been privileged to coach Connor Duricky for four years and it's great to see him break 14 seconds and run a state leading time. Not only is he a fierce competitor and a dedicated athlete, he also embodies the core values of Lake Catholic and is a wonderful young man. He's improved a great deal over the course of his high school career, he's always willing to go the extra mile in practice and he's developed into an excellent team leader. These qualities will help him achieve further greatness at the University of Cincinnati, where he will continue his academic and track careers on an athletic scholarship.
Connor Duricky (left) shown with teammates Del'Mario Hairston and Jacob Keating.
Thank you to coach Matt Borcas for making all of the connections that were necessary to produce this article and again, congratulations to Connor Duricky on a terrific performance!
Connor Duricky shown celebrating a win with Coach Borcas following a race in April.