The Massillon Perry 9th/10th Grade Invitational is a unique freshmen and sophomore only meet that always showcases individuals who have made a strong mark early in their high school career. When the rain came early in the meet, the athletes continued to show grit all the way until the end.
GlenOak captured the girls title with 127 points while Perry was the runner-up with 118.5 points. For the boys, Perry won with 113 points while GlenOak finished just behind with 101.
Here are a few highlight moments from the meet:
Girls
Minerva Distance
The Minerva distance program has continued to bring up strong performers year after year. To start off the meet, they captured the 4x800m relay title running a time of 9:59.68. A bit later, Kayla Crissman led the way for Minerva to win the 800m run. Then, the trio of Hannah Ison, Katie Ison, and Gabby Lupshu ran 1-2-4 respectively to contribute 23 points to the Lions in the 3200m run. Hannah Ison set a new meet record in the 3200m running 11:44.20.
*Hannah Ison from Minerva runs as a part of the 4x800m team
Emma Studer shatters the pole-vault meet record
By vaulting 10-7, Emma Studer (GlenOak)captured herself a personal best and a meet record. This mark currently ranks as the #3 freshmen pole vault in the state. She has continued on an upwards trajectory and will be one to watch as the years progress.
Another meet record goes down by Kylah Meyer
A new 1600m meet record was set by Kylah Meyer (Louisville) with a time of 5:14.80. This is also a new personal best mark for Meyer. She has made great strides this season by placing herself amongst the top in competitive fields.
Sydney Stepanovich goes 3 for 3
To say that Sydney Stepanovich had a great meet would be an understatement. She successfully completed a sweep in the 100m, 200m, and 400m dash. This was a major contributor to the team win for GlenOak.
Abra Manofsky continues high jump success
Abra Manofsky from Massillon Jackson was able to take the win in high jump after a tie-breaker with teammate Taylor Brownsword. Both were able to clear the 5-0 mark. Abra was just one of two freshmen to qualify to the state meet last track season in high jump.
*Abra Manofsky during high jump competition
Boys
Massillon Perry sprints to relay wins
A main contributor for Perry's title on the boys side came from the 24 points that they scored in relay events. They were able to accomplish titles in both the 4x200m and 4x400m relay by significant margins. Having a team with this depth will lead them to continued success moving forward.
Eli Ilg sets a new 3200m meet record
There was one meet record set on the boys side on Friday evening, and this came from Eli Ilg (Massillon Jackson). He took a commanding lead right from the gun and never looked back. This led to Ilg capturing the win by over 40 seconds.
Kyson Walker sweeps the hurdles
The 110m and 300m hurdles were both won by Kyson Walker who ran 15.93 and 43.80 respectively. Both races were won by considerable margins. He was also able to place second in long jump, contributing a total of 28 points for Perry.
Jayden Wilson keeps getting better
Jayden Wilson from Perry separated himself from the field in the 400m dash, taking the victory by over 2.5 seconds and setting a new PR of 53.10. Earlier, he also solidified a great performance in the high jump by placing second on a tie-breaker. This is also a new personal record for Wilson as he reached the 6-0 mark.
Skylan King proves versatility
In another track and field combination, Skylan King (GlenOak) continues to develop himself as a versatile athlete. He took the title in the long jump recording a mark of 20-1.5. Shortly after, he solidified a second place finish in the 110m hurdles with a time of 16.44.