OHSAA STATE TRACK AND FIELD UPDATES.
JESSE OWENS MEMORIAL STADIUM AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.
POSTED ON 6/4/11 at 3:59 P.M., AND UPDATED AT 6:17 P.M.
Drew Galang '12 placed 11th with a time of 1:56.97 in the 800 meter run finals early Saturday evening, as Saint Ignatius wrapped up its appearance at the annual state meet.
Junior Keith Carmichael (13-06) finished in a tie for 11th place in the finals of the pole vault competition on Saturday afternoon.
The corner would like to congratulate Coach Chuck Kyle '69 and the Wildcats for putting together another highly competitive season.
A team that featured strong senior leadership and a group of talented underclassmen in both the running events and field events, the 'Cats had several solid performances this spring.
Among those efforts was a first place at the demanding Hilliard Davidson Wildcat Premier (Davidson is also known as the Wildcats).
Saint Ignatius put together a second place at the talent-rich Medina Relays and a first place at the Gilmour Academy Miele Invitational.
The Wildcats produced second-place finishes at the Euclid Relays and the Thomas Worthington Invitational. They were third at the Eastlake North Ranger Relays, and ran, hurdled, vaulted and tossed their way to another championship at the Lakewood Division I District.
God Bless and Good Luck to the seniors and we will look forward to more memorable moments in the spring of 2012.
POSTED ON 6/3/11.
On the first day of competition, Saint Ignatius' 4x800 meter relay team of senior Nick Bartram and juniors Mitch Baum, Lamar Kemp and Drew Galang finished eighth in Ohio in Division I. The Wildcats' time was 7:55.08, which resulted in one point in the team standings.
Cincinnati La Salle (10 points) brought home first place with a time of 7:46.74.
On Saturday afternoon and evening, junior Keith Carmichael will be competing in the pole vault and Galang will be running in the 800.
POSTED ON 5/31/11.
WE WANT TO WISH GOOD LUCK TO THE WILDCATS' 4X800-METER RELAY TEAM AND JUNIORS DREW GALANG (800 METER RUN) AND KEITH CARMICHAEL (POLE VAULT), AS THEY PREPARE TO COMPETE IN THIS WEEKEND'S OHSAA STATE TRACK AND FIELD MEET AT JESSE OWENS MEMORIAL STADIUM ON THE CAMPUS OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.
AS WE DID THE PAST TWO SEASONS, WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND ON THE PROGRESS OF COACH CHUCK KYLE'S STATE QUALIFIERS.
THIS OLD-TIMER WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A TIP OF THE CAP TO THE AREA BASEBALL TEAMS FROM WILLOUGHBY SOUTH (DIVISION I), HOLY NAME AND ARCHBISHOP HOBAN FOR ADVANCING TO THIS WEEK'S STATE FINAL FOUR. HOLY NAME AND HOBAN WILL BE MEETING IN A DIVISION II SEMIFINAL.
AMONG THE 11 VICTORIES SAINT IGNATIUS COMPILED THIS SOGGY SPRING WERE A 7-5 TRIUMPH AT HOBAN AND A 5-1 VICTORY AT WILLOUGHBY SOUTH.
SAINT IGNATIUS' REGIONAL TRACK AND FIELD RECAP.
POSTED ON 5/27/11.
DREW GALANG (800 METER RUN) WILL JOIN KEITH CARMICHAEL (POLE VAULT) AND THE 4X800 TEAM AT NEXT WEEKEND'S STATE MEET AND KEVIN KAVALEC SHOWS GREAT PROMISE IN THE SHOT PUT.
'CATS FINISH IN A TIE FOR THIRD PLACE AT THE AMHERST REGIONAL, AS THEY MATCH SANDUSKY'S 38 POINTS. MEDINA (46 POINTS) AND BRUNSWICK (39 POINTS) PLACE FIRST AND SECOND.
WE LOOK AT AN INCREDIBLE DISCUS COMPETITION AT AMHERST.
SAINT IGNATIUS TO HOST NEXT YEAR'S OHIO JESUIT BASEBALL TOURNAMENT.
FAMILIAR FACES MAKEUP THE PRESEASON FOOTBALL SLATE AND WE TIP OUR CAPS TO THE 'CATS' OTHER SPRING COMPETITORS.
Stories and reports by Eddie Dwyer.
Copyright, May/June 2011.
Saint Ignatius' Chuck Kyle '69 has been guiding the Wildcats' track teams for 38 seasons.
On Friday night, the veteran coach probably summed up best what took place at the talent-rich Amherst Division I regional.
“If you finish among the top eight, you're very good,” Coach Kyle said. “But only the top four qualify.”
What the top four in each event at Amherst qualified for was a spot in next weekend's OHSAA state track and field meet at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University.
While finishing in a tie for third place with Sandusky in the overall team scoring, Saint Ignatius qualified junior Drew Galang on Friday night, as Drew put forth a third-place effort of 1:56.95 in the 800-meter run.
Galang will join junior pole vaulter Keith Carmichael, whose 13-09 was good for second place during Wednesday night's field events, and the Wildcats' third-place 4x800-meter relay team at the state meet. The 4x800 team is made up of junior Lamar Kemp, junior Mitch Baum, senior Nick Bartram and Galang.
“The nice thing is that we did have personal bests in a lot of races, they just weren't good enough to finish in the top four,” said Coach Kyle, whose team has featured several gifted underclassmen this spring. “I thought we had a chance in a couple of them.”
Standout cross country and track senior John Sweeney in the 3,200 meter run and the 4x400-meter relay team were among those Wildcats who left it all on the track during their sixth-place finishes Friday night.
“It's hard to work harder than John Sweeney does,'' Coach Kyle said. “He said he was fine at the mile and then he got to about seven laps to go and it was like, ut oh! He was okay, but the trouble he has is that he is not a kicker. There were kids that could really sprint at the end.
“The 4x4, that was our best time of the year and the 4x100 was basically the same time we had on Wednesday (in prelims), so that was our best. But at a regional meet, you have to peak and we didn't quite get what you would hope for.”
Although he just missed qualifying for the state meet, the performance by sophomore Kevin Kavalec in the shot put brought smiles to the faces of throwers coaches Ryan Franzinger '02 and Tom Flandera '63.
Kavalec, who didn't start competing in track seriously until he enrolled at Saint Ignatius, was edged out by Toledo Whitmer junior Christopher Wormle, 54.02-75 to 53.06-50, for the fourth and final qualifying spot. But not before Kavalec threw personal bests of 50 feet, nine inches, 51 feet, 10 inches, 51 feet, 3 ½ inches and of course, the toss of 53 feet, 6 ½ inches. Coming into the regional meet, Kevin's personal best in the shot was 49-11.
“I wanted to throw 53 and I got that, so I'm excited,” said Kavalec who also excels in the Wildcats' football program as a defensive lineman/tight end and is described by Coach Franzinger as an athlete who always seems to strive to be the best he can be, an athlete who does a lot of “self coaching” in the shot and discus.
“It was a great experience,” Kavalec said of the exceptional competition he faced at Amherst. “So now I know what to expect next year and I'll work to get better.”
TOSSING IT AROUND: Two days later and coaches and fans at Amherst were still talking about Wednesday night's finals competition in the discus.
Coach Franzinger, who as a state champion in the discus helped the Wildcats to the Division I team state championship in 2001, and Coach Flandera, who has beein guiding boys and girls throwers for more than 30 years, described it as the best they have ever seen.
Here are the results: Jaylan Guevara, Sandusky, 188-11; Conner Neu, Midpark, 185-09; Christopher Wormle, Toledo Whitmer, 181-02; Jared Ballenger (a freshman), Fremont Ross, 177-06; Aaron Zedella, St. Edward, 177-03; Jesse Braun, Brunswick, 174-05; Blake Thomas, Saint Ignatius, 168-09; Andrew Maciolek, Toledo Whitmer, 167-04.
As Coach Franzinger pointed out, the seventh- and eighth-place efforts by Blake Thomas and Andrew Maciolek are usually a good qualifying throw.
To appreciate just how challenging the Amherst regional was, the first-place discus toss out of a Columbus regional was 156.
THE WILDCATS' REGIONAL TRACK AND FIELD UPDATE.
POSTED ON 5/25/11.
After the four events that were scored at the Amherst Steele Regional on Wednesday night, Saint Ignatius stood in second place with 16 points. Midpark was first with 17.50.
The highlights for the Wildcats on what was a stormy night throughout Northeast Ohio were the second-place effort of 13-09 by junior Keith Carmichael in the pole vault and the third-place finish by the 4x800 team of junior Lamar Kemp, junior Mitch Baum, senior Nick Bartram and junior Drew Galang.
Due to the storms that hit the Amherst area, the 200 meter prelims will be run on Friday and the 300 meter hurdles and the 4x400 relay will be run on Friday as timed finals. Friday's action gets underway at 4 p.m.
'CATS ROAR AT THE LAKEWOOD DISTRICT.
As it did last spring, Saint Ignatius' track and field team turned to its exceptional depth and talent en route to another team championship at the Lakewood Division I District.
With John Sweeney (9:27.10 in the 3,200 meter run), Tyree Seals (14.71 in the 110 meter high hurdles) and Keith Carmichael (13-06.00 in the pole vault) joining the Wildcats' 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 meter relay teams as first-place finishers, Saint Ignatius totaled 163 points. Revere was second with 92.50 points and St. Edward was third with 87. The 'Cats' 4x800 team placed first on Wednesday night.
The top four in each event qualified for next week's regional meet at Amherst, where the Wildcats are also the defending champions.
Some of the other impressive efforts by Coach Chuck Kyle's team included a third-place effort by Nick D'Amico in the 400 meter dash; a fourth-place finish by Tim McVey in the 200 meter dash; the second- and third-place efforts by Drew Galang and Lamar Kemp, resepctively, in the 800 meter run; a third and fourth place by Mitch Baum and Jack Miller, respectively, in the 1,600 meter run; a third place by Pat Jeffries in the 300 meter hurdles; a fourth place by Adam North in the high jump; Zach Lozar and Kevin Kavalec with a second and third, respectively in the shot put; and Blake Thomas and Kavalec with a second and third, respectively, in the discus.
Congratulations to Coach Kyle and his Wildcats and all of the best to them at Amherst next week.
SAINT IGNATIUS' DISTRICT TRACK AND FIELD RECAP.
POSTED ON 5/18/11.
NOT EVEN ANOTHER HURDLE FROM MOTHER NATURE CAN SLOW DOWN THE WILDCATS' OPENING-NIGHT EFFORTS AT THE LAKEWOOD DIVISION I DISTRICT.
COACH CHUCK KYLE'S TEAM AGAIN DISPLAYS ITS DEPTH AND VERSATILITY AS IT LOOKS TO SECURE ANOTHER DISTRICT CROWN IN LAKEWOOD STADIUM ON FRIDAY.
By Eddie Dwyer
Copyright, May 2011
After posting the fastest time in the 110-meter high hurdles during Wednesday night's semifinal or preliminary competition at the Lakewood Division I District, Saint Ignatius senior Tyree Seals said he always takes the “run until somebody tells me to stop” approach.
Well, the thunder and lightning that hovered over Lakewood Stadium early Wednesday evening did put a temporary halt on the aspirations of every competing school.
But after an hour delay, Seals and his Wildcat teammates never stopped running until they crossed that coveted finish line on the press-box side of the legendary stadium.
Saint Ignatius, looking to defend its Lakewood District championship, will take a strong and savvy contingent into Friday's finals at the “Madhouse on Madison.”
Please note that Friday's action will begin with the field events at 3 p.m., followed by the running competition at 6. Mother Nature did wipe out Wednesday's field events and thus we have the earlier start on Friday.
“I felt like I was running a bit slow, but Coach (Chuck) Kyle was pleased,” said Seals after he ran a 14.89. Also joining Seals as one of the top eight qualifiers in the 110-meter high hurdles was freshman Matt McVey, who clocked a 16:41.
In the only finals event and the only event that was scored on Wednesday night, Saint Ignatius' 4x800-meter relay team of junior Mitch Baum, senior Nick Bartram and juniors Drew Galang and Lamar Kemp advanced to next week's Amherst regional by running a first-place time of 8:03.33.
Also qualifying to Friday's finals at Lakewood were the 'Cats' 4x400-meter and 4x100-meter relay teams. The 4x400 team consisted of juniors Ryan Kray, Galang and Kemp, and an authoritative anchor by senior Nick D'Amico. Nick also qualified in the 400-meter dash with a second-place performance in his heat.
Senior Bobby Grebenc led a strong start and sophomore Tim McVey, Matt's brother, provided the powerful finish as the 4x100-meter team ran a competition-best 43.38. That effort also included the strength and stability of junior Tim Shenk and sophomore Pat Jeffries.
In what were some other impressive individual efforts by Saint Ignatius, Tim McVey and freshman Marquee Montgomery each qualified in both the 200-meter dash and the 100-meter dash, Galang and Kemp were both qualifiers in the 800-meter run, Jeffries and Matt McVey qualified in the 300-meter hurdles with Jeffries turning in a night's-best 41.54, and although he didn't qualify, freshman Ryan Napoli was second in his heat in the 400-meter dash.
“It is really hard to judge where individuals are at in their event, where relays are at, because the track is wet and it's cold,” said Coach Kyle '69, who also guided his team to the Amherst Regional championship last year. “They're saying Friday is going to be a pretty nice day and I think if it is a nice day, we're going to see a lot of nice performances.”
As for Wednesday night, Coach Kyle pointed to Seals in the high hurdles and said that Tyree is starting to become more confident and more aggressive with each meet. The man who has guided the fortunes of Saint Ignatius' track teams for 38 seasons was also pleased with the effort by the 4x100 team, but quickly added that a performance of under 43 will be needed at the regional level.
Coach Kyle emphasized that Wednesday night's regional-qualifying 4x800 team will also have to push for a better time at Amherst next week and that he expects his field-event performers to secure some points on Friday. Junior Blake Thomas, an Ohio State football recruit, sophomore Kevin Kavalec and junior Zach Lozar are more than capable in the discus and shot.
SWEENEY BRINGS HOME A FIRST-PLACE PERFORMANCE FROM THE RANGER RELAYS.
POSTED ON 4/23/11.
ALTHOUGH SOLON'S BOYS AND GIRLS TRACK TEAMS RAN AWAY WITH MOST OF THE MVP HONORS, SAINT IGNATIUS, LED BY SENIOR JOHN SWEENEY'S FIRST-PLACE FINISH IN THE 3,200 METER RUN, HAD ITS MOMENTS DURING SATURDAY'S 34TH ANNUAL RANGER RELAYS AT EASTLAKE NORTH.
SWEENEY, WHO ALSO WAS AN OUTSTANDING RUNNER FOR THE WILDCATS' CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM, WAS COMPLEMENTED BY THE TOP-3 EFFORTS OF THROWER KEVIN KAVALEC, POLE VAULTER KEITH CARMICHAEL, NICK D'AMICO (2ND IN THE 400 METER), DREW GALANG (2ND IN THE 800 METER) AND THE 4X100 RELAY TEAM OF BOBBY GREBENC, PETER RAUHE, TIM SHENK AND PAT JEFFRIES.
SAINT IGNATIUS TRACK AND FIELD RECAP.
POSTED BY EDDIE DWYER ON 4/16/11 AT 5:32 P.M.
SAINT IGNATIUS' DEPTH COMES TO THE FORE AGAIN, AS THE 'CATS CAPTURE THE 17TH ANNUAL MIELE INVITATIONAL AT GILMOUR ACADEMY.
WILDCATS TOTAL 115 POINTS, LOUISVILLE IS SECOND WITH 92 POINTS AND BRUSH IS THIRD WITH 67 POINTS.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE 'CATS' TOP PERFORMANCES FROM SATURDAY.
400 METER DASH – FIRST PLACE, LAMAR KEMP, 51.60.
4X800 METER RELAY – FIRST PLACE (8:32.03), THE TEAM OF NICK BARTRAM, DREW GALANG, JACK MILLER AND LAMAR KEMP.
110 METER HURDLES – SECOND PLACE, TYREE SEALS, 16:34.
300 METER HURDLES – SECOND PLACE, PAT JEFFRIES, 42.59.
1600 METER RUN – FOURTH PLACE, JACK MILLER.
4X200 METER REALY – THIRD PLACE (1:35.23), THE TEAM OF RAY O'BRIEN, RYAN KRAY, NICK D'AMICO AND SAM D'AMICO.
800 METER RUN – SECOND PLACE, DREW GALANG (2:01.74) AND FOURTH PLACE, NICK BARTRAM (2:06.67).
200 METER DASH – NICK D'AMICO AND RAY O'BRIEN, FOURTH AND FIFTH PLACE, RESPECTIVELY.
3200 METER RUN – BEN RADEFF, FIFTH PLACE.
HIGH JUMP - MATT ZUPAN AND REGGIE GROSS, FIFTH PLACE.
SHOT PUT – ZAK LOZAR (47-08) AND MIKE RAMOS (46-05.50), SECOND AND THIRD, RESPECTIVELY.
DISCUS – KEVIN KAVALEC AND RYAN GIBBONS FINISHED THIRD AND FOURTH, RESPECTIVELY.
NOTE: POLE VAULT AND LONG JUMP WERE CANCELED BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER.
WILDCATS' VARSITY TRACK AND FIELD TEAM FINISHES SECOND TO SOLON AT THE MEDINA RELAYS
Posted 4/9/11
Coach Chuck Kyle's Wildcats had their moments at the annual Medina Relays on Saturday and came away with a strong second-place performance.
Solon captured first place with 112 points, Saint Ignatius was second with 85 and host Medina finished third with 71.
Here are some of the 'Cats' highlights from what was another talent-rich meet.
Pole Vault Relays: Keith Carmichael, first place, 13-06.00.
3200 Meter Run, John Sweeney, first place, 9:36.75.
4x800 Meter Relays, Team of Jack Miller, Nick Bartram, Mitch Baum and Lamar Kemp, first place, 8:09.13.
800 Sprint Medley, Team of Bobby Grebenc, Pat Jeffries, Tim McVey and Nick D'Amico, second place, 1:37.06.
100 Meter Dash, Tim McVey, second place, 11.47.
4x400 Meter Relays, Team of Pat Jeffries, Drew Galang, Lamar Kemp and Nick D'Amico, second place, 3:28.37.
Discus Throw Relays, Kevin Kavalec (149-11) and Blake Thomas (143-06), second place and third place, respectively.
COACH CHUCK KYLE'S 'CATS TAKE FIRST PLACE AT HILLIARD DAVIDSON.
Posted 4/3/11 at 12:15 a.m.
The talent-laden Hilliard Davidson Invitational is also known as the "Wildcat Premier.''
On Saturday, a deep and gritty track team known as the Saint Ignatius Wildcats ran, jumped and tossed its way to first place in what is always one of Ohio's premier early season tests.
Depth was Saint Ignatius' calling card during last year's district and regional championship run, and that appears to be the case again this season. The 2011 'Cats, as 38-year head coach Chuck Kyle '69 predicted in the corner's preseason preview, will be a team that will score in several events at the big meets.
And Saint Ignatius did just that on Saturday in edging Medina, 125-112. Glenville was third with 93 points.
Here is a breakdown on some of the Wildcats' top performances.
The Shot Put Relay: Junior Zak Lozar 2nd place, 50-01; sophomore Kevin Kavalec, 5th, 46-10.50; Senior Mike Ramos, 6th, 46-06.
The Discus Throw Relay: Kavalec, 1st place, 142-06; Senior Ryan Gibbons, 4th, 132-03.
High Jump Relay: Junior Adam North, 6th place, 5-10.
Pole Vault Relay: Junior Keith Carmichael, 2nd place, 13-06; Junior Steve Sigmier, 5th place, 11-06.
4x800 Meter Relay: 1st place (8:21.22). Team of junior Drew Galang, junior Mitch Baum, Senior Nick Bartram and junior Lamar Kemp.
4X110 Meter Shuttle Hurdle: 1st place (1:03.39). Team of sophomore Pat Jeffries, freshman Matt McVey and seniors Tyree Seals and Fred Davis.
Long Jump Relay: Sophomore Ray O'Brien, 3rd place, 19-01; North, 6th place, 18-08.
200 Meter Dash: Sophomore Tim McVey, 5th place, 23.71.
3200 Meter Run: Mitch Baum, 3rd place, 10:00.
400 Meter Dash: Senior Nick D'Amico, 3rd place, 51.80.
The 4x100 team of freshman Marqee Montgomery, junior Peter Rauhe, junior Tim Shenk and sophomore Tim McVey was fourth at 44:07; the Wildcats' 800 Sprint Medley team was fifth; the 4x1600 team was fifth; and the 4x400 team finished in sixth place
Senior John Sweeney was fifth in the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:37.55; Montgomery was fifth in the 100 meter dash at 11.34; the 4x200 team of Montgomery, North, Rauhe and Tim McVey was third in a time of 1:33.78; Jeffries was sixth in the 300 meter hurdles; junior John Whitmore finished 11th in the 800 meter run; Fred Davis was second in the 110 meter hurdles at 14.75, and the Distance Medley team of Bartram, sophomore Jack Miller, Galang and Seals was second at 11:29.48.
SAINT IGNATIUS' VARSITY TRACK AND FIELD PREVIEW.
POSTED ON THE MORNING OF 3/25/11.
AFTER AN IMPRESSIVE SPRING IN 2010, COACH CHUCK KYLE'S 2011 TRACK AND FIELD TEAM COULD BE ONE OF THE PROGRAM'S "MOST COMPLETE.”
A SOLID CONTINGENT RETURNS FROM LAST YEAR'S LAKEWOOD DISTRICT AND AMHERST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM.
THE AREA HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SCENE LOSES ONE OF ITS GREATEST FANS (SEE AFTER TRACK AND FIELD PREVIEW).
By Eddie Dwyer
Copyright, March-April 2011
Not even a cold could dampen Coach Chuck Kyle's promising outlook as he prepares for his 38th season as the track and field mentor at Saint Ignatius High School.
Coach Kyle's cold, by the way, was probably the result of the many outdoor practices in the snow, biting winds and freezing temperatures that go hand-in-hand with Northeast Ohio's track and field season.
In fact, it looks as though Mother Nature already won the first round of the “spring,” as Saturday's Elite Meet at Brunswick, which Coach Kyle '69 and his Wildcats were looking forward to, has already been canceled.
But hey, spring will eventually settle in. And that's just a fact, not eternal hope.
“We're going to have a nice complete team – sprints, distance, hurdling, field events – we're pretty solid all the way around,” Coach Kyle said. “So I think in major meets, we're going to be right up there. Because we're a type of team that's going to go there and have a legitimate chance to score in every event. And that's hard to do.
“Every team is going to have their favorite event, but then usually they have a couple of zeros (in the scoring),” Coach Kyle continued. “We could walk out of big meets with 25 teams, 16 or 18 teams, and be right up there in every event. So I think when you say a complete track team, we'll be one of the better ones in the state.
“The state doesn't really have a dual-meet championship (in track and field). If you said very good teams going against each other, well, we could go against anybody in a dual-meet format and be right there. Now, are we going to have some state champions, the individuals? That's probably where the next month and a half we have to work.”
Depth was definitely the Wildcats' calling card last season.
In dominating the Lakewood Division I District Meet to the tune of a 101-point victory over the nearest challenger, Saint Ignatius got first-place efforts from its 4x800-meter relay team and 4x400 team, a first place in the 110-meter hurdles by current senior Fred Davis, a 1-2 finish in the discus by Blake Thomas (now a junior) and Ryan Gibbons (now a senior), and a first-place toss in the shot put by then sophomore Zak Lozar.
Qualifying from Lakewood to the Amherst Regional, the 'Cats, behind a first-place performance by their 4x100 team and second-place finishes by the 4x400 and 4x800 teams, edged a talented Medina program, 62-59, in the battle for the regional championship. Saint Ignatius' 4x100 and 4x800 teams would go on to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, at the annual state meet in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at The Ohio State University.
“If everything stays where we're at and everyone's healthy, we'll put a number of kids at the regional meet,” Coach Kyle said. “Now, that's the meat grinder, that's (the regional) a very intense situation. You have to finish in the top four (in your event). If you finish fifth, you're a very good track kid, but you're not going to state. It's just a tough situation, like wrestling and so on.
“In the next six weeks, that's really something we have to work on. Because there is a number of kids that could get to that point.”
As far as the Wildcats' distance runners, Coach Kyle is turning to cross country standouts John Sweeney, a senior who has already come up with an indoors time of 9:35 in the 3200 meter run, Drew Galang, a junior who will be a miler and a 4x800 relay competitor, senior Nick Bartram, who will be an 800-meter runner and junior Mitch Baum, whom Coach Kyle said has been doing a great job early on.
Coach Kyle pointed out that in last week's indoor state meet at the University of Akron, Saint Ignatius' 4x800-meter relay team finished second and ran the fifth-fastest time the 'Cats have ever had in that meet. Among the names to remember in the relays is Lamar Kemp, a junior with endless potential who has already run in two state meets.
Davis, the team's Most Valuable Hurdler last year, finished fourth at last week's indoor state meet in the 60-meter high hurdles. The 'Cats' appear to have some sold depth in the hurdling department, headed by senior Tyree Seals and sophomore Patrick Jeffries.
In the sprints, Coach Kyle is looking for senior Bobby Grebenc, a Brown University recruit in football, to get back in “track shape” after recovering from a shoulder injury. Grebenc, fellow senior Anthony Mascia and sophomore Tim McVey were members of last season's 4x100-meter relay team that finished sixth in Ohio.
McVey, who could be a mainstay on both sides of the ball in football this coming season, ran a very good time at the indoor state meet in the 60-meter dash. He challenged such great sprinters as Glenville's All-American Shane Wynn.
“Whether he focuses on the 100 or 200, we'll see,” said Coach Kyle of McVey, the track team's Most Valuable Freshman last spring. “He has run some very good 200 times, so as we start outdoors we'll look very carefully at him there.”
Junior Tim Shenk, an outstanding kicker for Coach Kyle's varsity football team, is also a sprinter and senior Nick D'Amico, the 'Cats' Most Improved performer in 2010, will continue to make his mark in the open 400 and on the relay teams.
In the field events, Mascia and junior Adam North will show the way in the long jump as both young men have had efforts of 21 feet. North is also a more-than-capable high jumper as is junior Reggie Gross, who just recently completed his varsity basketball season.
Junior Keith Carmichael, the Most Valuable Diver on the 'Cats' swimming team, will lead a young group in the pole vault and, as we mentioned above, Thomas, Lozar and Gibbons key a strong and experienced contingent in the discus and shot put. Thomas is a major-college recruit as a tight end in football.
Coach Kyle said Glenville will again bring exceptional speed to the track, but a team he looks for to be among the elite all season is Solon. The Comets might not have the exceptional depth they possessed last season, but they have individuals, said Coach Kyle, who can hit home runs.
Among some of the more attractive meets on Saint Ignatius' schedule are the talent-laden Hilliard Davidson Invitational on April 2, the Medina Relays on April 9, the tradition-rich Eastlake North Ranger Relays on April 23, the Thomas Worthington Invitational on April 30 and of course, the Euclid Relays on May 6.
The district meet at Lakewood Stadium is scheduled for May 18-20, the Amherst regional is slated for May 25-27 and the annual state meet at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium will take place on June 3 & 4.