Handful of Generals rise to occasion to earn regional track berths

                        
053011 DistrictTK Promo: Moving on: Generals advanced five thinclads to Division I regional meet in Youngstown Handful of Generals rise to occasion to earn regional track berths By Brian Questel Big competitions bring out big performances. That was certainly the case for the Wooster High boy’s track team at the North Canton Division I District Track and Field Championships May 18 and 20. Wooster advanced five athletes to the Austintown Fitch Regional T&F Championships, which were held May 25 and 27. The Generals advanced five athletes to this past week’s regional meet, each looking to be one of the top four athletes in their respective events and earn a qualifying berth to the state meet in Columbus June 3-4. A pair of remarkable efforts that defined human excellence highlighted the Generals’ performance. Andrei Leabu, fresh off a disappointing showing in the discus, salvaged his regional bid by earning a ticket to Youngstown in the shot put. Zach Humrichouser’s season was over, too, for nearly 3200 meters, but the sophomore wiped out a nearly 50-meter deficit in the final lap to grab the fourth and final spot by the narrowest of margins. Also rising to the occasion, a trio of other teammates recorded personal bests as well. Senior Brett Breneman reached his goal of 13-0 in the pole vault, which earned him third place; classmate Jordan Cremer broke 40 seconds for the first time as his 39.86 timed final was good for third place as well, and junior Cody Neidig recorded the fastest 800 of his career to place a comfortable fourth in the 800 with a 1:58.42. Those were the only Generals, boy or girl, to survive the North Canton District and keep their season alive for another week. “It was a good day,” said Wooster coach Doug Bennett. “We qualified five guys out. Leabu was unexpected. We thought he’d get out in the discus, but he went up five feet in the shot to qualify himself out. “Brett Breneman went up six inches to qualify out at 13-0 and was third, and Jordan Cremer in the 300 hurdles was third with a 39.83. Cody Neidig was fourth and he ran a 1:58.42, which was also a PR for him in the 800. “Zach Humrichouser, by a nose or some other body part, ran a 10:02.36. The kid from McKinley also had an identical time, so they had to go to the camera to solve it.” Humrichouser was right with the front pack of runners through the first 1600, which he ran in a career-fastest 4:56, but gradually fell back until it seemed he had put himself into a seemingly impossible position. However, he ever so slowly began to reel in McKinley’s Joe Caiazza thanks to a Jackson runner who attempted to pass him, spurring Humrichouser into another gear. However, the sophomore was still down 7-8 meters with 50 to go, but his final lunge at the finish allowed him to earn the final berth to Austintown. “I knew the kid from Jackson was a sophomore and I didn’t want to lose to another sophomore,” said Humrichouser. “That made something click in my head. I passed him, and going down the backstretch, my dad was at the 200 mark and he yelled, ‘the guy in red – he’s in fourth. Go get him.’ I was still behind him 30 meters at that point and 10 with 100 to go, but I passed him – barely. “He turned his head to look at me. If not, I think his momentum would have beat me.” Leabu had a stunning turnabout to keep his season alive. His best this season in the shot was 45-2, “and some days I hit that a couple times. Some days I was consistent, but it depended on the day,” said Leabu. Friday was an “on” day, he said. “In warm-ups on Friday, I scaled 49 several times and I got 52 on my first glide, but I was still warming up for prelims,” said Leabu. “There was a tree in front of me and I kept my eyes back and got separation. I was just feeling good. I hadn’t done well in the disc and I was upset with that. I wanted to give it my best.” Leabu’s best in the discus had been 153-5, but Friday he reached only 131-7. “I was just nervous. I fouled a few times and I shouldn’t have,” said Leabu. That wasn’t the case in the shot put as he put together six throws well beyond his previous best. “My first throw was 48-11.75 – almost 50 feet -- and then I threw 47 and 48,” said Leabu, who was fourth of the nine throwers into the finals. “In finals, my first throw was 50-3 and then I had another 48 and 49. “Now I want to see if I can do it again.” Cremer does, too, as his times continue an impressive drop. At 42.6 coming into the season, Cremer has seen his times plummet in recent weeks. “I think Bennett’s distance workouts have (made the difference) because before I was not able to sprint the whole race,” said Cremer, who “skipped the 41s and went straight to 40 (40.6)” at the Austintown Optimist Meet. “I was too tired before. Since I’ve trained with him it’s been easier. Technique-wise, running the 110s (high hurdles) prepared me for the 300s. It’s a lot easier at a lower height. I’ve been training for 110s since seventh-grade, so technically I’ve prepared for this since seventh grade. “I’m happy, but I’m not satisfied. I’m going to work to make it to state. My goal at the beginning of the year was to make it to regionals. Since I’ve met that, I’m not saying I have nothing to work for.” Neidig, who ran a 1:59.11 at the indoor state meet in Akron in March, ran his season best in North Canton. His previous best was a 1:59.30 to win the OCC, and he knew he was going to have to be at his best again. “There were a lot of fast people, so I knew I would have a lot competition,” said Neidig. “I would tried my hardest and I gave everything I had.” Neidig challenged for the win, but ultimately fell behind Jackson’s Matt Hendrix, who won with a 1:57.32, while second (1:58.24) and third (1:58.25) finished just ahead of Neidig. “I was definitely running for the place,” said Neidig. “I wanted to get first, but the Jackson kid killed me at the end. The first lap I was third, and I was right beside (Hendrix) in first for 25 meters on the last stretch and my legs gave out. I am always happy to cut time, but I’d rather get fourth place or better than anything.” Breneman saved his best for districts. Vaulting consistently at 12-6 much of the season, he was one of only three vaulters remaining at 13-0. Reaching that goal was his main focus Friday. “Thirteen feet was what I was going for all season,” said the senior. “That was my goal. I was not concerned about moving on – I wasn’t thinking about that. Coach told me I was seeded fourth, so I started thinking about it then. “I felt good warming up, everything felt right. The key was working hard all season and having a nice day to jump. I felt good. If I had the standards set right, I could have gotten 13-3.” Other Generals who posted personal bests were freshman Cooper Orr in the 400 (54.29), sophomore Drew Wigham in the 1600 (4:57.03) in 1600, senior Marcus Cremer in the 800 (2:03.77), Trevor Villegas in the shot (45-5) and Kosta Nicolozakes in the pole vault as he tied his PB with a 12-0 vault. “Our middle distance kids and the field have done a great job of supporting this team this year and it’s fitting a number of these kids qualified out to get to the regional meet,” said Bennett, whose team was ninth out of 16 district teams with 34 points. “It’s been a been very positive season and they’ve made a lot of progress.” Freshman Lauren Miller had her best run of the season in the 800, getting an eighth-place with a 2:28.89 for the girl’s lone point. Teammate Vicki Anderson had her best race in that event as well as she dropped two seconds with a 2:37.59. Other PBs fashioned by the girls came from Hannah Doan in the 1600 as she ran a 5:42.0, while Jen Fox ran a season-best 50.7 in the 300 hurdles.


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