For the first time in team in their 48 year history, the girls track and field team were named OHSAA Regional Champions as every athlete who participated advanced to next week’s State Championships.  With eight athletes and eight events qualifying to Columbus, the girls will send their largest ever contingent to the OHSAA Championship meet being held at Jesse Owens Stadium!

The girls started Friday’s finals in impressive shape as each girl who qualified from the District Championships and competed at Wednesday’s prelim’s qualified to the Regional finals (see https://westlakeathletics.org/2022/05/26/girls-track-and-field-qualifies-to-regional-finals-4×800-to-state/ for information on the preliminary races).  Junior Macy Brennan started the day for the Demons in the Discus, qualifying to the finals with a solid 122′ throw in the prelims.  In the finals, though, needing a big result to ensure a top four place, she did just that, PR’ing by over three feet with a new best of 129’1″, good enough for a State qualifying 4th place finish.  With Macy’s finish, she became the first thrower since Bridget McNeill (2008) to advance past Regionals and represent WHS at the State meet!

On the track, senior standout Sophia Kontak continued her fantastic final season with the team, taking 3rd in both the 100 and the 200, just missing out on re-setting her own school records in each event.  In qualifying in both events, however, Sophia became the first sprinter since Lisa Grey (1992) to qualify to Columbus and the first ever WHS athlete to qualify in more than one event in the same season!

Making Sophia’s accomplishments all the more impressive is that just after completing her 100, she missed the awards presentation to move on to her next event, the 4×200.  Though tired, the triumvirate of Sarah Colman, who ran a blazing opening leg, Madison Shami who landed perfect handoffs, and Emma Hennessey who ran a blistering kick with 100 left to go in her leg of the relay, gave Sophia the baton with a chance to secure a State qualifying result.  The senior anchor runner did more than that and helped the team to not just a State qualifying performance, but another new WHS record (1:42.31) as well as a 1st place Regional championship!  In doing so, not only did Sarah, Madison, Emma, and Sophia become the first WHS Regional champions since 2006 (Molly Bartkiewicz), but they also became the first sprint relay in program history to punch their ticket to the State championships!

In the distance event, sophomore phenom Sarah Peer looked to qualify to Columbus for the second year in a row, and immediately came out strong in the 1600 as she and fellow standout Katie Clute (Olmsted Falls) quickly separated from the pack.  Back and forth two of the top distance runners in the state went, with Sarah earning another new personal best en route to her 2nd place 4:54.40 finish!

Hurdle star Emma Hennessey, the number one seed going into the 300 Hurdles, started her event strong, but was in third place mid-way through the competition.  The senior, though, gathered herself and put on a burst the final 100 meters that not only saw her ensure a trip to the State championships next week but saw her take 1st overall and earn only the third individual Regional championship in team history!  Not only that, but Emma becomes the first ever WHS long hurdler to represent the green and white in Columbus!

Based on the team scoring, the girls needed Sophia to have a strong finish in the 200 to clinch the team title, and she did just that, earning the team the points it needed to wrap up the team’s first ever championship at this level while also running so well that she, as mentioned earlier, qualified to State in the event, becoming the first sprinter in over three decades to do so.

Junior Sarah Colman once again showed her all-track flexibility, running in her third event of the championships, taking 6th in the 400 before moving on to the final event of the evening, the 4×400.  Sarah led off the event and did so magnificently, handing off the baton in 1st place.  Sisters Sarah and Sydney held their ground against some amazing competition to get the baton to anchor Emma Hennessey in 3rd.  Emma, as she has all season long, went out strong, eventually securing the team a 2nd place, State qualifying finish that broke the school record in the event by nearly five seconds (3:54.81)!

With the meet complete, the girls could celebrate several outstanding accomplishments.  Individually, two Regional champions (4×200, 300 Hurdles), three WHS records (4×200, 1600, 4×400), six PR’s (4×800, Discus, 4×200, 1600, 300 Hurdles, 4×400), eight State qualifying events (4×800, Discus, 100, 4×200, 1600, 300 Hurdles, 200, 4×400), and eight State qualifying individuals (Ellie Irwin, Sarah Colman, Sydney Peer, Sarah Peer, Macy Brennan, Sophia Kontak, Madison Shami, Emma Hennessey) highlighted the day.  As a team, though, the girls won the first ever Regional Championship in program history, qualified the first relay teams and long hurdler in school history, sent the first sprinter to State in 30 years, and qualified the most events and individuals in team history (2008, 2).  And while it is an intangible, the sheer cavalcade of non-participating athletes who made the two-hour trip to the Regional location to cheer on their teammates helped make what was truly a historic day for the program just that much more special.

Thanks to all who attended and good luck to the girls as the travel to Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus this Friday and Saturday to compete in the State Championships!