Girls regional track: Medina's Lauren Dawson, Cloverleaf's Riley Evans make for dynamite duo

PORT CLINTON — Lauren Dawson of Medina and Riley Evans of Cloverleaf became the first Medina County athletes to qualify for four straight state track meets since 2019. They did so in style, winning championships at the Port Clinton Division I Regional on Friday. Dawson won the 100-meter hurdles and finished third in the long jump to claim two state berths, while Evans claimed the crown in the 400, ran on the runner-up 4x200 relay and placed fourth in the 100 to punch her ticket in three events. Both regional champions will be in action Friday at the state meet at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. "I was definitely more focused on the hurdles and wasn't too confident about the long jump since I'd never made it to state before in that event," Dawson said, chuckling. "So that was a nice surprise. "In the hurdles, your mind is kind of going through all the things that can go wrong before the race, so you've just got to trust your training and your technique. I was able to focus on doing that." Dawson got over to a slower than usual start but blew past runner-up Azurie Garrett of Toledo Whitmer by 0.27 and third-place finisher Mary Sollars of Rocky River by 0.46 to finish in 14.50. Her classic hurdling form was the difference, just as it was the previous two weeks. "It took a few hurdles for me to realize, 'I've really got to run,' and start kicking it," she said. "You want to win every race against competition as good as it is at this level." Two-time Gazette MVP Evans also used her enviable endurance late in the 400, finishing in 56.44 to best Magnificat's Mikaela Davala by 1.14 seconds. It was her third race of the warm day, which was also highlighted by a glorious anchor leg on the 4x200. The latter saw Callee Gibson, Kayla Shook, Sarah Kelly and Evans edge Wadsworth sprint standouts Cece Craig, Hailey Otradovec, Avah Coviak and Jessica Stoops by 0.12 for second place. The top four finishers in every event qualified for state. "It definitely was a battle in the 400, but you've got to find another gear at the end," Evans said. "I make sure I get tired down the homestretch because I push myself to not give up." The aforementioned Grizzlies were even better in the 4x400, finishing second in 3:59.64 with Stoops beating Rocky River's fourth girl to the line by 0.28. Sophomore Craig and Stoops are making back-to-back trips to state with first-timers Otradovec and Coviak. "Our camaraderie helps a lot on the track," Otradovec said. Craig quickly chimed in, "We put in all the hard work together because we love each other." Highland senior Sierra Podolan — now a three-time state qualifier in the shot — added her initial berth in the discus with a third-place 128 feet, 7 inches. After coming up short at the 2022 Findlay Regional and 2023 Amherst Regional in the event, she reveled in the moment. "I was worried because my first throw wasn't that good, but I said, 'I can't have a repeat of the last two years,'" Podolan said. "This is a big relief, and I'm looking forward to a full week of practice in both events." Brunswick came through in the clutch in multiple events, as well, with sophomore Zaria Roberts snaring the fourth spot in the long jump at 17-6. She leapt into the top four on her second try in the finals and never relinquished it. The Blue Devils' distance crew picked up three individual state berths. Senior Emma Bradbury was fourth in the 1,600, while junior Amber Kemmann was third and senior Ella Daddario was fourth in the 3,200 — all while breaking away from their closest pursuants. "I was just terrified of the girls behind me from Wadsworth and Strongsville because I hadn't beaten them before until districts," Bradbury said. "For whatever reason, I'd never had that good of a kick, but that's changed the last few races. It's good timing, for sure." Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow @BrianDulik on X. Results Standings: 1. Avon 55, 2. Perrysburg 49, 3. Toledo Whitmer 42.5, 4. Rocky River 34, 5. Strongsville 33, 6. Holland Springfield 31, 7. Brunswick 26, 7. Lakewood 26, 9. Amherst 24.5, 10. Wadsworth 23, 10. Avon Lake 23, 11. Mansfield Madison 23, 12. Cloverleaf 23, 14. Medina 22, 15. Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 21, 16. Findlay 20, 17. Toledo St. Ursula Academy 19, 18. Sylvania Southview 16, 19. Westlake 15, 20. Magnificat 13.5, 21. Highland 13, 21. Brecksville 13, 23. Oregon Clay 12, 24. North Ridgeville 10, 25. Fremont Ross 9, 26. Sylvania Southview 8, 26. Lorain 8, 28. St. Joseph Academy 7.5, 29. Berea-Midpark 7, 30. North Royalton 6, 31. Tiffin Columbia 5, 31. Toledo Scott 5, 33. Bay 4, 33. Valley Forge 4, 35. Olmsted Falls 3, 35. Norwalk 3, 37. Toledo Notre Dame Academy 2, 37. Ashland 2, 39. Normandy 1. 100 — 1. Maira Scott (Spring) 11.51, 4. Riley Evans (Clo) 12.25, 5. Marcie Patilla (Med) 12.30, 8. Brooke Diello (Med) 12.54. 200 — 1. Scott (Spring) 23.19, 8. Patilla (Med) 25.63. 400 — 1. Evans (Clo) 56.44, 7. Hailey Otradovec (Wad) 59.64. 800 — 1. Grace Lavelle (RR) 2:12.73, 13. Mia Heine (Med) 2:25.21, 15. Grace Piepho (Wad) 2:27.92. 1,600 — 1. Sarah Peer (West) 4:54.90, 8. Kailyn Biecker (Wad) 5:17.14. 3,200 — 1. Kaitlyn Reese (Av) 10:35.77, 3. Amber Kemmann (Bru) 10:53.99, 4. Ella Daddario (Bru) 11:02.80, 10. Katie Schuler (High) 11:35.19, 14. Ollie Smith (Wad) 11:58.55. 100 hurdles — 1. Lauren Dawson (Med) 14.50, 8. Delaney Miller (High) 15.66. 300 hurdles — 1. Azurie Garrett (Whit) 44.06. 4x100 — 1. Holland Springfield 48.70. 4x200 — 1. Anthony Wayne 1:42.60, 2. Cloverleaf (Callee Gibson, Kayla Shook, Sarah Kelly, Evans) 1:42.75, 3. Wadsworth (Cece Craig, Avah Coviak, Otradovec, Jessica Stoops) 1:42.87. 4x400 — 1. Perrysburg 3:56.72, 2. Wadsworth (Otradovec, Craig, Coviak, Stoops) 3:59.64. 4x800 — 1. Avon 9:16.12, 7. Wadsworth (Biecker, Cami Ross, Smith, Piepho) 9:38.56. High jump — 1. Macie Miller (NRidge) 5-2, 5. Hailey Harris (Wad) 5-1, 10. Maya Piechowiak (High) 4-10. Long jump — 1. Kaydence Doxley (Lake) 18-8, 3. Dawson (Med) 17-7, 4. Zaria Roberts (Bru) 17-6, 14. Kierston Campbell (Co) 15-11. Pole vault — 1. Alex Sixbey (Amh) 12-0. Shot put — 1. Claire Springer (AL) 45-6, 3. Sierra Podolan (High) 39-6, 7. Kya Swann (Bru) 36-8.75. Discus — 1. Rania Brown (Av) 144-5, 3. Podolan (High) 128-7, 14. Jordan Miller (High) 108-0 ,15. Kya Swann (Bru) 107-11.