Macer, Girls 4x100 Relay Advance to State

The difference between district and regional competition can be a large one, particularly in track and field, where qualifying for the state meet can come down to a few inches or a few tenths of a second.

Twinsburg, coming off a district title, found the going much tougher at  this week's Austintown Fitch regional meet. The Tigers advanced one boy, Aaron Macer, and one girls' relay team to Columbus for the state championships next weekend.

Macer, headed to Ohio University on a football scholarship, came up with a clutch effort in the spirited high jump competition as he cleared 6-8 to take a third place. It was his final shot at the state meet after he placed eighth in the 100 meters (11.19). Macer's mark was a full four inches better than his first-place district height and it couldn't have come at a better time as a new regional record of 7-0 was set by Massillon's Devin Smith. 

The talented Macer also anchored Twinsburg's sixth-place 4x100-meter relay with Tre Jones, John Barton and DeNorris Turner (48.92) and ran the fourth leg on the Tigers' eighth-place 4x400-meter relay with Turner, Barton and Will Myers (3:26.61).

District champion Garrett Crichlow also came close but just missed out on a state bid as he finished sixth in the 1600 meters (4:24.56). Barton finished 11th in both the 100 and 200 meters.  

Twinsburg's girls came up big in the finals of the 4x100-meter relay as Taylor Coghlan, Kirsten Isaac, Sierra Strozier and Taylor Ware took a third place with a 48.92 clocking to advance to Columbus.

Emily Kazarinoff was sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (14.88) and Ware finished seventh in the long jump (16-10). Essence Bell placed 10th in the shot put (36-5.25) for the Lady Tigers.

The Division I state meet begins Friday at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with running preliminaries at 4:45 p.m. Saturday's field event finals are set for noon and 3 p.m. and running finals are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. All tickets are $10 at the stadium.