Clarion Comets Indoor Track & Field Team Competes At Youngstown State University
Photos by Matt Lerch – Above: Avery Ortz in the 60m hurdles on January 11th
(By Matt Lerch)
The Clarion Comets indoor track and field team competed on two consecutive Saturdays at Youngstown State University’s WATTS indoor track facility. On January 11th the team competed not only against some of the best athletes in the eastern United States but also from Canada. The Comets were treated with a blistering performance by one of Canada’s fastest 400m high school sprinters, Elliot Mauricette, with a time of 49:38. Last year’s treat was observing Quincy Wilson from Bullis High School who went on to run in the Paris Olympics at the tender age of 16.

Tammy Lerch’s Comets team traveled across a snow-covered and detoured interstate on the 11th represented by sprinters, mid-distance and distance runners and long jumpers. Livia McGinley, Avery Ortz, Eliza Datko and Bryn Anderson ran for the Comets on January 11th and Ortz also competed in the long jump. Datko placed 21st in the 800m and 17th in the 1600m. Ortz finished 23rd out of 46 in the 60m hurdles and 18th out of 37 in the long jump. Isaac Lerch, Hayden Weber, Chris Kim, Drake Edmonds and Garrett Dick competed in the running events and Lerch also competed in the long jump. Weber placed 20th out of 76 in the 800m and Lerch finished 14th out of 45 in the long jump.

On January 18th, the Comets again braved the treacherous winter conditions on the interstate to get to Youngstown to compete with an even larger field of athletes. The girls running for the Comets included Eliza Datko, Bryn Anderson and Avery Ortz while Ortz also performed the long jump. Datko competed in the 800m placing 15th out of 85 and 18th out of 77 in the 1600m. Ortz placed 23rd out of 48 in the 60m hurdles. The boys running for the Comets were Ben Aaron, Isaac Lerch, Aiden Fox, Hayden Weber, Brady Guth, Chris Kim, Garret Dick. In the field events were Fox and Lerch long jumping and Fox and Guth triple jumping. Hudson and Harrison Bliss pole vaulted for the Comets. Fox placed 16th out of 78 in the 200m and came in 15th in the long jump and 11th in he triple jump. Lerch placed 11th out of 40 in the long jump. Guth had a top ten finish in the triple jump coming in 10th place. Hudson Bliss placed 22nd in the
pole vault.

The Comets return to track and field action by revisiting the SPIRE Institute in Geneva Ohio on February 1st.
(Keep up the good work, Comets!!!! Thanks to Matt Lerch for the article and photos!!)