PARMA, Ohio -- When it comes to Great Lakes Conference Track & Field championships, Rocky River is now 10-for-10. After a one-year hiatus in the league's title meet, River's boys' and girls' teams swept their way to a pair of wins in the 2021 championships which concluded Thursday. [
results]
Both squads have gone 5-for-5 in GLC meets since the conference was launched in 2015-16. The Pirates came through with big individual performances in keeping the streaks alive this week at Byers Field.
The River boys team filed 147 team points, turning aside all other comers in the 10-team field and winning the title by a margin of 55 points. In 17 events, the Pirates logged five wins and four runner-up finishes. The Double-R's top point scorers were seniors Chase DeClerck (19 points) and Luke Kishna (16.5) and sophomore Luke Dorenkott (10).
DeClerck won the 1600-meter run, placed fourth in the 800, and was a part of one winning relay (4x800) and one third-place relay (4x4). Kishna and Dorenkott -- along with Nathyn Marius -- were also part of the winning 4x8 foursome. Individually, Kishna placed third in the 1600 and second in the 3200. Dorenkott was third in the 800 and was part of the third-place 4x4 group.
Other boys' wins came in the 100-meter hurdles (Owen Kleckner), 4x200 relay (Edward Opris, Anthony Opris, Ethan Hazra, Nic DiSalvo), and discus (Adam Maroon). Other seconds were carded in the 4x100 (E. Opris, A. Opris, Charles Sales, DiSalvo), and 400 (Hazra). The Pirates took second (Griffin Sawyer) and third (Alex Wojnowski) in the pole vault.
Rocky River's 147 points were furlongs ahead of Buckeye (92 points) and Bay (91) in the race for GLC supremacy.
On the girls' side, River piled up 181 points to best Bay (145), Lakewood (78) and seven other GLC foes. The Pirates clocked six golds and 10 silvers. The Maroon & White got a masterful 32-1/2-point performance from junior distance specialist Sam Coleman, who won swept the 800, 1600, and 3200 while also being in for a piece of a River win in the 4x800. The Pirates other top point-producers were seniors Sarah Mazzei (18.5), Morgyn Cruz (18), and Keira Vesy (17.5).
Aside from Coleman's indivdual trifecta, the Pirates also landed wins in the 4x8 relay (Saraa Abuzahrieh, Keira Arnold, Vesy, Coleman), 4x1 relay (Magda Greco, Caroline Sidoti, Sarah Saad, Mazzei), and 300 hurdles (Maeve Kelly). River cranked out runner-up finishes in the 100 (Mazzei), 4x2 relay (Mazzei, Cruz, Sidoti, Taylor Byall), 1600 (Arnold), 400 (Vesy), 3200 (Brianna Chaves), 4x4 relay (Arnold, Cruz, Byall, Vesy), high jump (Amelia Stalzer), long jump (Cruz), and discus (Madie Shoaf). The Pirates took second and third in the 100 hurdles (Ellie Harkins, Cruz); they took third and fourth in the 200 (Mazzei, Mary Sollars).
The 2021 Rocky River Pirates: part of a long Maroon & White line -- five years' long -- stepping to the podium. And often to the top step. Five-for-five. Ten-for-ten. All for one.