Berkshire athletes punch tickets to OHSAA Regional Meet

The Berkshire track and field teams delivered another strong postseason performance at the Division IV OHSAA District Meet, with multiple Badgers earning trips to next week’s regional meet at Austintown Fitch High School. Regional qualifiers were determined by top-four finishes, and Berkshire athletes rose to the occasion throughout the meet.

The boys team was led by a pair of district champions in the field events. Senior Billy Verbic captured the district title in the high jump, clearing 5-10 to advance to regionals. Junior Cohen Gielink also earned a district championship, winning the pole vault with a clearance of 11-0 to secure his spot at Austintown Fitch.

On the track, sophomore Aiden Hollingsworth punched his ticket to regionals with a fourth-place finish in the 800-meter run, running a personal-best time of 2:04.47. Freshman distance standout Evan Tromba continued his breakout season by finishing runner-up in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:38.04 to qualify for regionals.

The Badgers nearly added another qualifier in the hurdles as junior Trey Cadwallader finished fifth in the 110 hurdles with a personal-best 16.84, narrowly missing a regional berth.

Berkshire’s boys 4x800 relay team of Quinlan Sirl, Tripp Wadsworth, Hollingsworth, and Danny Auth placed fifth overall in a competitive race, finishing in 8:46.24.

On the girls side, Berkshire qualified athletes in nearly every phase of the meet. Sophomore Marissa Karl earned a regional berth in the 400-meter dash, placing third overall in 1:00.87. Sophomore Makenna Felker added another regional qualification for the Badgers by placing fourth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 49.46.

Distance runner Addison Passow qualified in the 1600-meter run after finishing fourth in a personal-best 5:47.90. She also added a fifth-place finish in the 3200.

In the relays, Berkshire’s 4x400 team of Ella Strmen, Felker, Karl, and Catherine Toth delivered one of the team’s biggest performances of the night, finishing fourth overall in 4:14.23 to earn a regional berth.

The Badgers were especially strong in the field events. Sophomore Stella Bateman tied for third in the high jump at 4-6 to qualify for regionals, while freshman Bridget Miller finished runner-up in the pole vault with a personal-best clearance of 7-6. Teammate Samantha Snow also advanced by taking third in the event at 7-0, giving Berkshire two regional qualifiers in the pole vault.

Several other Badgers turned in strong performances just outside qualifying position, including Strmen in the 800, Anna Risk in the discus, and Verbic in the long jump.

Berkshire will now send a strong group of athletes to the Division IV regional meet next week at Austintown Fitch High School, with hopes of advancing to the OHSAA State Championships.