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Sprinters and jumpers don’t like cool, breezy weather. Neither do throwers. So, April 2 was a day for the distance runners to shine at the 24th annual Avon Lake Invitational.

When you think distance runners, you need look no further than Olmsted Falls and its two stars, Katie Clute and Lillie Katsaras. Clute set a meet record while winning the 1,600-meter run, Katsaras set a meet record while winning the 3200, and then both ran on the distance medley relay that also set a meet record.

“They’re doing surprisingly well,” said Falls distance coach Rae Alexander. “I was expecting good things, but I didn’t know it would be as good as it turned out. It’s such a transition for the ones who ran indoors. You go from it being warm with no wind, and then you have to go outside. It’s an adjustment. They’ve adapted really well to everything. We’ve had workouts in horrible conditions, and they just fight through.”

PHOTOS: Avon Lake Invitational track and field, April 2, 2022

The conditions were far from horrible on this day. In fact, it was some of the nicer weather the meet has enjoyed through the years. But it’s still early April, which means the temperatures were hovering in the mid- to upper-40s and there was a steady, cool breeze that sometimes got gusty.

The race of the day for area athletes was the girls 1,600, which saw friendly rivals Clute and Sarah Peer of Westlake wage a fierce battle. Clute ended up winning with a time of 4:59.76, followed closely by Peer in 5:00.60. Both were well under the meet record of 5:07.70.

“It was a good race,” Peer said. “I’m glad I have Katie. I know I’m in a different conference than she is, so I rarely get to compete against her. Having her in this early meet really sets a good first impression for my season. I’m pretty happy with the outcome.”

Peer took the lead from the opening gun, leading Clute and Rae Kawalec of Chardon through splits of 72.5 for the first lap and 2:32.3 for the 800 split. Kawalec soon dropped off the pace and finished a distant third.

“I was just trying to see where it would go,” Peer said of leading early. “My first half mile tends to be super-fast, and my first 200 is normally around 32 seconds, way faster than it should be. So, I was just trying to feel things out. I had a lot of adrenaline in me because it was the first meet of our season. I just tried to feel very comfortable and relaxed and then the last two laps just see what I was capable of.”

Clute took the lead midway through the backstretch on the third lap and maintained an advantage of 3 to 5 meters for the remainder of the race.

“Overall, it was a really good race,” Clute said. “We both definitely push each other and make each other better. We’re friends, too. So, it’s all good.”

The junior said she was content to let Peer set the pace for the first two laps, but when they hit the backstretch on lap three, she knew it was time to take charge.

“I was just going to see how the race went,” Clute said. “I didn’t have an exact plan going in. I was just going to use my racing skills and see how it went. When I took the lead, it just felt like the right time. I was about to go, and my coach told me to go, so that’s when I knew it was really time to go.”

Katsaras had a much easier time in the 3,200, leading from wire to wire and winning by nearly 20 seconds. Her time of 11:10.19 broke the meet record of 11:16.02.

“(The race) was pretty good,” she said. “I’ve been kind of getting back into the racing mode in practice, so it was kind of like a tester. I’m happy with how it went.”

Clute and Katsaras later combined with Hannah Mahoney and Hailey Johnston to win the distance medley relay with a meet-record time of 12:56.54.

The top area team among the girls was Westlake, which placed third with 61 points. Medina was the winner at 71, followed by Gilmour Academy with 64. Westlake had two individual winners in Macy Brennan in the discus (125-7) and Sarah Colman in the 400 (61.02).

Two other girls events were won by area athletes. North Ridgeville’s Veronica Waugaman won the pole vault with a best jump of 11-0, and Allie Dewey, Katie Stirm, Grace Lavelle and Samantha Coleman of Rocky River combined to win the 4x800 relay with a time of 10:02.32.

Avon was the top area team among the boys. Solon dominated the meet with 102½ points, but the Eagles were involved in a spirited battle for the runner-up spot, eventually finishing fourth. Canton GlenOak and St. Ignatius tied for second with 53 points, followed by Avon with 52.

The only area event winners among the boys both came from Avon. Evan Schakel won the discus with a throw of 162-7, and Joe Weatherspoon, Colin Kaufmann, Tim Conwell and Tommy Ptacek combined to win the 4x100 relay, setting a meet record with a time of 43.44.

“We were looking for a win,” Ptacek said. “Nothing else. We were aiming for the 43s, so we accomplished what we wanted. The first meet of the year, that’s a good starting point. I think you’ll see us in Columbus this year. I think we’ll be there.”

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