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Marx among several area throwers headed to Columbus

AUSTINTOWN — Area throwers will have plenty to cheer about at the state track meet.

Crestview sophomore Dominic Perry and South Range senior Chris Herubin finished one-two in the boys shot put at the Austintown Division II regional meet Saturday.

Salem sophomore Caitlyn Marx and South Range junior Kayti Aczel also advanced in the girls discus.

“It definitely causes a lot of stress trying to get out and go to state,” Marx said.

All four will be throwing in the state finals at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University.

“Just getting there means a lot,” Perry said. “I’ll be a little nervous until I get there. Then it’s time to compete.”

Perry had the top four throws in Saturday’s shot put field, including a best of 52-feet-0 3/4 at Falcon Stadium.

“I do what I’m told to do and they go out there,” he said.

He tried to put last year out of his mind, when he hurt his big toe in warmups and finished ninth.

“My goal was not to get hurt,” Perry said.

He entered the meet as a big favorite.

“It’s good because you know you have to do your best if you want to move on,” Perry said.

Herubin put a little pressure on with a personal-best 50-2 3/4 on his first attempt, 1 1/2 feet better than his previous mark set at districts. He also threw a 49-3.

“In warmups, I felt good,” Herubin said. “My coaches were emphasizing if you get a great first one, you can relax. I always compete well at Fitch.

“I think if you told this week I was going to throw 50, I would not have been surprised. I have thrown it in practice.”

Herubin is used to throwing against Perry by now.

“I really don’t think about who I’m throwing against,” he said. “Dom’s a great athlete. It’s good to throw against someone ahead of you because it pushes you.”

“He’s really dedicated to what he does,” Perry said. “He puts in a lot of work.”

In the girls discus, Marx was third (131-6) and Aczel fourth (124-9).

“Getting in the top four was the main goal,” said Marx, who had three throws of at least 130 feet.

The top four in each event advance to the state track meet in Columbus.

Marx has improved to 20 feet since last season.

“I picked up a lot of speed and my form got better,” she said.

Her appearance at this year’s state meet may be an audition for her upcoming seasons.

“Maybe PR (personal record) and hopefully get on the podium,” Marx said.

Meet notes

¯ Salem senior Helene Shontz was 13th in the girls discus (106-2).

¯ One of the top athletes to watch is Garrettsville Garfield senior Lauren Jones, the two-time defending state discus champion and University of Oklahoma recruit.

At Fitch Saturday, she was second in the discus (147-11) and fourth in the long jump (16-6 3/4).

That went along with a second in the shot put (41-0 1/4) and ninth in the high jump (5-0) on Thursday.

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