Cross country notes: Oh, brother, Amherst is a tight-knit group
Paul Heyse | The Chronicle-Telegram
Talk about your band of brothers.
Brother combinations are a key ingredient at Amherst, which has three sets on this year’s team.
There’s Pete Hause, a senior, and freshman Stephen Hause; senior Adam and freshman Andrew Mellen; and senior Matt and sophomore Chris Petek.
The Hauses ran two years for the junior high, although their paths have varied slightly. Pete is in his fourth season with the varsity, with a career-best time of 17:27 in 2007. Last winter, he was a district qualifier in the 200 free and 100 fly for the varsity swim team. Pete also competes in triathlons in the summer.
Stephen was out for a few weeks early in the season but is already down to 21:20. The last two years, he rotated between cross country and football for the middle school. He has settled on cross country at the high school level.
“I can’t say for sure whether or not I’m part of the reason Stephen’s picked cross country for high school,” Pete said. “Rob Glatz, our middle school coach, does a great job working with athletes. I’m sure he’s played a big factor in it.”
Pete helped the Comet varsity qualify to the regional at Tiffin last year with a strong district performance. A fractured metatarsal, however, kept him off the regional roster.
The Mellen brothers ran two years at the junior high level, Adam has run all four years in high school. Adams’ personal record is 21:32 at LCCC. Andrew’s best mark so far is 22:14 at Tiffin.
No surprise, Matt and Chris Petek both ran in junior high, as well. Matt has run all four years at the high school level. Matt is a team co-captain and has a PR of 19:58 which he ran at Dayton last year. He is just coming off a stress fracture in his foot and is starting to run after a five-week layoff. Chris has a best mark of 21:48 he set at Dayton last year.
Older siblings have also had an influence on two other members of the team. Senior Gary Haglund, the 2007 Lorain County Division I MVP, is the brother of Tim Haglund. A 2006 Amherst graduate, Tim was a 2004 Division I state qualifier.
Sophomore Miles Pittak’s older brother Nick ran cross country as a freshman and sophomore. Nick was primarily a pole vaulter in track and is now at the University of Toledo.
Known on the team as “The Chairman,” senior Tyler Kosik is the younger brother of Kelton Kosik, who is now at Miami of Ohio. In track, Tyler is a pole vaulter. He has a best time of 20:14, which he ran at Tiffin this year.
Bay defends title
Bay sophomore Mike Brajdic won the Division II race at Galion on Saturday in 16:18. Senior Jordan Hawkins (fourth, 16:53) and junior Brian Zeuch (fifth, 16:56) also finished in the top five as the Rockets successfully defended their team title.
Bay outdistanced Canton Central Catholic, 127-148, in a 36-team field. Sophomore Nick Flanks (48th, 18:10) and senior Kyle Sharp (70th 18:39) were also in the Bay’s top five.
Seniors Nate Rodriguez (16th, 17:20), Danny Nicoll (17:34) and Todd Hathaway (22nd, 17:36) keyed Vermilion’s fifth-place finish with 22 points. Senior Nick Jeffers (21st, 17:35) helped Firelands finish 22nd with 537. Keystone’s all-freshman team was 39th with 970.
Freshman Hanna Sterle (18th, 20:56), sophomore Megan Mohney (37th, 21:41) and junior Lisa Griebel (44th, 21:48) helped the Bay girls finish eighth out of 27 teams with 256 points.
In other action, the Avon girls were ninth (280) and the Avon boys 10th (344) out of 35 teams at Saturday’s Spartan Invitational in Boardman. Erin Schneider (18th, 22:28) and Kayla Welch (39th, 23:07) paced the Avon girls. Andy Ventura (21st, 18:29) and Tyler Kvach (41st, 19:00) led the Avon boys.
Player nominations
Coaches are encouraged to submit athlete-of-the-week nominations no later than 9 p.m. on Sundays. Coaches should provide statistics (times and performances) along with a brief athlete bio of their nominations. Athletes of the week receive a Chronicle-Telegram T-shirt recognizing them for their achievement.
Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Kyle Lowry, Amherst
Year: Senior
Last week: Finished sixth in a season-best 16:27 to lead the Comets at the Alliance Running Club Invitational on Saturday in Dayton. Helped Amherst to finish 12th out of 26 teams
Other sport: Track
Bio: Has steadily improved despite missing the entire track season in the spring due to a stress fracture. He’s been all-county three times and All-Southwestern Conference twice. Allegheny, Ashland, Dayton, Muskingum and Wooster are among his college choices. Was a member of the Comets’ 2007 Division I regional-qualifying team. Participated at Buckeye Boys State at BGSU, a student government event, in June. Has a
3.7-grade-point average.
Parents: Kevin and Barb Lowry
Miranda Weed, Avon Lake
Year: Sophomore
Last week: Finished third in the white division race with a time of 20:17 at the McDonough Invitational at Forest Hills Park on Saturday. Helped the Shoregals place fifth out of 14 teams.
Other sport: Track
Bio: Was Division I All-Lorain County first team, All-Southwestern Conference second team and the Shoregals’ rookie award winner as a freshman and was the MVP in the spring for the varsity track team. Her personal best is 19:36, which was set at the Tiffin invite on Sept. 6. As a freshman, she clocked a season-best 20:59 at the Elyria Division I district. Volunteers at Elyria Memorial Hospital. A Wisconsin native, she has lived in Ohio for about eight years. Her dad is a former high school runner and her brother, Andrew, runs on the eighth grade team for Learwood Middle School. She has a 3.6 GPA and was selected by the Avon Lake High School staff to participate in the scholastic leadership program.
Parents: Doug and Lisa Weed
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Filed by Paul Heyse | The Chronicle-Telegram September 18th, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 3% |
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