NORTH ROYALTON — There’s one thing people are learning about Kylah Meyer every time they see her race.
Just when you think a win may be out of reach, the Louisville senior always seems to find something left in the tank.
Meyer authored one of her most memorable wins at the North Royalton Division II regional track and field meet on May. 29. She rallied from fourth place on the final lap to win the girls 1,600 meters and complete a distance sweep.
A final 400 time of 1:07.13 helped Meyer finish in 4:52.39, almost three seconds ahead of the field.
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“The whole race I was kind of tired,” Meyer said. “I felt tired beforehand, but I was like ‘You know what? I’m going to go out there and see what I can do.'”
Despite feeling tired, Meyer was in a state-qualifying position for most of the race. Being in fourth place heading into the final lap still left her with some wiggle room.
Meyer moved into third early in the final lap. She took over the lead in the final 200.
“I caught one of the Aurora girls and was in my third spot on the backstretch,” Meyer said. “I was like ‘I can catch them. They’re not that far away.’ That was my mindset.”
Finishes like this are already on Meyer’s résumé. She won the 3,200 at this year’s Stark County Championships with a final lap of 1:06.71.
“Even if I’m in a spot where I’m behind heading into the last lap, I’m able to have a kick to potentially win,” Meyer said. “It’s definitely a confidence booster.”
Meyer’s goal before the end of the season was to crack the 5-minute mark in the 1,600. By smashing it at North Royalton, the sky’s the limit for her at the state meet. Her 1,600 time and her winning 3,200 time of 10:28.82 at the regional on May 27 will make her the top seed in both events at state.
“Seeing what I just did and knowing I raced some of the top girls in the state just now, I have a really great chance of winning this,” Meyer said.
Perry sprinter Emerson Karrenbauer goes 4-for-4 … again
Meyer will not be the only area Division II runner who has a shot to win multiple state titles.
Perry sprinter Emerson Karrenbauer collected four winners’ medals at North Royalton. She won the 100 (11.94), the 200 (24.12) and anchored the Panthers’ winning 400 and 800 relays.
The 4-for-4 day came on the heels of four wins for Karrenbauer at the district meet.
“I’m very confident with myself,” Karrenbauer said. “On that line, I’m the only one who knows the training I’ve put in. I’ll confidently say I don’t think anyone else on that start line works as hard as me.
“I’ve put the work in. Now all I have to do is have fun and go run.”
Karrenbauer will be the top seed at the state meet in the 100 and 200. She is the only Division II runner who has broken the 12-second mark in the 100 this season.
Both Perry relays also have a shot at gold at state. The 800 relay of Karrenbauer, Allison Reese, Mya Patton and Baileigh Brown maintained its No. 1 ranking with a winning time 1:39.70 at the regional meet. The same foursome will be ranked No. 2 in the 400 relay. Their winning time at regionals was 48.01.
“We’ve been working all year for that,” Karrenbauer said. “To pull out the win is just great. It’s a big confidence booster for next week.”
Greater Canton’s automatic OHSAA state track and field qualifiers from Friday’s North Royalton Division II regional meet
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The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville track’s Kylah Meyer shows again she’s never out of a race
Reporting by Mike Popovich, Canton Repository / The Repository
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