PERRY TWP. — Records are made to be broken.
Don’t be surprised if Perry sprinter Emerson Karrenbauer takes a shot at her own before her high school track and field career ends a few weeks from now.
No one caught Karrenbauer at the Stark County Championships on April 25. She swept the 100, 200 and 400 and anchored her team’s winning 800 relay to help lead the Panthers to the team title.
Karrenbauer set a meet record in the 100 prelims with a time of 11.92 seconds and won the final in 11.93. She also won the 200 in a meet-record 24.46.
“I said it awhile ago. I wanted to score 32.5 points,” Karrenbauer said. “I wanted to win all the sprints and a relay and help the team win. The goal didn’t change.”
Karrenbauer was not the only Perry sprinter who had a record-setting day,
Jayden Wilson reaffirmed his position as the county’s top boys 400 runner with a meet-record 48.78. He did it on a day he sat out some events because of a sore hamstring. His win helped the Panthers capture their fourth straight county title.
“It was pretty tough,” Wilson said. “I still can’t run as hard as I can. I kind of knew my limits and didn’t go all out. I just did what I needed to do to win. The time kind of spoke for itself.”
Karrenbauer owns the county’s top 100, 200 and 400 times this season. She broke Perry All-Ohioan Hannah Luke’s 100 school record in March when she ran a 11.96. Her winning 200 time of 24.46 broke the county meet record held by Luke.
“I didn’t really care about getting the record before every race,” Karrenbauer said. “I just say if it’s (God’s) will, it will happen. I just leave it in His hands.
“At the end of the day, it’s just another blessing. I’m super grateful and super blessed for it.”
Karernbauer says the 200 is her favorite race. Despite lowering her school record, she admitted her 100 start was not good.
“The goal was to run 11.8 and I came up short,” Karrenbauer said. “I definitely have a lot of things to work on with that.”
Wilson’s immediate concern is making sure he is healthy for a deep postseason. He reaggravated his hamstring at the end of his anchor leg in the 1,600 relay won by Perry in a meet record 3:22.50.
“Being part of a relay and part of a team, you have think about your other guys and you have to put other people in front of yourself,” Wilson said. ” … I knew I was going to finish that race and finish it on top. I didn’t really care what had to happen. I just did what I needed to do to win. I would do it again if I had to.
“I’m probably going to have to deload for the next few weeks to prepare for the postseason. Postseason is a lot more important than some of the meets we have now. I’ll be ready when I have to be. I have faith I will.”
Wilson’s one consolation before leaving the track was celebrating another team title with the Panthers. He never left a county meet without doing so.
“Winning four in a row kind of proves we have athletes,” Wilson said. “It has always been something special to me. I’m very grateful to win four in a row.”
Who else broke meet records at the Stark County Track and Field Championships?
Massillon’s Deontay Malone helped break two meet records at this year’s meet.
Malone won the 200 in 21.87 and ran on the Tigers’ 400 relay that won in 42.54. He also ran on the 400 relay that set a meet record in 2024.
Perry’s Christopher Good broke all of his seated meet records. He won the 100 in 18.02, 400 in 1:07.80, 800 in 2:26.78 and shot put with a throw of 18 feet, 3 inches.
Perry’s Ahsha DiPietro broke her seated 800 record with a time of 3:15.87. Defending state champion Abigail LaPole of Jackson won the seated shot put with a throw of 21-9.75.
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Emerson Karrenbauer, Jayden Wilson help Perry sweep Stark County meet
Reporting by Mike Popovich, Canton Repository / The Repository
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