Sunday, June 03, 2001
Ohio girls track highlights
East's Zinn wins 1,600
By John Schutte
Enquirer contributor
Lindsay Zinn cekebrates.
(Yuli Wu photo)
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DAYTON — Lakota East senior Lindsay Zinn had a tough choice to make: Run in the Division I state track meet, or attend graduation. Zinn opted to run in the track meet, which resulted in a state championship.
Zinn came within a half second of breaking the state record in the 1600-meter run, with a 4-minute, 53.89-second finish. Zinn finished second in the 3200 behind Celina's Kris Roth.
“I had some second thoughts about skipping graduation,” Zinn said. “It was a little upsetting to go through the graduation practices knowing I wouldn't be attending and all my friends would. But after winning, I'm glad I came here.”
Zinn set the pace in the 1600and went wire to wire to claim her first state track championship. The state title is Zinn's second. She also won the cross country championship in the fall. Zinn held a narrow lead for the first three laps and pulled away in the final 400 meters to win by nearly five seconds over Cleveland Heights Beaumont's Maggie Infiel.
“I was watching Erik (Reynolds) in the high jump and saw him win. I knew I wanted to go back a state champion as well,” Zinn said. “I think I was a little more excited after winning the cross country title. I knew I had another race today, and I wasn't looking forward to it.”
Coach Jason Lindsey had no doubt Zinn would win. The only surprise for the 24-year coach was that Zinn didn't win both events.
“Before the race, Lindsay had a weird look in her face and she told me she felt different,” Lindsey said. “I told her she said the same thing before winning the cross country meet, and she just smiled after that.”
After leading the first three laps in the 3,200, Zinn fell behind as far as seventh before recovering to place second.
“I probably would have stayed with the leader the whole way, but I wasn't as focused in the 3,200,” Zinn said.
Zinn was the lone girls champion in a disappointing day for Cincinnati-area track. The top finisher after Zinn was Cincinnati Country Day's Meridy Vollmer. Vollmer finished second in the long jump with a leap of 5 feet, 3 inches.
“My goal was to place today, but I didn't expect to do this well,” Vollmer said.
Mercy senior Jenni Leesman finished third in Division I shot put with a throw of 42-5 3/4.
“I was throwing around 45 feet in practice and I faulted on a few throws,” Leesman said. “It was just a gross, wet day, but I can't complain about a third-place finish.”
Lauren Kirk of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy ended her career with a personal-best fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash.
“I'm not used to running out of Lane 8, and I think that hurt me a little,” Kirk said. “I thought I could do much better.”
Katherine Kathmann of Summit Country Day finished fourth in the 400-meter dash for the second straight year. The junior finished behind the same runners as last year.
Withrow's Stevonne Spivery finished the 400-meter dash in eighth place, ending her career. She had injured her hip Friday in the qualifying rounds of the event. Spivery stayed with the pack until the final 100 meters, when she pulled up. She finished the race but fell to the ground immediately after crossing the line.
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Ohio girls track highlights