Long, Haeseler led Eagles to county track and field championships this season

Geneva has set the standard over the years in Ashtabula County for track and field.

This season, the Eagles reigned supreme once again, winning the Ashtabula County Meet.

Annah Haeseler and Emily Long were selected the girls and boys, respectively, county coaches of the year, as voted on by the county coaches.

In the county meet at Pymatuning Valley, Geneva’s boys team scored 143.5 points to outdistance Edgewood’s 111.

For the Eagles, Alexander Lee in the 100 at 11.83; Elliott Salgado, 110 hurdles, 16.63; the 4x100 relay team of Salgado, Dawson Pecore, Alexander Lee and Cooper Dubsky, 45.46 and Cooper Dubsky, long jump, 19’8”, all notched first place.

“It’s always fun to win all county,” coach Emily Long said. “It is definitely one of our goals for the season with a long-standing tradition for both the boys team and girls team.”

The Eagles won their sixth-straight all-county title.

Geneva also won the championship in 2019. The meet didn’t take place in 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic cancelled all high school spring sports in Ohio.

The Eagles will have some holes to fill with the graduation of Joalexander Sanchez and Salgado among others.

But Long likes the depth of her team.

Jesse Butterfield and Jacob Clemens are anticipated to return in throws.

The running group consists of Nathan Opron, Dubsky, Chevon Rought, Nick Sabin, Lee and Zach McKinney in sprints, and Zander Gersin, Ethan Schenk, John D’Alessandro and Drew Clutter in distance.

Dubsky finished first in four long-jump events, with a season best 21’3.25” in the Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division championships.

In addition, Pecore and Jackson Dodd both have experience in pole vaulting.

In the girls competition, the Eagles scored 179 points for first, followed by Jefferson at 110.

Geneva garnered six first-place finishes, led by Gia Palmisano and Ella Haesler with two apiece.

Palmisano won the 100 (13.40) and 400 (1:00.02), while Haeseler swept the discus (112’6”) and shot put (33’5”) competition.

Isabel Stocker claimed first in the high jump at 4’8”, and the 4x200 relay team of Ellie Gersper, Stocker, Alex Into and Kylee March ran a 1:54.91 for the top spot.

“This season was a success due to hard work of the athletes,” Eagles girls coach Annah Haeseler said. “We had an overall young team, and some solid veterans. I’m proud to be part of the tradition of Geneva track.”

Geneva won its sixth straight all-county meet since 2020.

The Eagles had won 18 straight county championships before the 2020 season. The event that year was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ells Haeseler, who is planning on attending Cleveland State University for school and to continue throwing, is among the players to depart.

Palmisano, a sprinter; Taylor Noce, runner; Grace Andrus, pole vault and runner and Daniella Bobish and Kendall Collins, throwers, are anticipated to be key returners next season.

Andrus placed sixth in the Division III Perry District at 7’0” in the pole vault.