Chagrin Falls’ Annie Zimmer shatters area 1,600 record amid busy day at CVC Chagrin track and field meet

Annie Zimmer took the old adage about seeing is believing to a whole new level May 9 during the CVC Chagrin meet at Orange.

The Chagrin Falls senior and Tigers distance coach Clay Burnett went over what an ideal 1,600-meter run would look like.

Zimmer then walked on the track, lengthened her stride out the last 150 and painted the picture — a masterpiece that belongs in a museum behind ropes.

The longtime Chagrin distance and 4x800 staple shattered The News-Herald coverage area record in 1,600 with an audacious time of 4 minutes, 53.47 seconds. The previous area standard was by South legend Katie McGregor, who went 4:56.32 in 1995.

It was a busy day at the CVC Chagrin meet — the Geneva girls won the team title going away, double individual winners in Perry’s Leah King (100 hurdles and 300 hurdles), Harvey’s Duane Grimes (110 hurdles and 300 hurdles) and Beachwood’s Mia Knight (100 and 200).

But Zimmer put up a time for all time locally.

“Breaking 5 has definitely been my goal since the start of the season,” Zimmer said. “I was running like 5:02, 5:01. 5:00.05. Here, I just wanted to lay it all out there before the postseason just so, going into postseason, I can have the confidence and not having to worry about the times much later on because that was just a personal goal of mine. The postseason, I’m looking more for place and that type strategically.

“Breaking 5 by that much was super motivating for me going into postseason.”

For perspective, 14 area girls all-time have cracked the top four at state in mile/1,600, Zimmer being one of them after taking third in Division II last spring. Among those 14, there have been four sub-5s — the fastest being when Hawken’s Ally Markovich won the D-III state title in 2013 with a 4:57.88.

So suffice to say, Zimmer was dialed in.

“I think here for sure, the mile was at a perfect time for me,” Zimmer said. “It’s toward the beginning of the meet and mentally, knowing that I ran the 4x8 two days ago — that won’t affect me today.

“And Clay’s training, too, just puts us all in such a good position to run fast. He broke down my entire race before, lap by lap and based on what workouts I’ve done, how fast I should be running. It executed perfectly.”

King executed perfectly for a hurdles double, with a fine 14.16 to capture 100 hurdles and a 43.88 to take 300s — the top area times in both events in 2018. The latter was particularly impressive, staving off a challenge to the turn by Geneva’s Taylor Wilms and finishing .44 off Je’Rica Sanders’ area standard.

“Oh yeah, it was fun,” King said. “I finally had somebody to go head-to-head with, and it was really fun. I love Taylor. It was nice to have someone to chase.

“(A sub-44) was a must-have, and I definitely want to go lower than that coming into state. I just need to get my steps right, powering over every hurdle and not hitting one like I did back there. The wind kind of got me, but it’s not an excuse.”

Knight was pleased to get in a sprint double after a stop-and-start feel to the regular season with getting in invitationals, going 12.14 in 100 and 25.46 in 200. The highly respected Bison senior and returning D-II 100 runner-up and state champion 4x1 anchor looks to be on a good trajectory for her state charge.

“Yes, it was definitely big,” Knight said. “It was really hard this season — I’ve pretty much only had like four invitationals. The weather has been really crappy, and even at some of those invitationals, the wind has been insane.

“But it’s pretty much about competition and me trying to push myself.”

Geneva rolled to the girls team crown with 153 points, punctuated by a 2018 area-best 59.38 from Taylor Cupp in 400 and a 13-1 pole vault from Deidra Marrison, one-half inch off her own area record in the event.

“My warmups, I was getting really mental about the wind,” Marrison said. “So to clear 13 was like breaking through a mental block. I’m really happy I cleared 13.

“When I came on this team, we have always been a winning team. So to keep the streak going, that’s really important for us.”

Grimes also encouraged before district, going 15.10 in 110 hurdles and 40.00 in 300s to capture both events.

“My times weren’t as good as I wanted them to be,” Grimes said. “But I ran a good time — to me — because it was first place.

“I’m very confident that I can go 14.7, but to get to state, I have to go 14.4. It’s going to require me to push.”

Coming soon

For more from the CVC Chagrin meet, check out track and field notes May 14 online and in the May 15 print edition.

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