In good company: Marlington's Cameron Evanich wins four events at EBC track and field meet

BELOIT — No one was surprised to see at least one Marlington runner earn four winners medals.

The Dukes ended up with two achieving the feat at this year's Eastern Buckeye Conference Track and Field Championships. One will end up as the school's most decorated runner. The other is already showing everyone why he has a bright future.

Freshman Cameron Evanich became a four-time champion in his first high school conference meet Saturday at West Branch. He won the long jump and 200 meters and ran on Marlington's winning 800 and 1,600 relays. The 1,600 relay also featured multiple state champion Colin Cernansky, who hopes to add more titles before his days as a Duke are over.

For Evanich, the thought of four wins in his first appearance on the EBC's biggest stage wasn't far fetched.

"I thought I had a good shot at all of them, but it's really hard to bring it all together," Evanich said. "You get tired toward the end of four events, but you need to keep going."

Evanich kept going ... and kept winning ... on a raw rainy day that felt more like his first high school meets in March. His four wins came on the heels of another four-victory night at last week's Fairless Twilight Invitational.

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The long jump has been Evanich's specialty this season. He added the 200 at the Fairless meet. He ran times of 22.68 seconds at Fairless and 22.80 on Saturday.

What Evanich elects to do with the 200 in the postseason is still uncertain.

"We're going to see," Evanich said. "The 4-by-4 can be really good. I might try to run with that more. We're just going to see where it takes us."

Evanich is in great spot for a freshman. He has teammates such as Cernansky and other distance runners who have achieved great success. They have helped make his transition to high school track and field smooth.

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"You know they're good and know what they're doing," Evanich said. "They're teaching me and I'm learning from them. They have helped me a lot to progress through this whole year."

Marlington won 11 boys events in a dominating performance. The Dukes won the team title with 184 points. Minerva was second with 96.

In addition to the 1,600 relay, Cernansky won the 800, 1600 and anchored Marlington's 3,200 relay. Michael Nicholls won the 3,200 and also ran on the 3,200 relay.

The Dukes' distance runners should have everything covered in the postseason. Evanich and Marlington's sprinters hope to boost the team's hopes. The Dukes also have a talented thrower in Diontae Lester. He won the shot put and discus Saturday.

"We have some kids out who haven't ran, and they continue to get better," Evanich said. "We think our relays and some individuals can make it really far. Our distance team can make it to the highest level. That's always good to know."

Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com

On X: @mpopovichREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cameron Evanich having breakout season for Marlington track and field