From the start of the season, the Saint Ignatius varsity track & field team established an identity as a well-rounded squad with an ability to score points in sprints, distance, relay, and field events.
The Wildcats' all-around talent led to another strong showing on Saturday at the 2018 OHSAA Division I State Track & Field Tournament.
The men wearing blue and gold accrued points in a number of events on Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at The Ohio State University. In the process, the Wildcats secured eighth place out of a loaded field of the best teams in Ohio.
Several Saint Ignatius seniors capped off incredible careers. Two men, in particular, will be dearly missed – Phil Zuccaro and Darian Kinnard.
"Phil the Thrill" completed his Wildcat career in characteristic fashion – recording top finishes with a smile on his face.
Zuccaro notched seventh in the 200m dash with a time of 21.89, earning a pair of points for the Cats. Zuccaro also combined with fellow senior Connor Kennedy, junior Jack Kennedy, and sophomore Dominic Devengencie in the 4x100 relay. The quartet notched a fifth-place time of 42.23 in the quick relay, thrilling Wildcats fans in attendance.
Head Coach Chuck Kyle '69 and the Saint Ignatius coaching staff will miss seeing Zuccaro race around the track. The Yale-bound student-athlete impressed all not only with his feet, but his quick mind and his ever-present smile. Zuccaro's future is as bright as his cheery personality.
Darian Kinnard completed his time at Saint Ignatius in style, too. Kinnard scored in both the shot put and the discus in a great day for the senior.
Kinnard hefted a throw of 59'09.75" in the shot put finals, placing him second only to Rocky River's Michael Shoaf. Tommy Eichenberg also clinched a spot in finals, in which he recorded a toss of 55'7", finishing eighth in a packed field.
Kinnard and Eichenberg became the first Wildcat duo to score in the shot put at the State level since 1999, when Adam Rini and Jeff Petrulis accomplished the major feat. (The Wildcats did have two score in the discus in 2002. Hint: one of the two was recently inducted into the Saint Ignatius Athletic Hall of Fame.)
Kinnard wrapped up his time in the blue and gold with a third-place showing in the discus. The future Kentucky offensive tackle blasted all the way from fifth place with a throw of 182' in his second-to-last throw of the finals.
Coach Kyle could not have been more pleased with Kinnard and his team as a whole.
"Finishing in eighth place in the state is a wonderful accomplishment, considering the hundreds of schools involved in track and field," Kyle said. "We were a balanced team, but Darian deserves so much credit for the success we had over the weekend."