CUYAHOGA FALLS — The elation in Kayla Harris’ voice was palpable as she walked down the east sideline May 1 during the Crown Conference meet at Walsh Jesuit.

For Crown’s final iteration — the conference is disbanding following this school year — Walsh officials encouraged student-athletes who recorded personal-best performances to walk to the 50-yard line and ring the bell stationed there.

It didn’t take long once Harris got word following her 100-meter dash to realize what it meant.

“I get to ring the bell!” the Beaumont sophomore noted with glee as she went to do just that, with equally joyful teammates in tow.

When the bell rings for the postseason in two weeks and the road to Dayton, answering the bell here will serve her well.

🎽 Here are my usual NH area video meet highlights, this time from the Crown Conference meet
(Will share my story here in a moment) pic.twitter.com/Fo3RYSvYBO

— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) May 2, 2024

Harris logged a breakout performance at Crown, winning 100, taking second in 200 and running a leg on the Blue Streaks’ victorious 4×200.

The 100 was a strong piece of business from the promising sprinter, as she hit the line with a time of 12.62 seconds. It is the fourth-fastest time in The News-Herald coverage area to date this spring, behind three local standard bearers in Euclid’s Eve Clark (12.32), Beachwood’s Dakota Houston (12.50) and Gilmour’s Mariyah Moore (12.57).

Long after the bell was rung and her day was done, the smile over what she had accomplished hadn’t yet escaped the affable Harris.

“It definitely did,” Harris said when asked if it felt like a breakthrough meet for her. “Being a sophomore, I felt even more accomplished because I’m running with veteran runners as well.

“My freshman year was actually my first year running track, so getting into this and getting up there with veteran runners that are well known around Ohio, it felt very, very good to PR.”

Her last-40 closing power was impressive amid that open 1 win, with seemingly more there coming out of drive phase as she aims for deeper in the 12s on more prominent stages in the weeks to come.

“Technically, usually with my block starts, my first event is usually my 100, and it isn’t really the best,” Harris said. “But as I go throughout the meet, my blocks get a little bit better. So that’s something I really have to work on in practice. On meet days, I do my blocks and I get my handoffs done and things like that.

“Technically, yeah, getting out of the blocks isn’t the best for me. But moving and picking up speed is always the best for me, and finishing is always, always the best.”

Harris also teamed with Akyla Courtney, Imani Carruthers and Imyla Holmes for a 4×2 title in a solid 1:49.66, also fourth in The News-Herald coverage area to date.

The sophomore was a Division II Lexington Regional qualifier in the event a year ago. Beaumont funnels through the girls-only D-II Bedford District and the Lexington Regional, not Austintown-Fitch, due to D-II geographic necessity.

“The 1:50 was a PR out here, but indoor we ran a 1:46,” Harris said. “So we’re hoping to build up on that, hoping you see us at state. We really are practicing for it and working for it. Cold weather throughout Ohio, so we haven’t really been getting the best times.

“But since we got the heat out and we got a second down from us running 1:50s all season, I feel like we can be doing way, way better. This was that push to show us what we’re working for, we’re moving toward.”

She finished an outstanding day with a tight second in 200 in 26.56, yet another top-five coverage area time.

Beaumont amassed 83.5 points to take second in the girls team race to host Walsh (132).

“I’m so pleased with everybody,” Harris said of the team runner-up. “Everybody was ringing PR bells today. Everybody was congratulating each other. Beaumont is always known for that Beaumont spirit and all that. As a team effort, all of us are working really hard at practices to get here. You know you’re working in practice day in and day out just to run for 13, 12 seconds, and get just a little bit faster.

“I’m happy. I can see that our team, we are really working toward it.”

As a second-year runner, Harris may still be learning her craft. But she’s starting to understand what happens when you answer the bell.

“My biggest stride is definitely the mental aspect of it,” Harris said. “My freshman year, it was terrifying. Most people will tell you that track is very mental, and it is. My freshman year, I started off indoor season as a new runner. Never done this before. It was very, very nervewracking.

“And to get to this year and be very comfortable on the line and in the blocks and not having as many nerves as I did last year, I feel like that’s a big pickup for me.”

Lake Catholic’s Claire Duricky captured 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles and was second in 100 and third in that tight 200 behind Walsh Jesuit’s Carrie Grimm and Harris. Duricky captured 3s, her signature event in which she is a returning two-time state qualifier, with a 47.78. It is the fastest time in The News-Herald coverage area this spring.

The Cougars’ standout senior left the meet prior to its conclusion. Efforts to reach Duricky to discuss her hurdles double May 1 were unsuccessful.

Other News-Herald coverage area individual-event champions at Crown were Lake Catholic’s Wyatt Kaufman (shot put), Caleb Stein (long jump) and Kelly Ward (3,200), NDCL’s Ben Herczog (pole vault and 300 hurdles) and Anthony Ciecierski (3,200) and Beaumont’s Cate Rochester (400).

🎽 Lake Catholic’s Wyatt Kaufman discusses his shot put win with a 45-9 at the Crown Conference meet
As noted earlier, nice ascent from his prior 2024 invite PR (43-2), so young man earned himself an interview pic.twitter.com/lZ5deaBav8

— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) May 2, 2024

🎽 Here are NH area top 2s from Crown & Ashtabula (top 2 instead of top 3 like usual because we only had 3 teams @ Crown & Geneva @ Bula)
Wanted to mention Geneva-wise: Pleased with that 21-3 LJ from Giovanni Rice (5th NH area) & that 43.56 4×1 (3rd NH area)
Nice work fellas 👍 pic.twitter.com/ishEzGJgo9

— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) May 2, 2024