High school track: Five athletes, one relay team newest county hall inductees

The 18th enshrinement of the Lorain County Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame is scheduled for today during a break at the Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association Track and Field meet at Firelands High School.The class of six is another noteworthy group: Edwin Fall Jr. (Oberlin College, 1917), Howard Dulmage (South Amherst, 1957), Vaughn Shores (Elyria, 1977), Drew Ebersole (Midview, 2008), Alicia Arnold (Lorain, 2012) and the 1984 Elyria West girls 4x100 team of Sonya Lawrence, Collette Maben, Marnele Jackson and Lynn McLeod.Edwin FallFall died in 1969 but still holds the Oberlin record for the mile run at 4:15.8, set on a cinder track in 1917. At the time of his graduation Fall was considered probably the greatest runner ever produced by Ohio, and his mile performance ranked among the best in the world.His best time in the 2 mile was 9:41.6, and he turned in a 1:58.4 in the half-mile versus Ohio State in 1915. Fall was also the captain of the cross country team.Fall is fourth on Oberlin's list for the outdoor mile/1,500 meters (in order to create a standardized list, the school converted mile times to the 1,500). The mile is no longer contested in outdoor track.Howard DulmageDulmage was cross country coach from 1963-72 and track coach from 1965-72 for Berea High School. His 1969 boys cross country team was district champion. Dulmage coached Mike Burley, a 1970 Class AAA state cross country champ, 1971 Class AAA mile champ and later a 1976 Olympian.Dulmage later served as a throws coach for Twinsburg (1973), Wellington (1974-78), New London (1978-83) and Amherst (1983-98). Dulmage also served as principal for Wellington and superintendent for Amherst, New London, Wellington and Midview schools.Dulmage was a track and field and cross country official from 1974-2020 and worked many district, regional and state meets."I cherish the most the young people and the officials that I worked with over the years. There are so many wonderful memories," he said. "There was never a question of it being worthwhile. All those days away from home, even at a rainy or icy track, that's the way it was. You went out and you did a job."I could never remember missing a meet in almost 50 years of officiating."Dulmage was selected to officiate at the state track meet for 22 years and served as president of the Lorain County Track and Field Officials Association.The Amherst Comet Relays were twice dedicated in his honor.Vaughn ShoresThe No. 1 boys high hurdler in Lorain County history, Shores clocked 13.8 for the 120-yard/110-meter hurdles on two watches in a dual meet vs. Lorain held at George Daniel Stadium. Officials logged it a Lorain County-record 14.0 from a third watch. It's a county record that still stands and is the second-oldest county boys record behind Peter Kummant's 1975 time for the 3,200 (8:55.9).Shores went on to finish third at the 1977 Division I state meet for the 180-yard low hurdles (19.7) and fifth in the 120-yard high hurdles (14.2)."I was shy and timid and it built up my self-esteem," Shores said of track. "It showed me that I could do something and accomplish something. It helped me to get college paid for with a scholarship." Shores was also 1976 state runner-up as a member of the 880-yard relay. He ran the 110-meter hurdles, 200 and 400 relay at Ohio University and was team MVP as a senior.Shores is first cousin of another 2026 inductee, Marnele Jackson. Their moms, Ruth and Margaret, were sisters."I have many great memories running track for Elyria High," Shores said.Drew Ebersole The No. 2 all-time thrower in Lorain County for boys discus with a mark of 186 feet, 9.75 inches, Ebersole was second at the 2008 Division I state meet with 182-4. He was fourth for shot put at 57-9.Ebersole's school-record throw came May 8, 2008, at the Olmsted Falls Kiwanis Relays. It was certainly memorable.Ebersole was set to challenge the 2002 county record of 190-5 held by Avon Lake's Mike D'Andrea but something got in the way."Hitting the chain-link fence at Olmsted Falls in the back of their discus sector is one of my highlights," said Ebersole. "It's kind of funny. If that fence wasn't in the way, that would have been a 190-foot throw. It was a solid 6-foot fence and the throw hit the upper-quarter of it. It's my longest recorded throw. It would have come close to breaking D'Andrea's county record."As a junior, he was third in discus (177-0) at the state meet. He set the Kent State University freshman discus record in 2009. He threw the indoor shot put 51-7 at MAC Indoor Championships. Ebersole was a member of 2009 MAC championship team, placing fifth in discus and eighth in shot put. His best marks at college were 165-6 for discus and 52-1 for shot put."It's my parents' award as much as it is mine," Ebersole said of the Hall of Fame nod. "Everything I accomplished was because of them. They hired private coaching for me and shuttled me all over the place. I wouldn't have done any of that without their support."Alicia Arnold Arnold was a five-time Division I All-Ohio and an eight-time state qualifier for Lorain. She was 2012 state runner-up in the 200 (24.73) and shares county records as a member of the 4x100 (46.83), which finished second at state, and the 4x400 (3:52.12), which finished eighth.Arnold's efforts helped the Titans to a state runner-up finish in 2012. Lorain's placement is the highest by a Lorain County Division I girls team since Elyria's state championship in 2003. She also helped Lorain to a sixth-place finish as a junior in 2011.Arnold ran three years for Bowling Green State University (2013-16) after transferring from Lake Erie College (2012-13). She completed her college career ranked second indoors in BGSU history in the 200 and third in the 60 and long jump.1984 Elyria West Girls 4x100Just like a finely tuned engine, the state championship relay of Lawrence, Maben, Jackson and McLeod was destined for success. But the final destination didn't come without serious challenges.The Wolverines relay team was undefeated until a lone hiccup in the Class AA state semifinals.Handoffs were a bit out of synch and Elyria West finished eighth and took the final qualifying berth out of the two heats and was assigned lane No. 1 for the final.Lawrence, Maben, Jackson and McLeod found their rhythm the next day. Elyria West took over the lead in the second leg and never looked back. The Wolverines clocked 49.89 as they outdistanced Steubenville (50.13) and Delta (50.36) for the program's first state title."We achieved something special and I'm proud to look back at our achievement and honor the bond we built on the track that year," Jackson said. "I think about the laughs and fun times we had, I think about the sound of the verbal baton callout and the adrenaline I felt. I think about the three women who I trusted with my life on the track. I thank God for them and Coach Kari (Foreman), who we can't forget because she was the glue that kept us all together in every way."The girls came back to Ohio Stadium early on the day of the final to work on their handoffs. And when the starting gun sounded, they responded."They got me such a lead that there wasn't someone breathing right down my neck," said McLeod. "We knew what was at stake. Elyria West girls had never won at state before. We were overwhelmed with that fact before the prelims. When they finally released me from the finish line after we won, it was just total elation with my teammates at the 50-yard line."Jack Wilhelm Running Leadership Memorial AwardThis service award recognizes county residents — a man and a woman — who have contributed to the sport of road running. The fourth-year award is named for the late longtime coach for Amherst, South Amherst and Lorain County Community College. Brookside's Bill Robb and Midview's Kathy Manning are this year's recipients.Running has been Robb's passion for 48 years. The 63-year-old Amherst masters runner was up to 1,184 races through April 5."Running over the years has had a positive impact on my life through all the great people I have met over the years and the friendships that were made through running," said Robb. "Running has let me see things that I would not have seen if it wasn't for running."Manning has been committed to coaching and running. She has been the Middies boys and girls cross country coach since 2014 and been an integral part of the Middies girls varsity track program, first as an assistant from 2015-25 and now as the coach."Running is an essential part of my life," said Manning. "I enjoy starting each day with the sound of my footsteps, fresh air and using this time to focus on what the day will bring. This sport taught me early on to embrace challenges, being out of my comfort zone — a lesson that built both confidence and patience."Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.