EAST PALESTINE — The only question was how many points the Salem girls were going to score.

The Quakers won eight events, including three relays, at the 121st Columbiana County Track and Field Meet for their eighth straight title Tuesday.

“They did what they were supposed to,” Salem girls interim head coach Ted Yuhaniak said. “It doesn’t surprise me to see it.”

The Quakers have finished first or second every year since 2003.

“We have a reputation to hold up,” said Salem sophomore Abby Knickerbocker, a three-time winner.

Salem scored 174 points — reaching the total for a fifth straight season. Beaver Local was second with 87 points — matching their highest county finish from 2005 — and Southern Local third with 79.

“This is big for them,” Yuhaniak said. “We call it ‘Money May.’ The hard work you put in you want to see pay off in May and maybe into June

This is the time of the year the Quakers do their best.

“Placewise, everyone stepped up,” Yuhaniak said. “It’s good to see them excited about it.”

“He just wanted us to stay hungry,” Knickerbocker said.

Knickerbocker won the 400-meter dash (61.11 seconds) and was third in the 200 dash at Reid Stadium. She also ran on two winning relay teams, joining Maddie Gorby, Angie Hoffaker and Karlie Sampson on the 800 relay (1:51.29) and Hoffaker, Sampson and Hailey Morgan on the 400 relay (5.176).

“We just wanted to come out hard and PR (personal record),” Knickerbocker said.

Her specialty is the 400 dash.

“I like racing it,” she said. “It’s a hard race.”

The Quakers won the first race, the 3200 relay with their ‘B’ team of Liliana Pimentel-Alexander, Emily Sinsley, Ava Lee and Cassidy Wallace (11:12.41).

“The cross country kids want to win it,” Yuhaniak said. “We knew Crestview was the team to beat. We front-loaded it and got out to a lead.”

Other individual winners for the Salem girls were sophomore Maddie Gorby repeating in the high jump (5-2), senior Maggie Hall in the 800 run (2:28.32) for her eighth career county title, Salem senior Maggie Hopple in the 1600 run (5:15.82) and Salem senior Klaire Jaquette in the 3200 run (12:45.18).

“We got off on the right foot with the field events and the 4×800,” Yuhaniak said.

The Quakers were off and running from there.

Meet notes

¯ Beaver Local sophomore Mallory Miller repeated as the high-point award winner in the running events with 22 points.

Miller won a second straight year in the 200 dash (26.27) and also won the 100 dash (12.93). She ran on the second-place 800 relay team.

¯ Southern junior Maddy Jones captured high-point honors in the field events with 20 points. She swept the discus (124-6) and shot put (38-4 1/4).

¯ Southern sophomore Kiah Sloan also had a big day, winning the long jump (17-4) and finishing second in the 100 and 200 dashes.

¯ East Liverpool senior Makiyah Allgood has a surprisingly-easy win in the 100 hurdles (15.73).

¯ Beaver Local sophomore Ralyn Gilson captured the 300 hurdles (49.33).

¯ Crestview’s Amelia Blower, Adri Hodge, Madeline Long and Bridget Borchardt won the 1600 relay (4:31.13).

¯ Knickerbocker was impressed by freshman teammate Readon Rudder, who finished third in the 400 dash.

“She ran 65 and is usually in the 68s,” Knickerbocker said. “I’m so proud of her.”

¯ There was some discussion Tuesday morning about moving the meet to Wednesday, but the weather held off. There was only a brief mist at one point.

“We’re used to all kinds of weather,” Yuhaniak said. “The distance runners have been out all winter. Our focus was there. I really wasn’t worried.”

¯ Salem has prom this weekend and gets ready to host the Eastern Buckeye Conference meet on May 16.

“The Marlington girls, on paper, are the favorites,” Yuhaniak said. “Minerva is going to be right there, too.

“I love the competition. You know if you can do well there, you can do well in the tournament.”