Southern sophomore Kiah Sloan leaps a personal-best 17-feet-4 to win at the Springfield Division III district track and field meet Friday. (Morning Journal/Ron Firth)

NEW MIDDLETOWN — Southern sophomore Kiah Sloan needed to get pushed a little.

Sloan and South Range junior Gabby Spooner both broke the district long jump record on the way to a one-two finish at the Springfield Division III district track and field meet Friday.

Spooner, a transfer from Columbiana High School, broke her own South Range school record on her first leap of 17-feet-4.

Then Sloan came back and leaped a personal-best 17-8 on her next attempt to capture her second straight district title.

The top four finishers in each event advance to the North Royalton regional next week.

Spooner will have a busy week as a key player on the South Range softball team, which will play in the regional semifinals for a sixth season in a row at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the YSU Softball Complex. The girls long jump will be contested on Friday and the South Range softball team would play in the regional final on Saturday, if the Raiders advance.

United’s Mary Boston was third (16-5 1/4) and Crestview’s Haylee Smith was fourth (15-11).

The meet was interrupted by a downpour and hail before the boys 110-meter hurdles, but resumed after a delay of a few minutes.

United had a pair of relay teams win district championships. The United boys 400 relay team of Kollyn Wells, Danny Milburn, Mason Laibe and Cayden Pitts — all returning from last year’s state championship team — won in 43.76 seconds.

Milburn also was second behind Lowellville’s Drew Modelski in the 100 dash (10.94) and 200 dash (21.94).

United’s Taylor Simmons, Mary Boston, Brinsley Hiscox and Kylie Holmes was fist in the 800 relay (1:48.42) and second in the 400 realy (51.84).

Columbiana’s Camille Jeffries advanced in four events — placing fourth in the 100 dash (13.05), 200 dash (27.07) and 300 hurdles (48.01) and joined Angela Zimbardi, Danica Halas, Ellie Jackson on the third-place 400 relay team (52.18).

Heartland Christian’s Rebecca Geiss returned to action after a foot injury and placed second in the in the 1600 run (5:19.32) and 3200 run (11:39.66).

Other area girls qualifiers were United’s Brinsley Hiscox, second in the 100 hurdles (15.24); Southern’s Kiah Sloan, second (12.83) and Crestview’s Marissa Smith, third in the 100 dash (13.03); Southern’s Maddy Jones, second in the discus (122-8); United’s Taylor Simmons third in the 200 dash (27.00); Columbiana’s Madelyn Jackson in the 800 run (2:32.26), and the Columbiana 1600 relay team of Rebeca Kloske, Kendra Brown, Madelyn Jackson and Ellie Jackson was fourth (4:27.22).

Boys area qualifiers included Southern’s Braxton Sloan, second in 400 dash (49.93); Crestview’s Braydon Gilbert was second (6-0), United’s Luke Hull third (5-10) and Columbiana’s Cooper Brown fourth (5-8) in the high jump; United’s Trent Ellyson, fourth in the shot put (45-4 1/2); and the Columbiana 400 realy team of Coleman Bacon, Devin Brode, Liam Surgenavic and Aidan Radcliff was second (44.31).