Sophomore standout Tennie Worrell will be a key performer for the talented Warsaw girls track team this spring (Photo by Mike Deak)

There’s good news and there’s also bad news as the Warsaw girls track team hopes to finally start its 2013 season.

The Tigers, who had their first three meets of the season cancelled due to the cold weather, are scheduled to host Plymouth and NorthWood tonight (April 9) in the season and conference opener.

The good news for coach Scott Erba’s team is that there is plenty of talent back from a year ago when the Tigers went 11-0 and won Northern Lakes Conference, sectional and regional championships.

The bad news is that a big key to that success, senior star distance runner Ashley Erba, is sidelined and may miss the entire season due to a foot injury. Erba, who has signed to run at Providence College, was the state track champion in the 3,200 in 2012 and was state runner-up in cross country this past fall after winning that title as a junior in 2011.

“Ashley’s foot is healing very well,” said coach Erba, who is also Ashley’s father,  in a recent email. “Swim workouts will continue to be her main source of training.  Like I mentioned before, I am planning on her not being able to run this season so if she is healthy and cleared and can safely return to competition before season’s end, that is a bonus for us.”

Coach Erba admits that the cold weather prior to spring break last week has made it a trying spring already.

“This season has been the most challenging weather situation I have ever experienced for track and field,” Erba said.  “We have not gotten to run our typical workouts at this point in the season so it has been hard to determine where we are as a group.  Everyone in northern Indiana is in the same situation so we do feel blessed with what we have and what we have been able to accomplish so far, but this is a vastly different start than we had in 2012.”

“We had to cancel all three early season meets which has always been a great help determining line ups going into the NLC season opener after spring break.  However, this year we will just need to make educated guesses and make changes on the fly.  I like to know in advance what we have (ability, depth, etc) in each event for my own well-being and confidence, so not knowing is a major source of stress now.  I can certainly look at the workouts we have done but some athletes just have a different level of performance once the competitive juices get flowing.”

Erba does have plenty of talent back this spring. The Tigers return key performers like Ann Harvuout, Tennie Worrell, Claire Hickerson, Sam Jensen, Jackie Ferguson, Nicole Eckert, Megan Kratzsch and Megan Dearlove. Junior Harvuout won sectional titles in both the 100 and 200 a year ago, while sophomore Worrell claimed a sectional championship in the 400.

Junior Hickerson competed in the pole vault at the State Finals in 2012. The foursome of junior Ferguson and sophomores Worrell, Eckert and Kratzsch competed in the 1,600 relay at State a year ago.

Senior Sarah Ray, who had an outstanding cross country season in her first year in the fall, will lead a deep distance group on the track for the Tigers.

“We have a solid core of girls returning from last year’s team in all events and really look to them for leadership,” said coach Erba.  “It will be interesting to see this team gel and develop as the season opens.

“We have the goal of winning the NLC and Sectional every year with our talent and depth across the team.  I learned in my first year of coaching that winning these meets is largely determined by the ability to score points in every event and then have a few “Big Point” events.

“We are always looking to compete for a Regional Championship but Regional titles are won more with high level talent than overall depth.  There have been seasons that we have possessed a better dual meet team than the eventual Regional championship team, but we just could not compete with them in an invitational format; last year we had not only the depth but the “Big Point” scorers in multiple events.

“Ultimately, we focus on qualifying as many relays and individuals to the State Meet as possible from Regionals which is why the girls work as hard as they do during these early season weeks when it does not look like Track & Field weather.  Their dedicated hard work pays off in the end.”

Warriors Look To Improve

The Wawasee girls track program have a ways to go to keep up with the Northridge’s and Warsaw’s of the Northern Lakes Conference, but should make marked improvement during the 2013 campaign.

The Warriors, who had their first four meets cancelled due to the poor weather, are slated to host Concord and Goshen tonight (April 9) in their season and NLC opener in Syracuse.

Senior Jordan Edington returns after regional experience in the shot put, an event she won at the Warsaw Sectional. Edington placed fifth at the regional, but is one of four girls who were not seniors that placed top-five at the regional.

Sophomore Bre Robinson is the other Wawasee team member with 2012 regional experience, running the 800 last May. Robinson finished sixth in a loaded 800 field at the regional, and Wawasee head coach Scott Lancaster thinks Robinson could make a move this year into the state contender position.

“Bre is one of those girls that doesn’t need a lot of motivation to compete, she is a natural competitor,” Lancaster said. “It’s very evident from swimming what she is capable of doing. We basically just have to say ‘Here is who is better time-wise. Go out and catch them. It then just becomes a matter of training.”

Lancaster will use his regular season to prepare several girls who have shown the will to get better during offseason training.

Sophomore Courtney Linnemeier and senior Jen Slabaugh will be asked to lead the distance runners. Junior Ruby Minnick will likely be chosen to lead the hurdlers as well as the pits in the long jump and high jump. Sophomore Catherine Yankosky, according to Lancaster, has worked hard in the weight room which should translate well in the 100 and 200 dashes.

Sophomores Hannah Winters and Caitlin Clevenger will lead a deep discus group, and senior Breann Johnson will join Edington in the sand for the shot put.

Wildcats Eye Another Strong Season

Whitko looks for another strong season this Spring after winning the Three Rivers Conference title in 2012.

The Wildcats opened their outdoor season with a second-place finish in the Whitley County Meet on March 28.

Key returnees who will lead Whitko include seniors Josie Sparks and Holly Frantz and junior Miranda Terrill. The trio compete in the 4 X 400 relay at the regional a year ago for the Wildcats.

Other performers to watch for the Wildcats this Spring include sophomores Elaine Warner and Reghan Craig.

“Although we are very sorry to graduate three seniors last year, with the returning and incoming talent we are hopeful for another successful season,” said Whitko coach Gary Sims.