Ray Ready To Run
WARSAW – Sarah Ray admits she never expected to be a three-sport athlete.
It’s worked out pretty well to say the least this year for the Warsaw senior.
Ray will cap off her prep career in style Saturday as the competitive distance star competes in the track state finals in Bloomington.
“I can’t put into words how excited I am for Saturday,” said Ray prior to practice at WCHS Tuesday night. “I’m ready to it to be here. It’s all I can think about.”
Ray, who boasts a big competitive streak despite her soft-spoken nature, will compete in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs Saturday at Indiana University. She is seeded sixth in the 3,200 with a time of 11:01.50 and ninth in the 1,600 with a time of 5:02.69.
“My goal is to double podium,” said Ray, meaning placing in the top nine in each race to make the award stand. “I know my times are comparable. I just have to go out and race my race. The races will be close and I know that my competitiveness will kick in and I’ll go after the hardware.”
“I know this is my last high school meet and I have nothing to lose. I don’t feel pressure. I felt more pressure to qualify for State.
“The mile is not my strongest race. It’s like a long sprint to me. I’m better at being consistent over a longer period. It’s a lot easier in the 3,200 because I know how to pace myself.”
Ray, whose family moved to Warsaw from Illinois a couple of years ago, has had some senior season. She was a key performer as the No. 2 runner in the fall for the cross country team, placing 33rd overall at the State Finals, and was a backup point guard in the winter for the girls basketball team that won NLC, sectional and regional championships.
Ray still needed some convincing to come out for track this spring.
“It took a lot of convincing from myself, my Mom and coaches Erba and Campbell,” said Ray. “My Mom said to give it a try. After the first practice, I loved it.”
“I’ve surprised myself all the time and really so during track season. I never expected to be a three-sport athlete this year.
“But, God has a plan and he brought running into my life. It’s what I was meant to do.
“It is definitely bittersweet and I wish I had another year here. But, it’s not ending Saturday. I have college (Olivet Nazarene University) and running there and I’m excited about the future.”
Ray has impressed Scott Erba, the man who has coached her in both cross country and track.
“Sarah has not surprised me,” said Erba of her success. “She’s a competitor and she’s excited about training and doesn’t mind training on her own.
“We’re thrilled to have her in the program. I just want Sarah to run her best times on Saturday. I expect both of those races to be incredibly fast. If things go well for her, she could medal twice and that would just be icing on the cake.”
South Bend Clay senior Amanda Farrough is the top seed in the 1,600 with a time of 4:58.43. West Lafayette senior Bobbie Burgess is seeded one in the 3,200 with a time of 10:43.70.
Ray, who helped the Tigers win NLC, sectional and regional team titles, will be joined by a strong group of teammates at the State Finals Saturday.
The Warsaw senior tandem of Jamie Lacheta and Megan Dearlove will compete in the high jump and pole vault respectively. Lacheta has a seed height of 5-3, while the top seed is at 5-9. Dearlove is seeded at 10-9, while the No. 1 seeded vaulter is at 12-3.
Junior Jackie Ferguson will compete in the 300 hurdles. She has a seed time of 47.30. Fort Wayne Concordia junior Symone Black is the top seed with a time of 42.58.
The Tigers 4 X 400 relay team of Ferguson and sophomores Tennie Worrell, Nicole Eckert and Megan Kratzsch is seeded 19th with a time of 4:03.17.
“My goal is for all of our girls to have their personal best performances Saturday,” said coach Erba. “That’s the big thing for us. They get a chance to compete against the best in the state.”
The State Finals begin Saturday at IU at 3 p.m. with the pole vault, long jump and discus events. The high jump and shot put start at 3:30. The 3,200 relay finals are at 4:15 with the track trials starting at 5. The track finals are slated to begin at 6:15.