Warsaw Track Ladies Boast Talent, Depth
WARSAW – The Warsaw girls track team has two key ingredients this season.
The Tigers boast both quality and quantity.
It’s a combination that coach Scott Erba expects to see continue the recent run of success by his outstanding program.
“We’re big in numbers this year (79) and hopefully we will be big in performances too,” said Erba. “I know that we are going to be young in some areas, but we have the talent and we have better depth this year.”
Warsaw, which was scheduled to open its outdoor season tonight at Penn, will look to continue its recent dominance in the area. The Tigers claimed the Northern Lakes Conference title last season and then went on to win their eighth straight sectional title followed by a third consecutive regional championship.
The Tigers lost a stellar senior class, led by the likes of Ann Harvuot, Claire Hickerson and Jackie Ferguson, from a year ago.
Warsaw welcomes back a plethora of talent though this spring. Junior Sam Alexander has been outstanding in indoor competition in already breaking her own school record in the long jump. Alexander also teamed with Mariah Harter, Tennie Worrell and Audrey Rich this past Saturday to set a school record in the 4 X 200 relay race at the Indoor State Meet held at Purdue.
The quartet of Alexander, Harter, Rich and Harvuot combined to place second in the 4 X 100 relay event at the State Finals last June. Also back are key returnees like senior Nicole Eckert, along with sophomore Allison Miller and junior Hannah Dawson in the strong group of distance runners. Other key performers to keep an eye on include Mia Beckham, Abbi Curtis and Charlene and Lauren Orr.
“We lost a great group of seniors and do have some spots to fill,” Erba noted. “But, so far we have had a great start and things have gone really well. These girls know what it takes and what we need to do.
“It’s a great thing to be on top and have other teams shooting for us. We just have to remember what got us here and keep doing it. I think teams in the area are stronger and better, but so are we.
“Each year I get more confident in our girls. The championships (NLC, sectional, regional) along the way are very meaningful to us. As you have success, it continues to build. We have won three regionals in a row. That should serve as great motivation for us to continue to work to get better.
Wawasee is looking to turn the corner after years of being the doormats in the Northern Lakes Conference. Wawasee ended a 51-dual meet winless streak dating back to 2006, and progressed to finish 2-5 overall, third at the Goshen Relays and sixth at the NLC meet. While it’s not eye-popping, it was a huge step for a very young program.
This season, Wawasee will have nearly all of its key contributors back from last season, including eight seniors all with experience. Headlining the bunch is Courtney Linnemeier in distance, Catherine Yankosky in sprints and Hannah Winters in discus. Pole vaulters Taylor Busse and Deea Coy both have multiple years of experience and Sarah Harden enters her first season of track as a senior, but has excelled in cross country as Wawasee’s No. 1 last season.
Wawasee’s throwers could be as good as any team’s in the area. Juniors Savannah Schwartz and Katlyn Kennedy and sophomores Seaquinn Bright and Alexis Mangas join Winters to form a very capable lineup in both discus and shot put.
Wawasee sophomores Leigh-Ann Shrack, Jade Skelton and Haleigh Smarr as well as junior Sarah Lancaster give Wawasee very usable speed options. The 4×100 relay could be where Wawasee makes a move this season if the pieces can all fit.
“We had a good state tournament series,” said Wawasee head coach Scott Lancaster. “From the beginning of the NLC season to the conference meet, then to sectional, we made a lot of progress. We would have loved to have had the March and early April time outside (missed to weather) to work out some of the bugs. We dropped a lot of time in a short amount of time outside, and I think that extra time would have been good for the girls.”
Tippecanoe Valley will look to thrive with a very young group this spring. The Vikings, who placed sixth at the Rochester Sectional in 2014, are led by sophomore Lexi O’Connell. She was a sectional champion in the 100 hurdles and placed fourth in the 300 hurdles a year ago.
The Vikings will also count on key returnees like Madi Miller, Brooklyn Conley, Breelyn Conley, Karly Kitch, Makayla Ruiz, Cheyenne Holmes and Hannah Brower. Newcomers with promise for Valley include Jaylssa House, Cheyene Oldfather, Melinda Kruger, Yarley Smalley and Kaleigh Shumaker.
“We have a young team with no seniors but we have a lot do talent returning and a big fresh and class with some good talent,” said Valley coach Alysha Wachtmann.
Triton was eighth in the sectional a year ago. The top returnee for the Trojans should be sophomore Jaela Meister. She was second in the 300 hurdles and pole vault and placed third in the 300 hurdles in the sectional as a freshman.
Whitko will be led by senior standout Elaine Warner. Warner earned a State Finals berth in the long jump in 2014. Other key returnees expected to make an impact for the Wildcats include sophomore Kaitlyn Reed, junior Brigit Nemitz and senior Michelle Kelsey.