Warsaw Track Ladies Storm To Perfection Again In NLC
DUNLAP – Mother Nature was the only thing that could delay the inevitable Tuesday night.
Once the rain passed, it was the Warsaw girls track team once again who reigned supreme in the Northern Lakes Conference.
The Tigers, after sitting through a 75-minute delay due to the threatening weather, stormed to another undefeated NLC season with wins over host Concord and NorthWood by big margins.
Warsaw, led by record-setter Samantha Alexander, bested Concord 90-33 and beat NorthWood 99-24 in the final league meet of the regular season.
The Tigers finish at 10-0 overall and 7-0 in league competition. Warsaw has now won 47 NLC meets in a row dating back to 2009.
The meet was halted after the 4 X 100 relay event, the fifth event on the track of the night, as threatening weather arrived. The three teams waited it out inside the school for over an hour before the eventual downpour past and then completed the meet.
Alexander made her mark before the delay arrived. The outstanding junior sailed 17-10 to not only win the long jump but set a new school record in the process. Her top leap eclipsed the old school standard of 17-7 1/2 set by Rachel Voorhorst in 2007.
“It’s huge for me,” said Alexander of setting the school record. “It’s something that I’ve wanted so bad the last three years. I just wanted my name on the record board for the long jump. I was so close and wanted it. I worked so hard for this and I knew that I had what it takes to get the record.”
Alexander, whose previous best outdoor jump was 17-5, also talked about the NLC success of her team.
“I take the utmost pride in our NLC wins and championships,” added Alexander, who did jump 18-3 indoors earlier this season. “I’m so proud to be a part of this amazing group of girls. Everyone on this team works so hard and it’s paid off for us.”
Alexander also teamed with senior Mariah Harter, junior Audrey Rich and freshman Abbi Curtis to dominate the 4 X 100 relay race in a top time of 50.71.
Harter, who just signed to continue her track career at Huntington University, also won the 100 in 12.84.
“Winning the NLC again is definitely is a big deal to me,” Harter said. “We lost some great seniors last year, but like coach said we just reloaded. Our depth is a big part of the reason that we do so well. I’m personally thankful to have the team and talent that we do have. It allows me to focus on my events. We stress the importance of the championships too to our younger girls when they come into the program.”
Rich had a big night with her efforts too for the NLC champions. She won the 200 and her time of 25.83 tied the school record set by Mercedes Plummer in 2006.
Senior Nicole Eckert won the 300 hurdles in a season-best performance of 46.33, which is the eighth best time in the state this season. Freshman Alexie Day took top honors in the high jump with a personal best effort of 5-3.
Junior Brooke Rhodes won the 400 in a top time of 1:02.44 for the Tigers. Junior Rebecca Lemon cleared 9-0 to win the pole vault. Junior Emily Bailey won the shot put with a throw of 34-10. The Tigers also won the 4 X 400 relay race with the team of Rhodes, sophomore Anna Craig, junior Hannah Dawson and sophomore Allison Miller in a time of 4:16.71.
Picking up second-place finishes were Curtis (100), Alexander (200), Miller (800), Bailey (discus), Day (100 hurdles), Lemon (300 hurdles), sophomore Lauren Orr (1,600), junior Emma Hayward (3,200) and senior Jazzmine Brown (high jump).
The Tigers got third-place efforts from sophomore Charlene Orr (1,600 and 3,200), Dawson (400), freshman Mia Beckham (800), freshman Morgan Bruner (long jump) and sophomore Page Desenberg (shot put).
Warsaw notched a number of season-best performances in the dominating wins. Top efforts of the season came from Lauren Orr (1,600), Charlene Orr (1,600), Hayward (3,200), Michaela Roard (3,200), Day (high jump), Bayley Dobbins (high jump), Bruner (high jump), Desenberg (shot put) and Natalie Nichols (shot put).
The junior varsity meet was not completed Tuesday night due to the weather delay. The JV Tigers finish their season at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the NLC. They will compete in the NLC Meet on May 16 at Elkhart Memorial.
Warsaw now sets its sights on the NLC Meet on May 12. The Tigers, who will host the event at 5 p.m., are going for their 10th straight league meet championship.