Warsaw Relay Team Eyes Postseason Prize
WARSAW – There’s no doubt that the talent is there for the Warsaw girls track 400 relay team to make its’ mark again this postseason.
The race for championships for the quality quartet starts Tuesday night on their home track in the Northern Lakes Conference Meet.
The ultimate goal for the team is a place in the State Finals come June 6 at Indiana University in Bloomington.
That’s a place that three-fourths of the team of senior Mariah Harter, junior Samantha Alexander, freshman Abbi Curtis and junior Audrey Rich know very, very well. The trio of Harter, Alexander and Rich teamed with then senior Ann Harvuot to earn a state runner-up finish in the 4 X 100 on the IU track last June.
Coach Scott Erba has seen his relay team help lead his squad so far to another undefeated season. Now, the four will set their sights on bigger prizes with just potentially four races left in the season in the NLC, sectional, regional and State Finals. The first three events will all be held on familiar surroundings at WCHS.
“I could not be happier with this group’s development so far,” said coach Erba. “Having three legs (Mariah Harter, Samantha Alexander, Audrey Rich) back from last year’s state runner-up team is a great start and a it has been a blessing to see them bring freshman Abbi Curtis into their team. Their chemistry is strong and they really care about each other and how they perform.”
The group set a record at the Kokomo Relays on May 2 by running a season-best time of 49.28. That mark is currently the 10th fastest performance in the state.
“I know that we have what it takes to get back to State,” said Alexander during a recent NLC meet at Concord. “We have very strong runners on our relay.”
Alexander, who runs the second leg of the relay, will also have her focus on the long jump event in the postseason. The long-legged former gymnast set a new school record in the long jump with her winning effort of 17-10 in that May 5 meet at Concord.
Harter, who signed last week to continue her track career collegiately at Huntington University, says it’s about the little things for the group.
“It was hard adding a new link, but Abbi got the hang of it quick and has been a strong part of the team this year,” said Harter, who runs the leadoff leg. “We just need to get the kinks out. The big thing for us is our handoffs.”
The 4 X 100 team a year ago won the NLC, sectional and regional championships. The group was seeded at 48.52 entering the State Finals, but surprised many by running a 47.62 for second place. The Warren Central team, which also had just one senior last year, won the state championship in 2014 in a time of 47.33.
Alexander agrees that there is still work to be done on the handoffs for the quality quartet.
“We still have a lot of work to do on our handoffs,” Alexander remarked. “The consistency is not quite there.”
Erba, whose team is going for its 10th straight NLC Meet championship Tuesday night, says this relay has the bar set high.
“They have high expectations for both the regular and tournament season and they are looking forward to the opportunity to exceed some of the standards that last year’s team reached,” state Erba. “Having broken the 15-year old Kokomo Relays 4 X 100 record last weekend by running a season-best 49.28 was a huge confidence booster for them.”