Cole VanLue prepares for the start of the 4 X 100 relay. The Wawasee junior had a strong showing in the Goshen Sectional Thursday night.

GOSHEN – Improvement.

That was the No. 1 goal that Wawasee boys track coach Scott Lancaster had for his young team in a tough Goshen Sectional field Thursday night.

The Warrior boss got what he wanted from his squad under ideal conditions at Foreman Field.

Wawasee, despite finishing in 12th place in the final team standings with 13 points, had a host of top season performances on the night.

“We had very realistic expectations coming into tonight,” said Lancaster. “We wanted to see guys make improvements. For the most part, we did that. We had a ton of pr’s on the track.

“We wanted to focus on us and just let the chips fall where they may. You throw a lot of freshmen like we have in a tough sectional like this one with a lot of seasoned seniors. We just wanted to take the next step, especially with such a young team like we have and we did that.”

Junior Cole VanLue, one of the more experienced Warriors, turned in a strong night on the track. He placed fourth in the 100 with a time of 11.45. The top three finishers in each event advance to the Warsaw Regional May 26, but VanLue may be in line for a call back to complete the regional field.

VanLue was also a member of the 4 X 100 relay team that placed seventh for Wawasee. He teamed with junior Michael Katzer and sophomores Eric Yankosky and Jacob Moore for a time of 44.90.

The Warriors 4 X 800 relay team of junior Sam Griner and freshmen Ben Hoffert, Spencer Hare and Luke Griner placed seventh in a time of 8:31.97.

Freshman Luke Griner was sixth in the 300 hurdles in a time of 42.18 for the Warriors.

VanLue did get a call back to compete in the Warsaw Regional in the 100, Luke Griner also got a call back in the 300 hurdles for the Warriors as did the 4 X 800 relay team of Luke Griner, Sam Griner, Hoofers and Hare.

“Cole had an outstanding night in the 100 with his fastest time,” noted Lancaster. “Our 4 X 800 relay dropped their times by seven seconds and our 4 X 100 went under 45. Jacob Moore had a good 100 in the prelims for us too.”

Three of the members of the Wawasee 4 X 100 relay team compare notes after their event.