Warsaw’s Alexie Day clears 5-4 in the high jump Tuesday at the Warsaw Girls Track Sectional. (Photos by Mike Deak)

WARSAW – It wasn’t the typical day for the Warsaw girls track team, but it was a typical outcome at the Warsaw Girls Track Sectional. The Lady Tigers won just two titles but stacked plenty of points to roll to its 11th straight team crown on a picture perfect Tuesday evening in the Kosciusko County seat.

The Beckham household laid claim to both titles for the Lady Tigers, Mia Beckham winning the mile going away at 5:02.64, then about an hour later Remi Beckham anchored the closing 4×400 relay team at 4:02.82, run with Maygan Bellamy, Angie Vijil-Sanchez and Kenzie Martz.

In what was slightly stunning that Warsaw didn’t stack more titles as it has become famous for doing in the state tournament during its 11-year championship run, it wasn’t surprising that Warsaw sent athletes to the regional round in at least 10 events.

The 4×800 relay and the 4×100 relay were both runners-up with times of 9:42.06 and 49.86, Columbia City catching Warsaw in the long distance and Elkhart Memorial holding off Warsaw in the sprint. Mia Beckham, who had been the queen of distance throughout most of the last two years, got into a dead sprint to the finish in the two-mile and was beaten to the line by Elkhart Memorial’s Morgan Dyer, who beat Beckham by four seconds at 11:29.47.

Anna Craig would qualify in two events, taking third in the 1,600 and third in the 800 while Abbi Curtis, who was shaking off a rolled ankle that kept her out of the Northern Lakes Conference Championships, came back to finish third in the 200 and was part of the 4×100. Maygan Bellamy was second in the 400 at 1:00.13.

The top three finishers in each event qualifies for the South Bend St. Joseph’s Regional next Tuesday.

“You have to score two if you are going to win a big meet,” said Warsaw head coach Matt Thacker. “You have to have the depth and you have to be able to score two in as many events as possible.”

Warsaw’s Page Desenberg in shot put

Part of the point stacking for Thacker’s bunch came from unexpected field performances. Page Desenberg was seeded fifth in shot put coming into the night but jumped up to third with her throw of 32-3.5. Alexie Day got into an entertaining series in high jump, matching Fairfield’s Chloe Bontrager and Concord’s Stephanie Hartpence round after round. Day and Bontrager would eventually bow out at 5-5 while Hartpence went one inch higher, all three meeting the state standard of 5-4.25.

Thacker noted fourth-place performances from Caitlin Kehler in pole vault, Kendall Menzie in long jump, Morgan Bruner in high jump and Dayton Groninger in the 800 added valuable points, and kept his kids in the hunt for regional call-backs.

“Our depth is huge and bottom line is building relationships,” Thacker said of his team coming together to win the sectional, its 18th overall. “We have a great tradition, just look at our record board. The kids want to be a part of it. It’s pretty exciting as a coach, I couldn’t be happier. In the end, it’s the excitement you see in their eyes, in the hallways and in here.”

Wawasee didn’t have a ton to celebrate Tuesday, but did have some high points.

Hannah-Marie Lamle qualified for regionals in three events, claiming one championship in the process. Lamle was ultra consistent in the long jump, pinning all three of her jumps at 16-5 and only the change differed, her best going 16-5.5. In hurdles, Lamle was second in the 100 at 16.49 and third in the 300 at 49.47, likely a scratch in the regional in the 300 to concentrate on the long jump per Wawasee head coach Scott Lancaster.

Alexis Manges continued to fare well in the discus, sending another personal best flying at 119-08, the fourth meet in a row for setting a personal best per Lancaster.

“Hannah-Marie has found her stride heading into the tournament,” Lancaster noted. “We’ve been working on small, little things that make a huge difference in the hurdles. Things have been coming together and she is running faster than she ever had this year. Hurdles is such a technical event and one small thing can make a huge difference. She is putting it together one piece at a time, it’s just taking a little longer.

“Anything worthwhile is worth doing right.”

Wawasee had two athletes on the fence for St. Joe, Jada Parzygnot in pole vault (9-0) and Elizabeth Zorn in the 1,600 (5:31.57), both fourth place but both within range of a call-back.

NorthWood’s Erica Stutsman had one of the more stunning showings of the night. A champion in the 800 at 2:16.36 in the state standard, the junior distance maven ran a remarkable final leg of the 4×400 relay that sent NorthWood to the regional. Trailing a half dozen teams coming into the final leg, Stutsman took the baton and made her move on the first turn, catching a pair of anchors. Heading around the 300 mark, Stutsman had caught everyone but Remi Beckham – who was well out front – and Jasmine Early of Columbia City. Stutsman would soon catch and pass Early, bringing home NorthWood at 4:08.28 for second in a memorable close to the sectional.

“I think my advantage came today in trusting the Lord and trusting my teammates,” Stutsman said. “I know my teammates run their best and they have no reason to be sorry for what they do. No one put me in a bad position, we did our best. I was just blessed to be able to make up some ground and get us the finish we deserved.”

NorthWood had just one other space catch a regional ticket, that being Mackenzie Moren in the 100, who was third at 13.31.

Warsaw Girls Track Sectional
1. Warsaw 132.5
2. Concord 88
3. Elkhart Memorial 69
4. Columbia City 67
5. Elkhart Central 60
6. Wawasee 45.5
7. Northridge 42
8. Goshen 37
9. Fairfield 31
10. NorthWood 29
11. Jimtown 13
12. Elkhart Christian 7
13. Bethany Christian 3
14. Lakeland Christian 0