Wawasee’s Alissa Gill dodged rain drops to win four events, including pole vault, Thursday against Westview. InkFreeNews photos by Mike Deak

By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE – While Westview and Wawasee were intending on furthering their starts to the 2021 outdoor track season, both teams had their eyes to the sky. And for good reason, as the boys and girls track meet seemed to dodge the heavy rain clouds enough for the two teams to get the meet in just before the clouds opened up Thursday night.

Wawasee would win the girls meet 88-42 while the Westview boys displayed its patented distance work in a 78-53 victory in and around a damp Warrior Field.

Borrowing a modified line from the late Dean Smith, ‘The Warriors with the most points will definitely win the game.’ It was Westview’s prototypical strength that pushed it to victory, winning all of the distance events. As one of the top cross country outfits in the state, the Warriors from Emma took the half-mile, one-mile and two-mile from three different runners, and claimed both the 4×800 and 4×400 relays in the same dominating manner.

Traditionally also a strong field unit, Westview also pulled wins in all three of the high jump, long jump and pole vault categories as it buoyed enough points to stay ahead throughout.

Wawasee posted speed wins, with Chase Dennis claiming both the 100 and 200 dashes at 11.33 and 24.62, and Mason Possell won the 400 at 56.83. Likewise, Wawasee took the 4×100 relay at 47.51.

The Warriors from Syracuse took both throws, Braxton Mast the shot put at 35-3 and Quintin Spitzmacher the discus at 111-04.

Hunter Tinkey speeds down the line in the 100 dash.

Just two days clear of its season opener at East Noble, head coach Frank Pizana was looking for growth in areas his team lacked in Kendallville.

“We knew Westview wasn’t going to go full speed in its distance events, and even then you saw how good they are,” said Wawasee boys track head coach Frank Pizana. “It’s still early on, and we’re just working on getting times down at this point. We didn’t have a lot to prove tonight in terms of wins and losses, we just wanted to improve from Tuesday and push forward just a little bit.”

Alissa Gill had quite a meet for the Wawasee girls, owner of four event wins to highlight the hosts. Gill would start with a 7-0 win in pole vault and 14-3.75 leap to take long jump. Shifting to the track, Gill would sprint to a 13.47 and 29.87 sweep of the 100 and 200 dashes.

Dylan Konieczny added two wins for Wawasee, setting a personal record with a 5-2 in high jump and racing to a 16.01 win in the 100 hurdles.

Bailey Mayhew took the 400 at 1:27.00, all three of Wawasee relays were winners, and the throwing unit took honors, Emma Yoder in the discus at 95-06 and Brooklynn Gibson in shot put at 28-10.

Notable for Westview was Deann Fry, who won the half-mile, mile and two-mile, all in convincing fashion, and nearly willed Westview to a 4×400 closer, only to have Mayhew pull away in the final leg to spoil Fry’s miraculous showing.

“Our young throwers, freshmen and sophomores, they are studs and we are happy to have them for years to come,” said Wawasee girls track head coach Jose Lopez. “Dylan had a great meet as well, hit that PR in high jump, two inch improvement from her last season, and not jumping at East Noble, that’s quite a first day height. She was excited, she has the potential to go far. She can jump as high as she wants.”

Wawasee returns to the home track Tuesday to host West Noble.